U.S. Industries, Inc. v. Gregg

• Citation: 540 F.2d 142
• Decision Date: 19 July 1976
• Docket Number: No. 75-2177,75-2177
• Parties: 20 UCC Rep.Serv. 513 U. S. INDUSTRIES, INC., a corporation, and Diversacon Industries, Inc., a corporation v. F. Browne GREGG, Appellant.
• Court: United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (3rd Circuit)

Page 142

540 F.2d 142

20 UCC Rep.Serv. 513

U. S. INDUSTRIES, INC., a corporation, and Diversacon

Industries, Inc., a corporation v. F. Browne GREGG, Appellant.

No. 75-2177.

United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit.

Argued April 20, 1976.

Decided July 19, 1976.

Thomas S. Lodge, Connolly, Bove & Lodge, Wilmington, Del., for appellant; E. Earle Zehmer, Bedell, Bedell, Dittmar & Zehmer, Jacksonville, Fla., of counsel.

Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell, David A. Drexler, Wilmington, Del., for appellees; William F. Sondericker, Judith S. Kaye, Olwine, Connelly, Chase, O'Donnell & Weyher, New York City, of counsel.

Before ALDISERT, KALODNER and WEIS, Circuit Judges.

OPINION OF THE COURT

ALDISERT, Circuit Judge.

Unlike 49 other states that enacted the Uniform Commercial Code, Delaware did not enact § 8-317(1) ¹ which requires the actual seizure of stock certificates to effect a valid attachment or levy upon an interest in corporate stock. Rather, Delaware continued in force § 169 ² of its General Corporation Law which provides that the situs of ownership of stock in a Delaware corporation is Delaware regardless of the actual location of the stock certificates. In contrast to the Uniform Commercial Code procedure, Delaware nonresident sequestration ³ practice permits the "seizure" of a defendant's stock interest in a domestic corporation merely by giving notice to the corporation in Delaware. Seizure having been effected, Delaware case law establishes that the defendant may not appear specially to protect the seized property without subjecting himself to full in personam liability. Sands v. Lefcourt Realty Corp., 35 Del.Ch. 340, 117 A.2d 365 (1955). The major question presented in this appeal from a default judgment approving the sale of defendant's interest in the shares of a Delaware corporation is whether the Delaware situs statute, as construed by the Delaware courts and as applied in this sequestration proceeding, comports with the constitutional requirement that jurisdiction be predicated on minimum contacts with the forum. International Shoe Co. v. Washington, 326 U.S. 310, 66 S.Ct. 154, 90 L.Ed. 95 (1945). In our view, it does not so comport. Accordingly, we reverse and remand with a direction to dismiss for want of jurisdiction over the person.

I.

The issue is sharply drawn in this litigation initiated by U. S. Industries, Inc. (USI), a Delaware corporation having its principal place of business in New York, and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Diversacon Industries, Inc., a Florida corporation having its principal place of business in Florida. The sole defendant is F. Browne Gregg, a Florida citizen and resident. In 1969 Gregg and USI entered into an agreement in Florida for the sale of three Florida construction companies controlled by Gregg. In essence, USI agreed to exchange USI voting common and special preference stock for the outstanding stock of the Gregg companies, the business of those companies to be transferred to USI's subsidiary, Diversacon. In addition to transferring the stock and business of his corporations, Gregg contributed $1 million to the capital of the transferred corporations and, with his wife, gave a $500,000 installment note to Diversacon. In return, Gregg received 100,962 shares of USI common stock and 8,750 shares of USI special preference stock; he was to receive additional common stock if Diversacon achieved specified levels of profitability in the future. Gregg also received an employment contract to serve as president of the transferred businesses until 1973. Gregg was removed as president in 1971 following disagreements about the operations and profitability of the acquired companies. In 1972, USI (and Diversacon as a nominal plaintiff) filed an eight-count complaint against Gregg in Delaware Chancery Court claiming damages in excess of $20 million in connection with the sale.

To obtain jurisdiction over Gregg, a nonresident, plaintiffs moved ex parte for an order of sequestration under 10 Del.C. § 366 to seize Gregg's property in Delaware. His only property in Delaware consisted of the USI shares he had obtained in exchange for his Florida businesses. Though physically the certificates were in the First National Bank of Leesburg, Florida, where Gregg had pledged them as security for a loan, appellee contends the shares were property in Delaware because of USI's Delaware incorporation and the situs rule of 8 Del.C. § 169. Plaintiffs filed a bond in the sum of $1,000 and the state court issued the order of sequestration, the sequestrator seizing the shares by formally notifying USI of the order. The First National Bank of Leesburg then moved to intervene and quash the sequestration claiming that it owned the whole of the interest in the shares by virtue of the pledge and that Gregg had no interest to sequester. At this point, and before further action by the Delaware court, Gregg removed the case to federal court based upon diversity and $10,000 in controversy.

The proceedings in the district court were not cursory: Gregg removed the action in July, 1972, and final judgment was ordered in August, 1975. For present purposes, however, we need not trace the intricate history of the litigation below. ⁴ Gregg raised objections to the sequestration which were rejected, and he sought interlocutory review which was denied. Knowing he would be subject to in personam liability if he answered the complaint, Sands v. Lefcourt Realty Corp., supra, Gregg did not answer. Issues concerning damages, valuation of the stock, and the prior lien of the bank were resolved. Eventually, Gregg's stock was sold in satisfaction of the quasi in rem judgment of default entered against him. He appeals from the default judgment, raising four issues:

1. Whether a nonresident defendant has a sequestrable interest in Delaware corporate stock where the negotiable stock certificates have been pledged and delivered by him to a bank located outside Delaware and the defendant holds only a contingent right to the return of the certificates if and when the loan is paid in full?

2. Whether the seizure of Gregg's stock to compel his personal appearance to answer damage claims unrelated to Delaware and unrelated to his rights in the stock deprived him of due process because of the absence of minimum contacts with Delaware to sustain jurisdiction? Hanson v. Denckla, 357 U.S. 235, 78 S.Ct. 1228, 2 L.Ed.2d 1283 (1958); International Shoe Co. v. Washington, 326 U.S. 310, 66 S.Ct. 154, 90 L.Ed. 95 (1945).

3. Whether the Delaware procedure for seizure of Gregg's stock without a pre-seizure adversary hearing deprived him of due process and equal protection rights? North Georgia Finishing, Inc. v. Di-Chem, Inc., 419 U.S. 601, 95 S.Ct. 719, 42 L.Ed.2d 751 (1975); Mitchell v. W. T. Grant Co., 416 U.S. 600, 94 S.Ct. 1895, 40 L.Ed.2d 406 (1974); Fuentes v. Shevin, 407 U.S. 67, 92 S.Ct. 1983, 32 L.Ed.2d 556 (1972).

4. Whether the denial of an opportunity to make a limited appearance, defending plaintiff's claim on the merits with any judgment limited to the value of the seized property, deprived Gregg of due process?

II.

We turn first to the non-constitutional argument. The district court found, and we agree:

The sequestration order was served upon USI on or about June 19, 1972. The stock was then registered in the name of Gregg. As of July 27, 1972, the collateral was valued by the Bank at $2,066,333.62.

The loan transaction was negotiated and closed in Florida. The law of Florida determines the nature and extent of Gregg's interest, if any, in the stock. The law of Delaware controls the question of whether any such interest may be sequestered under 10 Del.C. § 366. Cheff v. Athlone Industries, Inc., 233 A.2d 170 (Del.Sup.Ct.1967); Nickson v. Filtrol Corporation, 265 A.2d 425 (Del.Ch.1970).

An examination of Florida law reveals that Gregg had not transferred his entire interest in the stock to the Bank at the time of sequestration. The rights retained under Article 9 of Florida's Uniform Commercial Code by a debtor who has conveyed a security interest in collateral apply "whether title to collateral is in the secured party or in the debtor." 19C Fla.Stat.Ann. § 679.9-202 (West 1966). These rights include the right of return of the collateral upon fulfillment of the debtor's obligations. Id. § 679.9-506. This right is expressly recognized in the Gregg note; it is, in any event, unwaivable. Id. § 679.9-501.

The rights reserved to the debtor under Article 9 are rights in the collateral itself and may be transferred voluntarily or involuntarily. Id. § 679.9-311 provides:

"The debtor's rights in collateral may be voluntarily or involuntarily transferred (by way of sale, creation of a security interest, attachment, levy, garnishment or other judicial process) notwithstanding a provision in the security agreement prohibiting any transfer or making the transfer constitute a default."

348 F.Supp. 1004, 1016 (D.Del.1972) (footnote omitted).

Having decided that Florida law determines the nature of Gregg's interest in the securities pledged to the bank, and having decided further that under Florida law Gregg had not transferred his entire interest in the stock at the time of the sequestration, the question is whether Delaware law would permit the sequestration of Gregg's interest. The district court found that Delaware law would so permit. We agree.

Our starting point is 10 Del.C. § 366 which provides that the "Court may compel the appearance of the defendant by the seizure of all or any part of his property." The word "property" has been construed by Delaware courts as having a "broad and comprehensive meaning, including legal and equitable interests in both real and personal property." Blumenthal v. Blumenthal, 28 Del.Ch. 1, 35 A.2d 831, 836 (Ch.1944), aff'd 28 Del.Ch. 448, 59 A.2d 216 (Sup.Ct.1945); Sands v. Lefcourt Realty Corp., supra. That an interest is contingent does not make it nonsequestrable. Weinress v....