Court power over defendants
Richardson v. United States
In brief
- Where it stands
- Petition Pending
Awaiting an order on the petition
- What it’s about
- David Richardson asks the Supreme Court to review the dismissal of his complaint with prejudice for improper service and the Third Circuit’s decision upholding denial of relief under Rule 60(b)(4) (a rule for setting aside an invalid judgment).
- What's at stake
- Richardson’s petition leaves unresolved whether he can get the judgment set aside and whether the Third Circuit could rely on legal grounds he says neither side raised.
Summary: written with AI from the case record.
What it's about
He argues the appeals court relied on grounds neither side raised without giving him a chance to respond.
Richardson argues that because the district court found service insufficient and lacked authority over him, its dismissal should not have been with prejudice.
Question presented
1. Whether a district court dismiss a complaint with prejudice pursuant to Rule 12(b)(5) , after concluding that service of process was insufficient and the court therefore never acquired personal juridiction over the defendant! notwithstanding this Court's repeated holdings that a judgment entered without personal jurisdiction is void and subject to relief under Rule 60(b)(4)to address those , as well as the Third Circuit's own Precedent and every circuit court of appeals to consider the matter have held that a judgment entered without personal juridiction is void and subject to Rul;e 60(b)(4) relief. 2. Whether a court of appeals exeeds the limits imposd by the "party presentation principle" and the Due Process Clause by affirming the denial of Rule 60(b)(4) relief on legal theories raised sua sponte , after first concluding that Petitioner's Rule 60(b)(4) argument was meritless , without notice , or an opportunity to adddress those newly raised theories. 3. Whether appellate review of a Rule 60(b)(4) motion is confined to determining whether the challenged judgment is void for lack of personal jurisdiction over the defendant , or whether a court of appeals may instead affirm by conducting an independent merits review unrelated to the jurisdictional issue presented.
What happens next
The Court must decide whether to hear the case. No oral argument is scheduled, and no decision date is available.
Documents
Docket activity
New analysis added
AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
Case data updated: summary, question_presented, generation_metadata
Case data updated: question_presented, extraction_metadata
Brief added: Petition
More questions
- What does Richardson say the Third Circuit did wrong?
- He argues it relied on legal grounds neither side raised and gave him no chance to answer them.
Sources
Primary materials plus reporting. Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.