Opinion ID: 1427569
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: facts

Text: This is the second Nevada action involving these parties and facts. In the original action, Sugarless filed a complaint alleging that appellant Donald Sawyer (Sawyer), a California resident doing business as the Toppington Group, breached an oral agreement to provide financing for Sugarless in exchange for an interest in the company. Out of concern that Sawyer would attempt to avoid service of process, Sugarless engaged California counsel and instructed counsel to take extra precautions to effect valid service of process upon Sawyer. California counsel instructed his secretary to put the summons and complaint in a sealed manila envelope [1] and give the messenger service instructions to have two persons present when Sawyer was served. The record contains affidavits from counsel's secretary that she placed the summons and complaint in the envelope, sealed it, and then gave it to the messenger with instructions and Sawyer's business address. The process server and the witness went to Sawyer's office and delivered the sealed manila envelope to a man who was allegedly identified as Sawyer. No mention was made to this individual that he was being served or that the envelope contained legal papers. Delivery was made like any of the myriad, mundane deliveries which occur in the daily course of business. The server later testified that he thought the service procedure was unusual and admitted that although he was told that the envelope he delivered contained a summons and complaint, he did not personally know what was in the manila envelope he handed to the individual who supposedly was Sawyer. Sawyer subsequently failed to answer or appear and Sugarless obtained a default judgment against Sawyer for $495,000.00. Six months after default was taken, Sawyer received the notice of default. Sawyer diligently but unsuccessfully attempted to have the matter removed to federal court and the default judgment set aside. [2] After these attempts to invoke the more generous federal default provisions failed, and fearing that further delay might give rise to equitable defenses, Sawyer instituted this independent equitable action in the court below.