7 S.D. 644 | S.D. | 1895
This was an action npo'n a judgment rendered by default in the state of Minnesota. The complaint is in the usual form. The defendant answered, and after denying the allegations of the complaint, except the due incorporation of the defendant under the laws of this state, alleged, in substance, that, when the proceedings in the said action were commenced and the judgment rendered, the defendant was not served with process in said action, and had no notice of the pendency of the same, and that it had no agent in the state of Minnesota upon whom summons could be served. The case was tried by the court without a jury, and the findings of fact, conclusions of law, and judgment were in favor of the plaintiff. A motion for a new trial was made and denied, and the defendant appeals.
The appellant, an insurance company incorporated under the laws of this state, and having its principal place of business at Mitchell, in this state, issued a policy of insurance to the plaintiffs, upon an elevator and personal property therein, situated in the city of Duluth, state of Minnesota, insuring them against loss by fire. The property having been destroyed by fire, the respondents Gude Bros., instituted an action in the district court of the county of St. Louis, in the state of Minnesota, upon the policy so issued, and recovered the judgment sued upon in this action. No answer was filed or served by defendant in that action, and there was no appearance by any one on its behalf. Upon the trial of this action the plaintiff offered in evidence a duly certified copy of the judgment roll filed in the district court of St. Louis county, in the state of Minnesota, which was objected to on the following grounds: “Defendant objects to the introduction of the papers named and offered in evidence, for the reasons: First, that it does not appear from the complaint upon which said judgment was based that the
The learned circuit court made and filed his findings of fact in the case at bar, the material parts of which are as follows: “(3) That on the 9th day of September, 1891, the said defendant * * * was, and for some time'prior thereto had been, transacting insurance business in the state of Minnesota; that on the 9th day of September, 1891, in consideration of the payment by plaintiffs to
The counsel for the appellant contend that the service upon said Tillotson was not such a service as gave that court jurisdiction to render a judgment binding upon the courts of this state: (1) Because it does not affirmatively appear from the record in that action, nor in the findings of the court in the case at bar, that the defendant was doing business in that state at the time this action was commenced; and (2) because the service- made was not upon an agent of the defendant authorized to do any act binding upon the defendant, other than soliciting insurance in its behalf,
While a mere soliciting agent of an insurance company may not possess the power to bind such company by his acts not strictly within the scope of his authority, yet it is competent for a state to provide that service upon such soliciting agent of a foreign insurance company shall be held and taken as due service upon the company. This is upon the theory “that a corporation of one state cannot o business in another state without the latter’s consent, express or implied, and that consent may be accompanied with such conditions as it may deem proper to impose. ” St. Clair v. Cox, 106 U. S. 350, 1 Sup. Ct. 354. In that case the court further says: “If a state permits a foreign corporation to do business within her limits, and at the same time provides that, in suits
The respective counsel have cited and discussed numerous authorities in their briefs, but, in the view we take of the case, a review of these authorities is not necessary in this opinion. We, however, give a few of those cited bearing upon the questions discussed, in addition to those heretofore referred to: Pennoyer v. Neff, 95 U. S. 714; Hart v. Sansom, 110 U. S. 151, 3 Sup. Ct. 586; Henning v. Iusurance C., 28 Fed. 440; Colorado Iron Works v. Sierra Grande Min. Co., (Colo. Sup.) 25 Pac. 325; Southern Ins. Co., of New Orleans v. Wolverton Hardware Co. (Tex. Sup.) 19 S. W. 615; Railroad Co. v. Cottrell, (Va.) 3 S. E. 123; Pope v. Manufacturing Co., 87 N. Y. 137. The judgment of the court below is affirmed