Kelly v. Raese, 9918

• Decision Date: 18 April 1967
• Docket Number: 9919.,No. 9918,9918
• Citation: 377 F.2d 263
• Parties: Jane Greer KELLY, individually and/or in any fiduciary capacity, and as legal guardian and custodian of Richard Greer Raese and John Reeves Raese, defendants, Appellant, v. Richard Greer RAESE and John Reeves Raese, infants, by Richard Aubrey Raese, their duly authorized legal guardian; Richard Aubrey Raese, as legal guardian of Richard Greer Raese and John Reeves Raese, infants, and Richard Aubrey Raese, individually, Appellees. PRESTON CORPORATION and Preston Public Service Corporation, Plaintiffs, Appellants, v. Richard Greer RAESE and John Reeves Raese, infants, by Richard Aubrey Raese, their duly authorized legal guardian; Richard Aubrey Raese, as legal guardian of Richard Greer Raese and John Reeves Raese, infants, and Richard Aubrey Raese, individually, Appellees.
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Fourth Circuit

377 F.2d 263 (1967)

Jane Greer KELLY, individually and/or in any fiduciary capacity, and as legal guardian and custodian of Richard Greer Raese and John Reeves Raese, defendants, Appellant, v. Richard Greer RAESE and John Reeves Raese, infants, by Richard Aubrey Raese, their duly authorized legal guardian; Richard Aubrey Raese, as legal guardian of Richard Greer Raese and John Reeves Raese, infants, and Richard Aubrey Raese, individually, Appellees.

PRESTON CORPORATION and Preston Public Service Corporation, Plaintiffs, Appellants, v. Richard Greer RAESE and John Reeves Raese, infants, by Richard Aubrey Raese, their duly authorized legal guardian; Richard Aubrey Raese, as legal guardian of Richard Greer Raese and John Reeves Raese, infants, and Richard Aubrey Raese, individually, Appellees.

Nos. 9918, 9919.

United States Court of Appeals Fourth Circuit.

April 18, 1967.

William H. Arkin, Washington, D. C., for appellants.

James M. Guiher, Clarksburg, W. Va., (Steptoe & Johnson, Clarksburg, W. Va., on brief), for appellees.

Before HAYNSWORTH, Chief Judge, SOBELOFF, Circuit Judge, and HUTCHESON, District Judge.

HAYNSWORTH, Chief Judge:

This appeal is from a decision by the District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia dismissing both an action in the nature of an interpleader and a cross-claim by one defendant against another.¹ We think the District Court properly dismissed this attempt to bring this continuing internecine war into the District Court.

Raese, a West Virginia resident, and Mrs. Kelly, a Florida resident, were husband and wife until divorced in May, 1955. Mrs. Kelly was in control of several West Virginia Corporations, the outstanding stock of which was distributed as follows:

                  PRESTON COUNTY SUPPLY COMPANY
                  Jane G. Kelly (defendant-appellant)                      1717 Shares
                  Richard Greer Raese (minor child)                         450   "
                  John Reeves Raese (minor child)                           300   "
                  Agnes J. Reeves Greer (mother of JGK)                       3   "
                  Richard Aubrey Raese (defendant-appellee)                   1   "
                                                                           ___________
                                                          Total            2471 Shares
                  PRESTON COUNTY LIGHT & POWER COMPANY
                  Preston County Supply Company                             497 Shares
                  Agnes J. Reeves Greer                                       3   "
                                                                           ___________
                                                         Total              500 Shares
                  PRESTON COUNTY TELEPHONE COMPANY
                  Preston County Light & Power Company                     2500 Shares
                                                                           ___________
                                                        Total              2500 Shares
                

In October and November, 1963, these corporations went through a plan of reorganization by which their assets were transferred to Preston Public Service Corporation, a Delaware corporation. All the outstanding stock of Preston Public Service Corporation was issued to Preston Corporation, another Delaware Corporation. Shares of Preston Corporation were issued to shareholders of Preston County Supply Company in exchange for their stock.

The minority stockholders of Preston County Supply Company have contested the 1963 reorganization.² Raese claims that he is entitled to vote 750 shares of the stock of Preston County Supply Company as legal guardian of the two minor children. His claim derives from an order of the Circuit Court of Monongalia County, West Virginia, by which the minors were placed in his custody. Mrs. Kelly claims the right to vote the stock as trustee of the stock for the benefit of the two children. Her claim is based on an ex parte order of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court in Dade County, Florida.

To resolve this controversy and litigate others, or to avoid their resolution in the actions pending in the state courts of West Virginia, Preston Corporation and Preston Public Service Corporation, the Delaware corporations, as plaintiffs, brought this action in the nature of an interpleader in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.³ Raese, Mrs. Kelly, the two minors, and the three West Virginia corporations were named as defendants. Mrs. Kelly and the West Virginia corporations⁴ were served in Florida. Raese and the minors were served in West Virginia pursuant to the nationwide service of process provisions of 28 U.S. C. § 2361. The property deposited in court was 3,034 shares of Preston Corporation, 3,030 of which were alleged to be adversely claimed by both Raese and Mrs. Kelly in their fiduciary capacities.⁵ In addition to the interpleader relief, the Delaware corporations sought an injunction against pending state court actions and damages of $743,587 against Raese for alleged wrongs to the corporations.

Mrs. Kelly and the West Virginia corporations answered admitting all allegations of the complaint. At the same time, Mrs. Kelly cross-claimed against Raese seeking a declaratory judgment of the rights she claims as custodian of the children and her rights as trustee of their stock. Mrs. Kelly also joined a claim for money damages of $68,000 arising from a dispute incident to her divorce from Raese. In addition, she moved for summary judgment on her claims.

On motion by defendant, Raese, to dismiss or transfer, the action was transferred to the Northern District of West Virginia.⁶ Raese then moved the West Virginia District Court to dismiss and that court granted the motion. The court based the dismissal on the conclusive nature of the interpleader suit, the pendency of a state court action involving some of the same issues, and the availability of adequate remedies in the state courts to adjudicate all the claims involved.

There is a basis for a finding that the interpleader suit was collusively brought in Florida by the Delaware corporations to get in personam jurisdiction of Raese on the other claims. In Bierman v. Marcus⁷ an interpleader action was dismissed because the stakeholder did not have a "real and reasonable fear of exposure to double liability or the vexation of conflicting claims to justify...