Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_06-cv-00605/USCOURTS-caed-2_06-cv-00605-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Gerald Cohen
Plaintiff
Richard D. Williams Trust
Defendant
Richard D. Williams
Defendant

Document Text:

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

GERALD COHEN, NO. CIV.S-06-0605 FCD DAD 

 

 Plaintiff, 

 

 v. ORDER

RICHARD D. WILLIAMS TRUST,

 Defendant.

____________________________/

In this action plaintiff alleges violations of Title II and

III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Before the court

is plaintiff’s motion for an order authorizing service by publication

on Richard D. Williams as trustee of the Richard D. Williams Trust,

the named defendant.

As an initial matter effecting the service of process

issue, it appears that the Richard D. Williams Trust is not properly

named as a defendant in this action. “Fed.R.Civ.P. 17(b) directs

[the court] to look to [state] law to determine whether the trust had

the capacity to be sued.” Colorado Springs Cablevision, Inc. v. W.A.

Case 2:06-cv-00605-FCD-DAD Document 11 Filed 08/14/06 Page 1 of 6
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26 1All Federal Rules of Civil Procedure will hereafter be referred

to as “Rule”.

Lively, 579 F.Supp. 252, 253 (D. Colo. 1984). More specifically,

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure1 17(b) provides in part:

Capacity to Sue or be Sued. The capacity

of an individual, other than one acting in

a representative capacity, to sue or be

sued shall be determined by the law of the

individual's domicile. The capacity of a

corporation to sue or be sued shall be

determined by the law under which it was

organized. In all other cases capacity to

sue or be sued shall be determined by the

law of the state in which the district

court is held . . . .

 Under California law, the proper party to an action against

a trust is the trustee of that trust. Bernstein v. Equitable

Discount Corp., 8 Cal. App. 2d 265, 269 (1935)(“The general rule is

that the trustee of an express trust is competent to sue and defend

in [sic] behalf of the beneficiaries in an action with a third

party.”); Powers v. Ashton, 45 Cal. App. 3d 783, 787 (1975)(“Thus

where a cause of action is prosecuted on behalf of an express trust,

the trustee is the real party in interest because he is the one in

whom title to the cause is vested.”); Saks v. Damon Raike and

Company, 7 Cal. App. 4th 419, 427 (1992)(“[T]he trustee is the real

party in interest because the trustee has legal title to the cause.”) 

Thus, the proper party to this action is not the named defendant, the

Richard D. Williams Trust, but is instead Richard D. Williams as

trustee of the Richard D. Williams Trust. 

Therefore, the court grants plaintiff leave to amend the

complaint to reflect that the defendant is Richard D. Williams as

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trustee of the Richard D. Williams Trust.

The court must now address whether the trustee may be

served by publication in this case. Rule 4(e) addresses service of

process in part and provides:

Unless otherwise provided by federal law,

service upon an individual from whom a

waiver has not been obtained and filed,

other than an infant or an incompetent

person, may be effected in any judicial

district of the United States:

(1) pursuant to the law of the state in

which the district court is located, or in

which service is effected, for the service

of a summons upon the defendant in an

action brought in the courts of general

jurisdiction of the State;

Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(e). 

Under Rule 4(e) plaintiff in the present action may serve

the trustee in the manner prescribed by California law. California

Code of Civil Procedure § 415.50 addresses service by publication and

provides in part:

(a) A summons may be served by publication

if upon affidavit it appears to the

satisfaction of the court in which the

action is pending that the party to be

served cannot with reasonable diligence be

served in another manner specified in this

article and that either:

(1) A cause of action exists against the

party upon whom service is to be made or

he or she is a necessary or proper party

to the action.

(2) The party to be served has or claims

an interest in real or personal property

in this state that is subject to the

jurisdiction of the court or the relief

demanded in the action consists wholly or

in part in excluding the party from any

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interest in the property.

(b) The court shall order the summons to

be published in a named newspaper,

published in this state, that is most

likely to give actual notice to the party

to be served. If the party to be served

resides or is located out of this state,

the court may also order the summons to be

published in a named newspaper outside

this state that is most likely to give

actual notice to that party. The order

shall direct that a copy of the summons,

the complaint, and the order for

publication be forthwith mailed to the

party if his or her address is ascertained

before expiration of the time prescribed

for publication of the summons. Except as

otherwise provided by statute, the

publication shall be made as provided by

Section 6064 of the Government Code unless

the court, in its discretion, orders

publication for a longer period.

(C) Service of a summons in this manner is

deemed complete as provided in Section

6064 of the Government Code.

Cal. Code Civ. P. § 415.50. 

The affidavit submitted by plaintiff’s counsel establishes

that the trustee lives in another state and further that the

attorney who apparently represents the defendant maintains that the

trustee will be very difficult to locate. (Decl. Of Thomas N.

Stewart, III in Supp. of Pl.’s Supplemented Application for Order at

3.) Thus, plaintiff has established that he cannot through the

exercise of reasonable diligence serve the trustee by any other

means. Counsel’s affidavit also shows that the trust has property

in California and that a cause of action exists to which the trustee

is a necessary party. Therefore, service by publication is proper

under California law. Cal. Code Civ. P. § 415.50(a).

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Under § 415.50(b), the summons is to be published in a

named local newspaper likely to give notice to defendant and, if

possible, a newspaper in the area where defendant resides. In the

present case, because the trustee’s location is unknown, publishing

service in a newspaper where the trustee resides is not possible. 

Moreover, because the trustee’s location is unknown, it is difficult 

to determine what local newspaper is most likely to provide the

trustee with actual notice. Plaintiff has suggested that the notice

be published in “The Reporter” Vacaville newspaper which has

circulation in the area where the trust property is located. In the

absence of any more appropriate location for publication, the court

finds that publication in “The Reporter” is sufficient.

Plaintiff has also agreed to send copies of the complaint

to both Skip Keyser Reality, manager of the property at issue, and

attorney Craig Hassler, who apparently represents the trust but has

refused to accept service of the complaint on its behalf. Further,

it appears from the record that the trustee does have actual notice

of this action in that attorney Hassler contacted plaintiff’s

counsel to discuss settlement of the matter. (Decl. Of Thomas N.

Stewart, III in Supp. of Pl.’s Supplemented Application for Order at

3.) 

For the reasons discussed above, it is HEREBY ORDERED

that:

1. Plaintiff is granted leave to amend the complaint to

name as the defendant Richard D. Williams as trustee of the Richard

D. Williams Trust within 20 days;

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2. Plaintiff’s application for an order allowing service

of the amended complaint by publication is granted;

3. Plaintiff shall publish service of process in the

Vacaville newspaper called “The Reporter” consistent with the

requirements of Cal. Code of Civil Procedure § 415.50 and Cal.

Government Code § 6064; and

4. Plaintiff is directed to also mail copies of the

amended complaint to the following:

Craig Hassler

810 Davis Street, Suite B

Vacaville, CA 95687 

Skip Keyser Reality

1434 Third Street, Suite E

Napa, CA 94559

DATED: August 10, 2006.

DAD:im

Dad1/orders.civil/cohen0605.grant.pub.wpd

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