Opinion ID: 1991506
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Williams asserts:

Text: The first problem with the reasoning of the Court of Special Appeals is that the equity court here had not acquired jurisdiction at all. Since, as the Court of Special Appeals held, the agreement had not been incorporated in the divorce decree, the divorce case had terminated, and there was no basis for asserting jurisdiction over the husband by mere service of a petition and rule to show cause upon his former attorneys in the District of Columbia. If the wife wished to commence an equity proceeding for specific performance, she was required to file a new proceeding and obtain jurisdiction over the husband by service of process upon him. We have no problem relative to the trial court's jurisdiction. Service was not upon Williams' attorneys as Williams asserts, but upon him, a resident of the State of Maryland. Execution of the process was by a private person pursuant to former Rule 116. As noted earlier, the motion raising preliminary objection was on two grounds, lack of subject matter jurisdiction and insufficiency of service of process. The service of process was sufficient. The facts are similar to those before the Court in Boggs v. Mining Co., 105 Md. 371, 66 A. 259 (1907): Thatcher Bell, another Deputy Sheriff, testified that he was told by the Sheriff to go over to the Calvert Building and serve the writ on Mr. Turnbull, that Gover had not been able to get a service. Witness went over to Turnbull's office with the copies ready to serve and said to Turnbull `I have a paper to serve on you.' Turnbull said `I know what you have,' and started to go out. Witness reached for Turnbull with the copies and when the latter kept running, he commenced to read them, but Turnbull got into the next room and slammed the door. Witness then laid the copies on the table and returned to the Sheriff's office. He left the copies of the narr., notice to plead and writ in this case on the table in Turnbull's office. 105 Md. at 384, 66 A. at 260-61. The Court there said: Neither he nor the company he represented, if he did represent it for the purpose of the service, can be permitted to set up such a state of facts in support of the motion to strike out the judgment. He might as well have remained in his office and put his fingers in his ears while the deputy read the writ to him, and then claimed to be without information as to its contents or purpose. Defendants have frequently sought to evade or defeat service of process upon them by flight or refusal to accept the process handed them by the servicing officer but the Courts have held such efforts futile. Davison v. Baker, 24 How.Prac. 42 [39]; Slaught [Slaght] v. Robbins, 13 N.J.L. 349 [340]; Borden v. Borden, 63 Wis. 377 [374, 23 N.W. 573]; Baker v. Carrecton [Carleton], 32 Me. 334 [335]. 105 Md. at 385, 66 A. at 261. Williams did not raise the issue of insufficiency of process, that is that he should have been served a subpoena rather than a show cause order, as a ground for his motion. See former Rule 323 a 3. His failure to do so constituted a waiver of that defense. See former Rule 323 b.