Baird Bros. v. Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad

181 Iowa 1104
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedDecember 11, 1917
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 181 Iowa 1104 (Baird Bros. v. Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Baird Bros. v. Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad, 181 Iowa 1104 (iowa 1917).

Opinion

Preston, J.

The petition alleges, in substance, that plaintiffs are stock shippers, and that on Monday, June 10, 1912, they gave notice to the agent of defendant at Marsh, Iowa, and ordered two cars to be furnished to the plaintiffs at defendant’s station at Marsh, Iowa, for Wednesday, June 12, 1912, for the shipment of 52 head of cattle; that plaintiffs had no notice from defendant or its agent that said cars would not be furnished at said time, or that the said cattle would not be taken by defendant for shipment on that day; that, at about 8 or 9 o’clock in the morning of June 12, plaintiffs delivered to the defendant at Marsh station the 52 head of cattle for shipment on their train No. 90, due at said station at about 10 o’clock that morning; that defendant refused to ship said cattle upon that train, or upon any other train that day; that plaintiffs were compelled to keep said cattle in the stockyards of defendant, and a part of them were not loaded until the next day, and the balance not until the Sunday following; by reason of which plaintiffs were damaged, etc. For answer, defendant admitted its corporate capacity, and that it was operating a line of railroad through Louisa County and other states; denied all other allegations of the petition; and set up affirmative defenses as follows:

“The defendant, further answering, states that it operates a regular stock train from Marsh, Iowa, to Monmouth in the state of Illinois, connecting with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Co., a corporation operating a line of railroad between said Monmouth and the city of Chicago, in the state of Illinois. That this plaintiff well knew that this defendant operated such train and had set [1106]*1106apart Sunday and Tuesday of each week for the purpose of the shipment of live stock over its lines and its connecting lines to stations in other states, and that, notwithstanding such knowledge, and notwithstanding it was necessary that this defendant, in the ordinary course of its business and for the better conduct thereof, established such rule for tbe speedy delivery of interstate shipments of live stock, demanded of this defendant that it furnish such trains on other days than those above designated, and that if this defendant failed and neglected or refused to furnish such cars, as plaintiff alleges in its petition, that it was because said stock was not delivered to it on the regular days as above specified. Further answering, defendant states that the shipment contemplated by the plaintiff herein and . the defendant herein, and for Avhich it seeks to recover damages against the said defendant, was an interstate shipment, being a shipment from the toAvn of Marsh, in the state of IoAva, to the city of Chicago, in the state of Illinois, and that the Federal statutes in such cases made and provided have assumed the jurisdiction of all questions arising out of the interstate shipments, whether before the Interstate Commerce Commission or Court, under the Federal statute or in the district and circuit courts, of said Federal statute, and that by reason of such Federal legislation upon the interstate traffic, it has imsted its exclusive jurisdiction of determining the rights of all parties engaged in such shipments, either as shippers or as public carrier, and that by reason thereof this court is AAdthout jurisdiction to hear and determine any of the matters alleged and charged against the defendant by the plaintiff, and for which it seeks to recover damages in this action. * * Further answering, the defendant states that, at, during and prior to the time that plaintiff in Count 1 of his petition com plains of the failure of this defendant to furnish cars, there had been established by the defendant company the rule that [1107]*1107stock shipments on-the eastern division of the defendant railroad company, running from the city of Oskaloosa, in the state of Iowa, to the city of Monmouth, in the state of Illinois', should be received for shipment for said company and cars furnished for said shipment only on Sunday and Tuesday of each week. That with this rule the plaintiff was, during all the time herein referred to, familiar. That the said rule applied not only to this plaintiff, but to each and all of the shippers of stock along the eastern division of said defendant company, and was enforced alike as to’ each and all of them. That this plaintiff was not entitled to receive any better or different treatment in the delivery of cars than was any other shipper along said division of said defendant railroad company. That said rule was in force and affected interstate shipments on said division of the defendant company’s lines, and that while said rule was in force it would have been unlawful for either the plaintiff or defendant or both of them, if said defendant company had furnished cars or accepted shipments of stock from this plaintiff under any other or different rule than said stock shipments were received or cars furnished to any other shippers along said line. The defendant for further answer states: That if the plaintiff deemed said rule of the defendant company unjust or unfair, that, under the statutes of the United States known as the Interstate Commerce Act and the amendments thereto, it was the duty of said plaintiff, and his only remedy under the terms of said act was an application to the Interstate Commerce Commission to pass on and determine the reasonableness of said act, or in an appeal- and after an appeal to said Commission, and the finding that the said rule was unjust and unfair, to appeal to the district or circuit court of the United States, if he had been damaged thereby. The defendant for further answer states: That this court is without jurisdiction to determine the reasonableness or justness of the [1108]*1108said rule, and has no jurisdiction to entertain an action for damages for a failure to furnish cars as provided by said act for interstate shipment; that by said acts of Congress, the exclusive jurisdiction to determine the rights of the plaintiff and other shippers along the line of the defendant company’s railroad is exclusively vested in the Interstate Commerce Commission or in the courts of the United States. Wherefore, the defendant asks that plaintiff’s petition be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. Defendant hereby tenders to plaintiff the sum of $20 in payment of the cause of action set forth in Count 4 of plaintiff’s petition. Wherefore, defendant asks judgment against the plaintiff for costs.”

To the affirmative defenses so pleaded by defendant, plaintiff demurred on the following grounds:

“That the facts stated constituted no defense to the plaintiff’s cause of action.
“For the further reason that it is not alleged in said answer that the rule pleaded has been determined to be a reasonable rule by the Interstate Commerce Commission or any court of the United States or state court.
“For the further reason that that part of said answer and the amendment thereto does not state or show in any manner that the district court of the United States has exclusive jurisdiction, or does not plead any statute or any rule or regulation of the Interstate Commerce Commission which would in any manner conflict with the jurisdiction of this court or would be a defense to plaintiff’s cause of action.
“For the further reason that the questions raised in said answer and amendment cannot be presented and raised in the manner attempted to be raised thereby.

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Bluebook (online)
181 Iowa 1104, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/baird-bros-v-minneapolis-st-louis-railroad-iowa-1917.