Del. Supreme Court: Registration Statutes Provide Means for Service of Process, Not Conferring General Jurisdiction

DOVER, Del. –– The Delaware Supreme Court has reversed an order denying a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, opining that compliance with the state’s registration statutes does not confer general jurisdiction over a foreign corporation.

In the April 18 order, the state high court said that a “sensible” reading of the statute, under which a company can register to do business in Delaware and designate an in-state agent for service of process, only requires a corporation to allow service of process be made in a convenient way, “but not as a consent to general jurisdiction.”

“Delaware is …