Bailey v. Carnival Corp.

369 F. Supp. 3d 1302
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedMarch 18, 2019
DocketCivil Action No. 18-22214-Civ-Scola
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 369 F. Supp. 3d 1302 (Bailey v. Carnival Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bailey v. Carnival Corp., 369 F. Supp. 3d 1302 (S.D. Fla. 2019).

Opinion

Robert N. Scola, Jr., United States District Judge

Plaintiff Julie Bailey seeks to recover for injuries she sustained during a ziplining shore excursion, in Mexico, while a passenger on one of Defendant Carnival Corporation's cruise ships. In count one, she alleges Carnival breached a non-delegable duty; in count two, she claims Carnival was negligent in twenty-seven different ways relating to the zipline excursion; and in count three, she again alleges Carnival was negligent, but under an "apparent agency or agency by estoppel theory." (Am. Compl., ECF No. 17.) Counts four and five are brought against Defendant Lost Mayan Kingdom Adventure Park only. Carnival now asks the Court to dismiss all three of the claims against it, arguing Bailey has failed to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. (Def.'s Mot., ECF No. 20.) After careful review, the Court denies in part and grants in part Carnival's motion (ECF No. 20 ).

1. Background1

Bailey embarked on a week-long cruise aboard a Carnival ship in May 2017. At some point, Carnival promoted, vouched for, and recommended a zipline tour excursion operated by Lost Mayan. (Am. Compl. at ¶¶ 16, 18.) Carnival's website repeatedly described the zipline tours as "Carnival Excursions" and assured they are "worry free." (Id. at ¶¶ 19, 21.) Carnival enticed its passengers to sign up for "Carnival Excursions" by vouching for the insurance and safety standards of "[its] Shore Excursion" and the prompt return of passengers enjoying those excursions to the ship once their tours had concluded. (Id. at ¶¶ 20, 32.) In contrast, Carnival actively discouraged its passengers from booking non-Carnival excursions by disparaging them and maintaining that Carnival was unfamiliar with their insurance and safety records. (Id. at ¶ 20.) Carnival also disavowed having any control over the timeliness of passengers' returns to the ship by any independent tours. (Id. )

While onboard, Bailey, in reliance on Carnival's representations that its excursions, operators, and excursion equipment were safe, insured, reputable, and reliable, entered into an "excursion contract" with Carnival for the Lost Mayan zipline tour, which was to take place during a port stop in Mexico. (Id. at ¶¶ 11, 16, 23.) Carnival subcontracted with Lost Mayan who operated the zipline tour that Bailey signed up for. (Id. at ¶ 24.)

Unfortunately, as she approached the end of her zipline ride, "the line did not stop, but smashed into a barrier." (Id. at ¶ 12.) As a result, Bailey suffered serious injuries to her left ankle, including several fractures which required surgery. (Id. at ¶ 13.)

2. Legal Standard

When considering a motion to dismiss under *1306Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), the Court must accept all the complaint's allegations as true, construing them in the light most favorable to the plaintiff. Pielage v. McConnell , 516 F.3d 1282, 1284 (11th Cir. 2008). A pleading must only contain "a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief." Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). A motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6) challenges the legal sufficiency of a complaint. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6). In assessing the legal sufficiency of a complaint's allegations, the Court is bound to apply the pleading standard articulated in Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly , 550 U.S. 544, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) and Ashcroft v. Iqbal , 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009). That is, the complaint "must ... contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face." Am. Dental Ass'n v. Cigna Corp. , 605 F.3d 1283, 1289 (11th Cir. 2010) (quoting Bell Atlantic Corp , 550 U.S. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955 ). "Dismissal is therefore permitted when on the basis of a dispositive issue of law, no construction of the factual allegations will support the cause of action." Glover v. Liggett Grp., Inc. , 459 F.3d 1304, 1308 (11th Cir. 2006) (internal quotations omitted) (citing Marshall Cnty. Bd. of Educ. v. Marshall Cnty. Gas Dist. , 992 F.2d 1171, 1174 (11th Cir. 1993) ). "A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged." Ashcroft , 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937. "The plausibility standard is not akin to a 'probability requirement,' but it asks for more than a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully." Id.

3. Carnival's Motion to Dismiss

Carnival asks the Court to dismiss counts one, two, and three, all of which allege claims against Carnival alone. Based on the analysis that follows, the Court denies Carnival's motion, in large part, and grants it only to the limited extent described below.

A. Bailey's Breach-of-a-Non-Delegable-Duty Claim

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369 F. Supp. 3d 1302, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bailey-v-carnival-corp-flsd-2019.