{"id":2262,"date":"2018-04-08T12:29:43","date_gmt":"2018-04-08T20:29:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/trainingpips.com\/?page_id=2262"},"modified":"2019-04-18T03:20:53","modified_gmt":"2019-04-18T11:20:53","slug":"ps-102-chapter-8-article-1-service-on-an-entity-dolby-vs-worthy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/app.trainingpips.com\/index.php\/ps-102-a-course-outline\/ps-102-understanding-case-summaries\/ps-102-chapter-8-an-introduction-to-service-on-an-entity-case-law\/ps-102-chapter-8-article-1-service-on-an-entity-dolby-vs-worthy\/","title":{"rendered":"PS 102 – Chapter 8 – Article 1 – Service on an Entity \u2013 Dolby vs Worthy"},"content":{"rendered":"

SUMMARY<\/strong><\/span>
\nDolby v. Worthy, 141 Wn. App 813, 173 P.3d 946 (2007)
\n<\/strong>Published Opinion<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Facts<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. and Mrs. Dolby filed suit against Walter and Karen Worthy, individually and as a marital community, doing business as Worthy Enterprises, a sole proprietorship.\u00a0 On March 13, 2006, a process server left a copy of the summons and complaint with Crystal Pagel, an administrative assistant at Worthy Enterprises\u2019 office location.<\/span>
\n
\n<\/u>Judicial History<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Worthys moved to dismiss the Dolby\u2019s suit for failure to properly commence the suit with proper service within the statute of limitations period.\u00a0 The trial court granted their motion.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court decision, holding that service at the Worthy\u2019s business was not the proper method of service and therefore service was not obtained before the statute of limitations expired.<\/span><\/p>\n

Specific Issue<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Does a sole proprietorship qualify as a \u201ccompany\u201d for service of process pursuant to\u00a0RCW 4.28.080(9)<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0No, it does not.<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Holdings<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. RCW 4.28.080(9)<\/a>\u00a0governs service of lawsuits on a \u201ccompany\u201d or \u201ccorporation,\u201d allowing service on either entity by serving particular employees of the business.\u00a0 The term \u201ccompany\u201d is not defined in the statute.<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. RCW 4.28.080(16)<\/a>\u00a0governs service for individual defendants, requiring service by either: (1) personal service, delivered directly to the defendant, or (2) abode service, delivered to one of suitable age and discretion who lives with the defendant in his or her place of residence.<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. A sole proprietorship is the simplest form of doing business because no legal entity is created.\u00a0 A sole proprietorship does not have legal standing to sue or be sued; one must sue the individuals comprising [sic] the business.<\/span><\/li>\n
    4. The Washington Supreme Court has rejected attempts to serve common law partnership members (analogous to present day sole proprietorships) by serving a partnership employee at a place of business.\u00a0 Coughlin v. Pinkerton, 41 Wash. 500, 84 P. 14 (1906); Hoffman v. Spokane Jobbers Ass\u2019n, 54 Wash. 179, 182-83, 102 P. 1045 (1909).<\/span><\/li>\n
    5. In 1996, the Washington legislature amended\u00a0RCW 4.28.080<\/a>\u00a0to allow for service at a person\u2019s place of business, but withdrew that amendment in 1997 so that either personal service or usual abode service is all that is allowed.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Reasoning<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

      Since a sole proprietorship does not create a legal entity, the Worthys must be treated as individual defendants, rather than as a business entity, and must be served under\u00a0RCW 4.28.080(15)<\/a>\u00a0governing service on individual defendants either personally or by abode service. Since neither occurred, the defendants were not served before the statute of limitations expired. Service on a defendant\u2019s employee at his or her place of business is not sufficient. French v. Gabriel, 57 Wn. App. 217, 225-26, 788 P.2d 569 (1990), aff\u2019d, 116 Wn.2d 584, 806 P.2d 1234 (1991).<\/span><\/p>\n

      C4PSE Comment<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

      Know who you are serving! Protect your client and yourself by clearly understanding the rules of service. If not otherwise provided, inquire at the time of service as to the type of entity you are serving. Or, better yet, search state business records through the Corporate Division of the Secretary of State, the Department of Revenue, and the Department of Licensing.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Your client may not realize that different entities are served in different ways. As a professional process server it is appropriate to question service instructions when they do not appear to be in line with the statute or case law. Clients should be informed of such concerns in writing as soon as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      SUMMARY Dolby v. Worthy, 141 Wn. App 813, 173 P.3d 946 (2007) Published Opinion Facts Mr. and Mrs. Dolby filed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":2260,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2262","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/app.trainingpips.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/app.trainingpips.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/app.trainingpips.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/app.trainingpips.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/app.trainingpips.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2262"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/app.trainingpips.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2262\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/app.trainingpips.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/app.trainingpips.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}