Williams v. Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co.

14 F.R.D. 1, 1953 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3734
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. California
DecidedMarch 5, 1953
DocketCiv. No. 14186
StatusPublished
Cited by49 cases

This text of 14 F.R.D. 1 (Williams v. Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Williams v. Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co., 14 F.R.D. 1, 1953 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3734 (S.D. Cal. 1953).

Opinion

MATHES, District Judge.

By this action plaintiffs seek recovery of damages for alleged wrongful deaths claimed to have resulted proximately from the asserted negligence of defendants. Jurisdiction of this -court as to claims against defendants Midland Rubber Corporation and Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Company is invoked upon the basis of diversity of citizenship. 28 U.S.C. § 1332.

It is alleged in the amended complaint that the deaths occurred in a synthetic-rubber manufacturing plant located at Torrance, California; that “defendant Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Company and defendant United States of America * * * were associated together in the manufacturing of synthetic rubber and synthetic rubber products in said plant, the exact relationship between the said defendants * * * being unknown to plaintiffs”; that “defendant Midland * * * operated said plant- for and on behalf of -defendants Minnesota * * * and United States * * * as their duly authorized agents”; that “said decedents were employees of defendant Midland * * * and were acting as such within the scope, purpose and duties of their employment” at the time the deaths occurred “as a direct and proximate result of the negligence * * * of defendants and each of them ¡¡t * $ »

Defendant Midland presents two motions: (1) for summary judgment under Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, 28 U.S.C., and (2) to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, upon the ground inter alia that this court “la-cks jurisdiction over the subject matter of the action as to said defendant * * *Although plaintiffs have not demanded judgment against Midland in the amended complaint, the motions are to be considered as if such relief were included in the prayer. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 54(c); Schoonover v. Schoonover, 10 Cir., 1949, 172 F.Zd 526, 530; 3 Barron & Holtzoff, Federal Practice and Procedure (Rules Edition) § 1213 (1950).

It is urged in aid of both motions that since “the fatal injuries of both decedents arose out of and occurred in the course of their employment by Midland * * * both the employer and the employees were subject to the Workmen’s -Compensation * * * Laws of * * * California [4]*4* * * [which] provide that under the circumstances alleged in the amended complaint the exclusive claim on account of a fatal injury arising out of and occurring in the course of the employment, is for Workmen’s Compensation benefits and * * * the Industrial Accident Commission is the judicial tribunal vested with exclusive jurisdiction to adjudicate any such claim * * * Cal.Labor Code, §§ 3600, 3601, 3706, 5300.

Affidavits filed in support of the motion for summary judgment set forth facts disclosing that at the time of the incident giving rise to this action, defendant Midland was insured as to claims asserted under the Workmen's Compensation laws of California, Cal.Labor Code, §§ 3600, 3706, and the “conditions of compensation” under California Labor Code, §§ 3201 et seq. existed, Cal.Labor Code § 3600; with the result, it is averred, that the rights of plaintiffs against defendant Midland are limited to statutory compensation, and the Industrial Accident Commission is. by California law vested with exclusive jurisdiction over plaintiffs’ claims as to Midland. Cal.Labor Code, §§ 3601, 5300.

In opposition to the motion for summary judgment, plaintiffs point out that the amended complaint tenders a genuine issue not oniy as to the material fact of negligence, but also as to whether or not defendant Midland was acting as agent for defendants United States and Minnesota. Cf. Arnstein v. Porter, 2 Cir., 1946,154 F.2d 464, 471-472.

To the extent that inconsistency or other conflicts between the affidavits and the'amended complaint raise issues of fact, this court may not ordinarily resolve the conflict upon a motion for summary judgment. Fountain v. Filson, 1949, 336 U.S. 681, 683, 69 S.Ct. 754, 93 L.Ed. 971; Kennedy v. Silas Mason Co., 1948, 334 U.S. 249, 256-257, 68 S.Ct. 1031, 92 L.Ed. 1347; United States v. Dollar, 9 Cir., 1952, 196 F.2d 551; Miller v. Miller, 1941, 74 App.D.C. 216, 122 F.2d 209, 212; 3 Barron & Holtzoff, supra, § 1231,

The first problem here is whether this general rule applies when the summary judgment sought is one of dismissal for lack of jurisdiction.

It is but aphoristic to recall that this court possesses only such jurisdiction as has been conferred by statute, U.S.Const, art. Ill; Lockerty v. Phillips, 1943, 319 U.S. 182, 187, 63 S.Ct. 1019, 87 L.Ed. 1339, and jurisdiction is the threshold issue in every case in the federal courts. Mansfield C. & L. M. Railway Co. v. Swan, 1884, 111 U.S. 379, 382, 4 S.Ct. 510, 28 L.Ed. 462; State of Rhode Island v. Com. of Massachusetts, 1838, 12 Pet. 657, 37 U.S. 657, 720, 9 L.Ed. 1233; Brown v. Keene, 1834, 8 Pet. 112, 33 U.S. 112, 8 L.Ed. 885; Capron v. Van Noorden, 1804, 2 Cranch 126, 6 U.S. 126, 2 L.Ed. 229.

“This question the court is bound to ask and answer for itself, even when not otherwise suggested * * *.” Mansfield C. & L. M. Railway Co. v. Swan, supra, 111 U.S. at page 382, 4 S.Ct. at page 511, 28 L.Ed. 462; Clark v. Paul Gray, Inc., 1939, 306 U.S. 583, 588, 59 S.Ct. 744, 83 L.Ed. 1001; St. Paul Mercury Ind. Co. v. Red Cab Co., 1938, 303 U.S. 283, 287-290, 58 S.Ct. 586, 82 L.Ed. 845; McNutt v. Gen. Motors, etc., Corp., 1936, 298 U.S. 178, 184— 189, 56 S.Ct. 780, 80 L.Ed. 1135; Robinson v. Anderson, 1887, 121 U.S. 522, 7 S.Ct. 1011, 30 L.Ed. 1021; Williams v. Nottawa, 1881, 104 U.S. 209, 211, 26 L.Ed. 719.

Thus it is to be accepted as axiomatic that a court has power to determine in every case whether the prerequisites to jurisdiction in fact exist. Texas & P. R. v. Gulf, etc., R. Co., 1926, 270 U.S. 266, 274, 46 S.Ct. 263, 70 L.Ed. 578.

A necessary corollary is that jurisdictional issues in each case are properly triable to the court. North Pac. S. S. Co. v. Soley, 1921, 257 U.S. 216, 221-223, 42 S.Ct. 87, 66 L.Ed. 203; Gilbert v. David, 1915, 235 U.S. 561, 566-568, 35 S.Ct. 164, 59 L.Ed. 360; Wetmore v. Rymer, 1898, 169 U.S. 115, 120-122, 18 S.Ct. 293, 42 L.Ed. 682; Taylor v. Hubbell, 9 Cir., 1951, 188 F.2d [5]*5106, 109. But as yet there has never been prescribed “any particular mode in which the question of * * * jurisdiction is to be brought to the attention of the court, nor how such question, when raised, shall be determined.** Wetmore v. Rymer, supra, 169 U.S. at page 120, 18 S.Ct. at page 295, 42 L.Ed. 682.

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Bluebook (online)
14 F.R.D. 1, 1953 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3734, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/williams-v-minnesota-mining-manufacturing-co-casd-1953.