Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_09-cv-06063/USCOURTS-cand-3_09-cv-06063-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Amos Productions, Inc.
Defendant
Terry Benson
Plaintiff
Terry Williams
Plaintiff

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Motion For Admin. Relief 

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STEVEN AMES BROWN 

Entertainment Law 83363 

69 Grand View Avenue 

San Francisco, California 94114-2741 

415/647-7700 Tele 

415/285-3048 Fax 

sabrown@entertainmentlaw.com

Attorney for Plaintiff 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION 

TERRY BENSON, 

pka TERRY WILLIAMS, CIVIL NO. Cv. 09-6063 JSW 

 Plaintiff, 

 

 v. MOTION FOR ADMINISTRATIVE 

 RELIEF, RE: SERVICE OF PROCESS 

AMOS PRODUCTIONS, INC., [L.R. 7-11] 

 Defendant. 

______________________________________/ 

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AND ORDER THEREON

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Motion For Admin. Relief 

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 TO: THE COURT AND ALL PARTIES 

 PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to Local Rules 7-11, Plaintiff hereby brings a 

motion for administrative relief for an order authorizing Plaintiff to service process herein 

on the California Secretary of State. The motion will be based on this notice and the 

accompanying supporting materials. 

MEMORANDUM 

 By written contract made as of June 16, 1967, Plaintiff agreed to perform as a 

recording artist for Defendant. Defendant in turn promised to pay contractual royalties to 

Plaintiff based on the commercial exploitation of Plaintiff’s recordings. Plaintiff now sues 

for unpaid artist royalties. 

 Defendant is a New York corporation whose authorization to conduct business as a 

foreign corporation within California has been revoked. Service could not be effected at 

the last known address of the corporation, nor could its designated agent be found. 

Plaintiff’s recordings are being distributed by a division of the Warner Music Group 

(“WMG”). The writer has verified with WMG that it ceased rendering royalty statements to 

Defendant in approximately 1998 because it had received no current address. The writer 

has also run a search of the California State Controller’s unclaimed property database and 

has identified unclaimed property standing in the name of the corporate agent, at the same 

last known address at which service of process herein could not be completed. 

 California Corporations Code § 2111(a) permits a court to enter an order allowing 

service upon the California Secretary of State. 

 “If the agent designated for the service of process is a natural person and 

cannot be found with due diligence at the address stated in the designation or 

if the agent is a corporation and no person can be found with due diligence to 

whom the delivery authorized by Section 2110 may be made for the purpose 

of delivery to the corporate agent, [ ] and it is so shown by affidavit to the 

satisfaction of the court, then the court may make an order that service be 

made by personal delivery to the Secretary of State or to an assistant or 

deputy secretary of state of two copies of the process together with two copies 

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of the order [ ]. Service in this manner is deemed complete on the 10th day 

after delivery of the process to the Secretary of State.” 

 As the following declaration establishes, Defendant designated James A. Bowen of 

10436 Kling Street, North Hollywood, California as its agent for service of process; that 

Defendant has forfeited its right to do business within California; that Mr. Bowen cannot be 

found at the address listed with the Secretary of State and corroborating evidence 

suggests that Mr. Bowen is no longer at that address and can no longer be found. As 

Plaintiff has made diligent attempts to serve Mr. Bowen, it appears the only means of 

effecting service on Defendant would be for the Court to enter an order authorizing Plaintiff 

to deliver copies of the Summons & Complaint to the Secretary of State in accordance with 

Corporations Code § 2111(a). 

 Dated: February 7, 2010. 

 Respectfully submitted, 

 /s/ 

 STEVEN AMES BROWN, 

 Attorney for Plaintiff 

DECLARATION OF STEVEN AMES BROWN 

I, STEVEN AMES BROWN, declare: 

1. I am counsel to Plaintiff in this action. 

2. Attached as Exhibit 1 is a true copy of the Secretary of State’s corporate listing 

for Defendant, Amos Productions, Inc. which I personally copied from the 

Secretary’s online corporate database. 

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3. Attached as Exhibit 2 is a true copy of the declaration of attempts at personal 

service on Mr. Bowen made by the process server I engaged on Plaintiff’s 

behalf. 

4. I have held discussions with senior counsel at the Warner Music Group (“WMG”) 

concerning their efforts to deliver royalty statements for Plaintiff’s recordings to 

Defendant. WMG’s attorneys told me that the company stopped sending royalty 

statements in approximately 1998 because they had no current address for 

Defendant. 

5. Attached as Exhibit 3 is a true copy of a listing from the California Controller’s 

online database of unclaimed property which shows that Mr. Bowen is the owner 

of “escheated” funds that he has left unclaimed, and that his last known address 

was the same one listed on the Secretary of State’s corporate database. 

6. No stipulation could be obtained because I have not yet been able to serve or 

speak with Defendant. 

 Pursuant to the laws of the United States, I declare under penalty of perjury the 

foregoing is true and correct. 

 Dated: February 7, 2010 

 /s/ 

 ____________________________ 

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PROPOSED ORDER 

 Upon reading the foregoing motion and good cause appearing, IT IS HEREBY 

ORDERED, that Plaintiff may service Summons & Complaint in the within action on 

Defendant, Amos Productions, Inc., by delivering two copies of this Order, plus two copies 

of the Summons & Complaint upon the California Secretary of State, in compliance with 

California Corporations Code § 2111(a). 

 Dated: 

 __________________________________ 

 United States District Judge 

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February 17, 2010

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