Webb Packing Co. v. Harmon

• Decision Date: 09 June 1937
• Citation: 193 A. 596,38 Del. 476
• Court: Delaware Superior Court
• Parties: WEBB PACKING COMPANY, a corporation of the State of Maryland, v. FRED T. HARMON and FOREST L. HARMON, trading as Fred T. Harmon and Brother

193 A. 596

38 Del. 476

WEBB PACKING COMPANY, a corporation of the State of Maryland, v. FRED T. HARMON and FOREST L. HARMON, trading as Fred T. Harmon and Brother

Superior Court of Delaware, New Castle County

June 9, 1937

Superior Court for New Castle County, No. 158, September Term, 1934.

Case heard on petition to vacate a judgment entered by default for defects in the service of the process which were apparent on the face of the record.

The prayer of the petition is granted, and the Prothonotary of New Castle County is directed to mark the judgment vacated on the record.

John W Huxley, Jr., for plaintiff.

James M. Tunnell for petitioners.

RICHARDS J., sitting.

OPINION

RICHARDS, J.

The defendants in this case being residents of the State of Virginia, availed themselves of the privilege of using the public highways of the State of Delaware, with a motor vehicle not registered in Delaware. Their said motor vehicle became involved in an accident while being so operated in Delaware. Consequently suit was brought against them in Delaware to recover damages for injuries resulting from said accident. The plaintiff attempted to obtain service of process on the defendants under the provisions of Chapter 225, Volume 35, Laws of Delaware, which are in these terms:

"Section 1. That on and after the passage of this Act, any non-resident owner, operator or driver of any motor vehicle, not registered under the laws of the State of Delaware providing for the registration of motor vehicles, who shall accept the privilege extended by law to non-residents of this State to operate or drive such motor vehicles on the public streets, roads, turnpikes or highways of this State by operating or driving such motor vehicle or by having the same operated or driven on any public street, road, turnpike or highway of this State shall by such acceptance of said privilege be deemed thereby to have appointed and constituted the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, his, her, its or their agent for the acceptance of legal process in any civil action against such non-resident owner, operator or driver arising or growing out of any accident or collision occurring within this State in which such motor vehicle, operated as aforesaid, is involved; and said acceptance shall be a signification of the agreement of such non-resident that any such process when so served, as aforesaid, shall be of the same legal force and validity as if served upon such non-resident personally within this State.

"Section 2. Service of the legal process provided for in Section 1 hereof, with a fee of two dollars, shall be made upon the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware in the same manner as is now or may be thereafter provided by law for service of writs of summons, and when so made shall be as effectual to all intents and purposes as if made personally upon such non-resident within this State; provided, that a copy of the process with notice of such service, and that under the provisions of this Act it shall be as effectual to all intents and purposes as if it had been made upon such non-resident personally within this State, are forthwith sent by registered mail by the plaintiff in said civil action to said non-resident defendant therein, and the defendant's return receipt and the plaintiff's affidavit of the defendant's non-residence and of the sending of the copy of the process with the notice aforesaid are filed in the said action with the declaration. The Court in which said action is pending may order such continuances as may be necessary to afford the said defendant therein reasonable opportunity to defend the action."

It has long been a principle of the common law, that the jurisdiction of the courts extends no farther than their territorial boundaries. This being true they cannot legally send their process beyond those limits. The general use of the motor vehicle has eliminated distance, and caused an ever increasing number of non-residents to use our highways for both pleasure and commercial purposes.

In order to provide a method of serving process upon such non-residents, in civil actions growing out of the use of our highways with motor vehicles, the statute above referred to was enacted. Similar statutes have been passed by the legislatures of many states in this country. But the courts of those states have uniformly held that such statutes, being in derogation of the common law, must be strictly construed and strictly followed.

Felstead v. Eastern Shore Express, Inc., 5 W. W. Harr. (35 Del.) 171, 160 A. 910; Winslow v....