Moses Merrick and Another, Respondents v. Alfred Van Santvoord

Summary

The New York Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment against Brainard but reversed the judgment against Van Santvoord, ordering a new trial on the latter. The court held that a foreign corporation retains its domicile in the state of its charter and cannot be deemed to have migrated merely because it conducts business elsewhere. Consequently, shareholders of such a corporation are not personally liable for its debts or torts absent a statutory or contractual basis.