Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_13-cv-02149/USCOURTS-cand-3_13-cv-02149-9/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 893
Nature of Suit: Environmental Matters
Cause of Action: 42:9607 Real Property Tort to Land

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United States District Court

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

TRANS’ - GLOBAL LLC,

Plaintiff,

v.

LIA DETOMASI, et al.,

Defendants.

Case No. 13-cv-02149-WHO 

ORDER ON MOTION TO SERVE 

DISSOLVED CORPORATION 

THROUGH THE CALIFORNIA 

SECRETARY OF STATE

Re: Dkt. No. 124

This is an environmental contamination case involving claims under the Comprehensive 

Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), 42 U.S.C. § 9601 et 

seq. and various state laws. Plaintiff Trans’ - Global LLC is the current owner of the real property 

located at 1053 El Camino Real, South San Francisco, California. Second Amended Complaint ¶ 

1 (Dkt. No. 109). Plaintiff alleges that during the course of defendants’ ownership or use of the 

property from 1964 to 2010, various hazardous materials were disposed of and released into the 

property and surrounding environment. Id. ¶ 12. Among other remedies, plaintiff seeks to hold 

defendants liable for the “necessary costs of response” to this contamination. Id. ¶ 23. 

In this motion, plaintiff seeks authorization under California Corporations Code section 

2011(b) to serve defendant Select Income Properties, Buri-Buri Shopping Center, Inc. (“Select 

Income”) through the California Secretary of State. Mot. at 2 (Dkt. No. 124). Select Income is a 

dissolved California corporation that owned the subject property from 1964 to 1977. Brandt Decl. 

¶¶ 3, 6 (Dkt. No. 125). Plaintiff has been unable to identify an agent for service of process for 

Select Income and has obtained information indicating that each of its former officers and 

directors is deceased. Id. ¶ 6.

Case 3:13-cv-02149-WHO Document 132 Filed 06/25/15 Page 1 of 3
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United States District Court

Northern District of California

Plaintiff also asks that I impose costs under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4(d)(2) 1

against The Travelers Indemnity Company (“Travelers”) for its allegedly improper failure to sign 

and return a request for waiver of service of summons sent to it by plaintiff. Mot. at 2. Travelers 

provided insurance to Select Income during a portion of the period that it owned the subject 

property. Brandt Decl. ¶ 4. 

No opposition to the motion has been filed. There is no need for oral argument and the 

hearing set for July 1, 2015 is VACATED. 

California Corporations Code section 2011(b) governs service of summons on dissolved 

corporations. Cal. Corp. Code § 2011(b); Penasquitos, Inc. v. Superior Court, 53 Cal.3d 1180, 

1185-86 (1991). It states as follows: 

Summons or other process against [a dissolved] corporation may be 

served by delivering a copy thereof to an officer, director or person 

having charge of its assets or, if no such person can be found, to any 

agent upon whom process might be served at the time of dissolution. 

If none of such persons can be found with due diligence and it is so 

shown by affidavit to the satisfaction of the court, then the court 

may make an order that summons or other process be served upon 

the dissolved corporation by personally delivering a copy thereof, 

together with a copy of the order, to the Secretary of State or an 

assistant or deputy secretary of state. Service in this manner is 

deemed complete on the 10th day after delivery of the process to the 

Secretary of State. 

Cal. Corp. Code § 2011(b). Based on plaintiff’s motion and the declaration and exhibits attached 

thereto, I am satisfied that plaintiff has made a diligent effort to locate one of the persons identified 

in section 2011(b), and that “none of such persons can be found with due diligence.” Id. 

Accordingly, plaintiff’s request for an order allowing it to serve Select Income through the 

California Secretary of State is GRANTED. Plaintiff may serve Select Income through the 

 

1 Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4(d)(1), “an individual, corporation, or association that is 

subject to service under Rule 4(e), (f), or (h) has a duty to avoid unnecessary expenses of serving 

the summons. The plaintiff may notify such a defendant that an action has been commenced and 

request that the defendant waive service of a summons.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(d)(1). 

Rule 4(d)(2) provides that “[i]f a defendant located within the United States fails, without good 

cause, to sign and return a waiver requested by a plaintiff located within the United States, the 

court must impose on the defendant: (A) the expenses later incurred in making service; and (B) the 

reasonable expenses, including attorney's fees, of any motion required to collect those service 

expenses.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(d)(2). 

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United States District Court

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Secretary of State or an assistant or deputy secretary of state in the manner prescribed by section 

2011(b). 

On the other hand, plaintiff’s request that I impose costs under Rule 4(d)(2) against 

Travelers is DENIED. By its plain language, Rule 4(d)(2) applies only where the entity that fails 

to sign and return the waiver request is a defendant. Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(d)(2). Travelers has not 

been named as a defendant in this action. While Travelers may have insured Select Income with a 

policy against which plaintiff can recover, see Cal. Corp. Code § 2011(a)(1)(A), plaintiff cites no 

authority that Travelers has an obligation (or would even be authorized) to accept service for its 

dissolved policy holder and be responsible for costs under Rule 4(d)(2). 

If plaintiff locates authority to support its position regarding payment of service costs, it 

may renew its motion for costs at a later date. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: June 25, 2015 

______________________________________ 

WILLIAM H. ORRICK 

United States District Judge 

Case 3:13-cv-02149-WHO Document 132 Filed 06/25/15 Page 3 of 3