Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 15-114 – Service of process on a partner and liquidating trustee
(a) A partner or a liquidating trustee of a partnership which is formed under the laws of the State of Delaware or doing business in the State of Delaware may be served with process in the manner prescribed in this section in all civil actions or proceedings brought in the State of Delaware involving or relating to the business of the partnership or a violation by the partner or the liquidating trustee of a duty to the partnership or any partner of the partnership, whether or not the partner or the liquidating trustee is a partner or a liquidating trustee at the time suit is commenced. A person who is at the time of the effectiveness of this section or who becomes a partner or a liquidating trustee of a partnership thereby consents to the appointment of the registered agent of the partnership (or, if there is none, the Secretary of State) as such person’s agent upon whom service of process may be made as provided in this section. Any process when so served shall be of the same legal force and validity as if served upon such partner or liquidating trustee within the State of Delaware and such appointment of the registered agent (or, if there is none, the Secretary of State) shall be irrevocable.
Terms Used In Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 15-114
- Business: includes every trade, occupation and profession, the holding or ownership of property and any other activity for profit. See Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 15-101
- Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Liquidating trustee: means a person, other than a partner, carrying out the winding up of a partnership. See Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 15-101
- Partner: means a person who is admitted to a partnership as a partner of the partnership. See Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 15-101
- Partnership: means an association of 2 or more persons formed under § 15-202 of this title, predecessor law or comparable law of another jurisdiction to carry on any business, purpose or activity. See Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 15-101
- Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
- Partnership agreement: means the agreement, whether written, oral or implied, among the partners concerning the partnership, including amendments to the partnership agreement. See Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 15-101
- Person: means a natural person, partnership (whether general or limited), limited liability company, trust (including a common law trust, business trust, statutory trust, voting trust or any other form of trust), estate, association (including any group, organization, co-tenancy, plan, board, council or committee), corporation, government (including a country, state, county or any other governmental subdivision, agency or instrumentality), custodian, nominee or any other individual or entity (or series thereof) in its own or any representative capacity, in each case, whether domestic or foreign. See Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 15-101
- Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
- Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
- State: means the District of Columbia or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or any state, territory, possession or other jurisdiction of the United States other than the State of Delaware. See Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 15-101
- Statement: means a statement of partnership existence under § 15-303 of this title, a statement of denial under § 15-304 of this title, a statement of dissociation under § 15-704 of this title, a statement of dissolution under § 15-805 of this title, a statement of qualification under § 15-1001 of this title, a statement of foreign qualification under § 15-1102 of this title, and an amendment or cancellation of any of the foregoing under § 15-105 of this title and a statement of correction and a corrected statement under § 15-118 of this title. See Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 15-101
- Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
- Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
- United States: includes its territories and possessions and the District of Columbia. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302
(b) Service of process shall be effected by serving the registered agent (or, if there is none, the Secretary of State) with 1 copy of such process in the manner provided by law for service of writs of summons. In the event service is made under this subsection upon the Secretary of State, the plaintiff shall pay to the Secretary of State the sum of $50 for the use of the State of Delaware, which sum shall be taxed as part of the costs of the proceeding if the plaintiff shall prevail therein. In addition, the Prothonotary or the Register in Chancery of the court in which the civil action or proceeding is pending shall, within 7 days of such service, deposit in the United States mails, by registered mail, postage prepaid, true and attested copies of the process, together with a statement that service is being made pursuant to this section, addressed to such partner or liquidating trustee at the partner’s or liquidating trustee’s address furnished to the Prothonotary or Register in Chancery by the person desiring to make service, which address shall be the partner’s or the liquidating trustee’s address as the same appears in any statement of the partnership or, if no such address appears, the partner’s or the liquidating trustee’s last known address.
(c) In any action in which any such partner or liquidating trustee has been served with process as hereinabove provided, the time in which a defendant shall be required to appear and file a responsive pleading shall be computed from the date of mailing by the Prothonotary or the Register in Chancery as provided in subsection (b) of the section; however, the court in which such action has been commenced may order such continuance or continuances as may be necessary to afford such partner or liquidating trustee reasonable opportunity to defend the action.
(d) In a written partnership agreement or other writing, a partner may consent to be subject to the nonexclusive jurisdiction of the courts of, or arbitration in, a specified jurisdiction, or the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the State of Delaware, or the exclusivity of arbitration in a specified jurisdiction or the State of Delaware, and to be served with legal process in the manner prescribed in such partnership agreement or other writing.
(e) Nothing herein contained limits or affects the right to serve process in any other manner now or hereafter provided by law. This section is an extension of and not a limitation upon the right otherwise existing of service of legal process upon nonresidents.
(f) The Court of Chancery and the Superior Court may make all necessary rules respecting the form of process, the manner of issuance and return thereof and such other rules which may be necessary to implement this section and are not inconsistent with this section.