Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Co. v. Gilbert
Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Co. v. Gilbert
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
This was an action in a state court in New York by a resident of that State against a Pennsylvania corporation
Under § 237 of the Judicial Code, as amended September 6,1916, c. 448, 39 Stat. 726, a final judgment or decree of a state court of last resort in a suit “where is drawn in question the validity of a treaty or statute of, or an authority exercised under the United States, and the decision is against their validity; or where is drawn in question the validity of a statute of, or an authority exercised under any State, on the ground of their being repugnant to the Constitution, treaties, or laws of the United States, and the decision is in favor of their validity,” may be reviewed in this court upon writ of error; but, if the suit be one “where is drawn in question the validity of a treaty or statute of, or an authority exercised under the United States, and the decision is in favor of their validity; or where is drawn in question the validity of a statute of, oían authority exercised under any State, on the ground of their being repugnant to the Constitution, treaties, or laws of the United States, and the decision is against their validity; or where any title, right, privilege, or immunity is claimed, under the Constitution, or any treaty or statute
By a timely motion the defendant sought to have the service of the summons set aside upon the ground— “that said service is void, in that the defendant’s consent to be sued in the State of New York by service upon its aforesaid designated agent, can only be implied with respect to causes of action arising in connection with business the defendant transacts in the State of New York; the plaintiff’s cause of action herein did not arise in connection with the business defendant transacts in the State of New York but is brought to recover damages for personal injuries alleged to have been sustained in the State of Pennsylvania. An attempt to compel the defendant to respond to this suit in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, sitting in Westchester County, is an invasion of the defendant’s rights under the Constitution of the United States, particularly Section 1 of the 14th Amendment of the said Constitution.”
The motion was overruled and the defendant, having first excepted to the ruling, answered to the merits.
All that was drawn in question by the motion was the validity of the service and the power of the court, consistently with the first section of the Fourteenth Amendment — probably meaning the due process of law clause, to proceed upon that service to a hearing and determination of the case. It did not question the validity of any
It follows that the judgment cannot be reviewed upon writ of error. If a review was desired it should have been sought under that clause of the certiorari provision which reads, “or where any title, right, privilege, or immunity is claimed under the Constitution,” etc.
Writ of error dismissed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- PHILADELPHIA & READING COAL & IRON COMPANY v. GILBERT
- Cited By
- 21 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- A Pennsylvania corporation was sued in New York, where it transacted but a part of its business, upon a cause of action for personal injuries arising in Pennsylvania, and the summons was served upon a New York agent which it had designated to receive service of process, conformably to the New York laws. It moved to set aside the service as void in that consent to be sued in New York could be implied only in respect of causes arising out of its business there, and that the attempt to compel it to respond to the action was an invasion of its rights under the Constitution, particularly § 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment. Held that, as the motion did not draw in question the validity of the state law but only the validity of the service and the power of the court, consistently with § 1 of the Amendment, to proceed upon such service, no basis was laid for reviewing in this court by writ of error a subsequent judgment on the merits but only for application for certiorari. Jud. Code, § 237, as amended by Act of Sept. 6,1916.