Williams, M. v. Jauregui, R.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedDecember 10, 2015
Docket574 EDA 2015
StatusUnpublished

This text of Williams, M. v. Jauregui, R. (Williams, M. v. Jauregui, R.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Williams, M. v. Jauregui, R., (Pa. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

J-S63032-15

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

MARSHALL L. WILLIAMS, ESQUIRE, : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA Appellant : : v. : : RAUL JAUREGUI, ESQUIRE, : : Appellee : No. 574 EDA 2015

Appeal from the Order entered on December 2, 2014 in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, Civil Division, No. 02094 July Term 2013

BEFORE: DONOHUE, MUNDY and MUSMANNO, JJ.

MEMORANDUM BY MUSMANNO, J.: FILED DECEMBER 10, 2015

Marshall L. Williams, Esquire (“Williams”), appeals from the December

2, 2014 Order striking his Complaint filed against Raul Jauregui, Esquire

(“Jauregui”), and dismissing the action, with prejudice, for lack of proper

service. We affirm.

The trial court summarized the relevant factual and procedural

background underlying this appeal as follows:

The case that gave rise to the instant appeal started out when a client of [Jauregui] apparently fired him and retained J-S63032-15

[Williams.1] [Williams] filed a [Praecipe for] writ of summons [on] July 15, 2013[. This was] followed by a [C]omplaint [filed] on October 18, 2013[,] charging [Jauregui] with tortious interference with a business relationship, misuse and abuse of process, infliction of emotional distress, commercial disparagement, and requested punitive damages. The [alleged] tortious acts appear to have occurred in 2006 and 2007[,] although there are allegations of tortious conduct as late as 2010.

On November 7, 2013, the Honorable John Herron entered an [O]rder [] provid[ing] that if the [C]omplaint was not served within 60 days[, it] would be dismissed without prejudice.[2] [Williams] was ordered to appear on January 21, 2014[,] to show cause [as to] why the [C]omplaint should not be dismissed.

[Williams] filed an affidavit of service on January [21], 2014[,] which stated that[,] on January 16, 2014[,] he sent a copy of the [C]omplaint to [Jauregui] by certified mail.[3] The

1 Prior to Williams’s initiation of the instant action, Jauregui had filed a breach of contract action against the client, as well as a related action against Williams, alleging tortious interference with a contractual relationship. Concerning Jauregui’s action against Williams, after Williams had failed to appear at scheduled pre-trial conferences and for trial, the trial court entered a default judgment against Williams. In a Memorandum filed on May 26, 2011, this Court thoroughly discussed the facts and procedural history concerning Jauregui’s prior actions. See Jauregui v. Udujih, Ukogu, and Williams, 30 A.3d 549 (Pa. Super. 2011) (unpublished memorandum at 1-5); see also id. at 12 (holding that “[w]hile we do not sanction [Williams’s] continuous inability to appear or his pro[test]ations that the trial court is misinforming this Court that [he] was notified of the trial date, we are compelled to strike the [default] judgment and reverse. By rule, the failure to appear at trial can result only in a judgment of non pros or nonsuit against a plaintiff ….”). 2 See Pa.R.C.P. 401(a) (providing that “[o]riginal process shall be served within the Commonwealth within thirty days after the issuance of the writ or the filing of the complaint.”). 3 Williams attached to the affidavit of service a U.S. Postal Service certified mail return receipt card (hereinafter “the mail return receipt”), which, according to Williams, was signed by Jauregui upon his receipt of the Complaint at his residence in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.

-2- J-S63032-15

January 21 court date was administratively cancelled because an affidavit of service had been filed.

[Jauregui] filed a [M]otion to strike service and dismiss the [C]omplaint [“Motion to dismiss”] on November 3, 2014[,] claiming that service had not been made in the manner required under P[a.]R.Civ.P. 402[,4] alleging that [Williams] had committed a fraud on the court by filing the affidavit of service, and requesting attorney fees.

On the same day, [Jauregui] also filed an in forma pauperis letter [(hereinafter “the IFP Praecipe”)], alleging that he was the attorney for the party proceeding in forma pauperis, and that he believed that the party was unable to pay court

4 Rule 402 provides as follows:

(a) Original process may be served

(1) by handing a copy to the defendant; or

(2) by handing a copy

(i) at the residence of the defendant to an adult member of the family with whom he resides; but if no adult member of the family is found, then to an adult person in charge of such residence; or

(ii) at the residence of the defendant to the clerk or manager of the hotel, inn, apartment house, boarding house or other place of lodging at which he resides; or

(iii) at any office or usual place of business of the defendant to his agent or to the person for the time being in charge thereof.

(b) In lieu of service under this rule, the defendant or his authorized agent may accept service of original process by filing a[n acceptance of service] document[.]

Pa.R.C.P. 402. In support of his request that the Complaint be stricken, Jauregui (1) pointed out that Rule 402 does not provide for service by certified mail; and (2) denied ever receiving the Complaint via certified mail, or by any other means. See Memorandum in Support of Motion to Dismiss, 11/3/14, at 1-2 (unnumbered).

-3- J-S63032-15

costs. The so-called party was[,] in fact[, Jauregui].[FN 1] There were no supporting financial documents filed with the [IFP Praecipe]. [FN 1] [Jauregui’s] accompanying [M]otion to dismiss was signed by Tannia Jauregui, Esq. [(“Tannia”),] who [Williams] has alleged is [Jauregui’s] wife[, and] who resides with [Jauregui,] in Swarthmore, PA.

On November 6, 2014[, i.e., over one year after initially filing the Complaint, Williams] filed a [P]raecipe to reinstate the [C]omplaint.[5] On November 24, 2014[, Williams] filed an [A]nswer to [Jauregui’s M]otion to dismiss the [C]omplaint[,] in which he claimed that [Jauregui] was in default and subject to a default judgment for not answering the [C]omplaint[. Williams additionally alleged] that [Jauregui] had been served with the [C]omplaint because he had signed for it,[FN 2] [and] that [Jauregui’s] allegations that the court did not have jurisdiction over [Jauregui] because the [C]omplaint had not been served were defamatory. Finally, [Williams] included a proposed order that would permit him to serve the [C]omplaint pursuant to P[a.]R.Civ.P. 430.[6] [FN 2] Apparently[,] by signing the mail return receipt. [Jauregui] denies that he signed anything.

On December 2, 2014, the [trial] court dismissed the case[,] with prejudice[,] for lack of service[,] and denied [Jauregui’s] request for attorney fees.

[Williams] filed a [Motion] for reconsideration on December 17, 2014[,] alleging that the Sheriff of Delaware County [had] attempted to serve [Jauregui,] at his last known address of 307 Riverview Road, Swarthmore, PA 19081[,] on December 4, 5 The trial court did not specifically rule upon Williams’s Praecipe. Rather, the court impliedly denied it by the subsequent entry of its December 2, 2014 Order dismissing Williams’s action. 6 Rule 430 provides, in relevant part, that “[i]f service cannot be made under the applicable rule[,] the plaintiff may move the court for a special order directing the method of service. The motion shall be accompanied by an affidavit stating the nature and extent of the investigation which has been made to determine the whereabouts of the defendant and the reasons why service cannot be made.” Pa.R.C.P. 430(a).

-4- J-S63032-15

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Washington v. Papa
384 A.2d 1350 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1978)
Bowman v. Mattei
455 A.2d 714 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1983)
Farinacci v. Beaver County Industrial Development Authority
511 A.2d 757 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1986)
Cintas Corp. v. Lee's Cleaning Services, Inc.
700 A.2d 915 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1997)
KATZ v. Greig
339 A.2d 115 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1975)
Sherry v. Trexler-Haines Gas, Inc.
541 A.2d 341 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1988)
Wible v. Apanowicz
452 A.2d 545 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1982)
Lamp v. Heyman
366 A.2d 882 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1976)
Bigansky v. Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
658 A.2d 423 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1995)
Lauterbach v. Lauterbach
195 A.2d 159 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1963)
McCreesh v. City of Philadelphia
888 A.2d 664 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 2005)
U.K. LaSalle, Inc. v. Lawless
618 A.2d 447 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1992)
Fox v. Thompson
546 A.2d 1146 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1988)
Smith v. City of Philadelphia
609 A.2d 873 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1992)
Frycklund v. Way
599 A.2d 1332 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1991)
Cahill v. Schults
643 A.2d 121 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1994)
Silver v. Thompson
26 A.3d 514 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2011)
Jauregui v. UDUJIH
30 A.3d 549 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2011)
Fleehr v. Mummert
857 A.2d 683 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2004)
Umbelina v. Adams
34 A.3d 151 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2011)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Williams, M. v. Jauregui, R., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/williams-m-v-jauregui-r-pasuperct-2015.