Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 17-109 – Service of process on partners and liquidating trustees
(a) A general partner or a liquidating trustee of a limited partnership 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 limited partnership or a violation by the general partner or the liquidating trustee of a duty to the limited partnership, or any partner of the limited partnership, whether or not the general partner or the liquidating trustee is a general partner or a liquidating trustee at the time suit is commenced. The filing in the Office of the Secretary of State of a certificate of limited partnership executed, and the execution thereof, by a resident or nonresident of the State of Delaware which names such person as a general partner or a liquidating trustee of a limited partnership, or the acceptance by a general partner or a liquidating trustee after August 1, 1999, of election or appointment as a general partner or a liquidating trustee of a limited partnership, or a general partner or a liquidating trustee of a limited partnership serving in such capacity after August 1, 1999, constitute such person’s consent to the appointment of the registered agent of the limited 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. Such execution and filing, or such acceptance or service, shall signify the consent of such general partner or liquidating trustee that any process when so served shall be of the same legal force and validity as if served upon such general 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. 17-109
- Certificate of limited partnership: means the certificate referred to in § 17-201 of this title, and the certificate as amended. See Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 17-101
- 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.
- General partner: means a person who is named as a general partner in the certificate of limited partnership or similar instrument under which a limited partnership is formed if so required and who is admitted to the limited partnership as a general partner in accordance with the partnership agreement or this chapter, and includes a general partner of the limited partnership generally and a general partner associated with a series of the limited partnership. See Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 17-101
- 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.
- Limited partner: means a person who is admitted to a limited partnership as a limited partner as provided in § 17-301 of this title, and includes a limited partner of the limited partnership generally and a limited partner associated with a series of the limited partnership. See Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 17-101
- Liquidating trustee: means a person, other than a general partner, but including a limited partner, carrying out the winding up of a limited partnership. See Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 17-101
- Partner: means a limited or general partner. See Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 17-101
- 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 any agreement, written, oral or implied, of the partners as to the affairs of a limited partnership and the conduct of its business. See Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 17-101
- 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. 17-101
- 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. 17-101
- 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 general partner or liquidating trustee at the same address that appears in the certificate of limited partnership of the limited partnership, or, if no such address appears, at his or her address last known to the party desiring to make such service.
(c) In any action in which any such general 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 this section; however, the Court in which such action has been commenced may order such continuance or continuances as may be necessary to afford such general 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. Except by agreeing to arbitrate any arbitrable matter in a specified jurisdiction or in the State of Delaware, a limited partner may not waive its right to maintain a legal action or proceeding in the courts of the State of Delaware with respect to matters relating to the organization or internal affairs of a limited partnership.
(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.
66 Del. Laws, c. 316, § ?6; 67 Del. Laws, c. 348, § ?6; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § ?1; 71 Del. Laws, c. 78, § ?5; 72 Del. Laws, c. 128, §§ ?2, 3; 72 Del. Laws, c. 386, § ?2;