BIGLER BOYZ ENVIRO, INC. v. CLEAN FUELS OF INDIANA, INC.

CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedApril 21, 2020
Docket3:19-cv-00170
StatusUnknown

This text of BIGLER BOYZ ENVIRO, INC. v. CLEAN FUELS OF INDIANA, INC. (BIGLER BOYZ ENVIRO, INC. v. CLEAN FUELS OF INDIANA, INC.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
BIGLER BOYZ ENVIRO, INC. v. CLEAN FUELS OF INDIANA, INC., (W.D. Pa. 2020).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA BIGLER BOYZ ENVIRO, INC., ) Case No. 3:19-cv-170 ) Plaintiff, ) JUDGE KIM R. GIBSON ) v. ) ) CLEAN FUELS OF INDIANA, INC., d/b/a) CLEAN FUELS NATIONAL, and WAL- ) MART, INC. a/k/a WAL-MART STORES, _ ) INC., and WAL-MART STORES EAST, ) INC, ) ) Defendants. ) MEMORANDUM OPINION I, Introduction This case arises from Plaintiff Bigler Boyz Enviro, Inc.'s (“Bigler Boyz”) cleanup of a diesel fuel spill on Defendants Walmart Stores, Inc. and Walmart Stores East, Inc.’s (collectively, “Walmart”) property while Defendant Clean Fuels National (“Clean Fuels”) was cleaning Walmart’s fuel storage tanks. Pending before the Court is Walmart’s Motion to Dismiss for Failure to State a Claim (ECF No. 20) and Motion to Dismiss for Failure to State a Claim; or, in the Alternative, Motion for More Definitive Statement. (ECF No. 22.) The Motions are fully briefed (ECF Nos. 20-2, 26-30) and ripe for disposition. For the reasons that follow, the Court DENIES Walmart’s Motions. Il. Jurisdiction and Venue This Court has subject-matter jurisdiction because the parties are diverse and the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000. 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a). Venue is proper because a substantial part

of the events giving rise to Plaintiff's claims occurred in the Western District of Pennsylvania. 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b)(2). Ill. Factual Background The Court derives the following facts from Bigler Boyz’s Amended Complaint (ECF No. 13) and Clean Fuels’ Crossclaim (ECF No. 19) and accepts them as true for the purpose of deciding the Motions to Dismiss. On March 14, 2019, while Clean Fuels was servicing diesel fuel tanks at a Walmart

property pursuant to a service agreement between Clean Fuels and Walmart (the “Master Service Agreement”), a fuel tank released approximately 880 gallons of diesel fuel onto the property and surrounding areas. (ECF No. 13 { 10.) Later that day, upon the express request, demand, and

direction of Walmart, Clean Fuels contacted and engaged Bigler Boyz to respond to the fuel spill and to contain, clean up, and remediate contaminated soil at the Walmart property. (Id. 1 11; ECF

No. 19 [78.) Before hiring Bigler Boyz, Walmart told Clean Fuels that Walmart would be financially responsible, in whole or in part, for the cost of the remediation work. (ECF No. 19 { 79; ECF No.

13 { 14.) Walmart also told Clean Fuels that some or all of the costs associated with the

remediation work would be covered by its insurance carrier or Pennsylvania’s Underground Storage Tank Indemnification Fund (“USTIF”). (ECF No. 19 { 81; ECF No. 13 { 14.) Walmart told Clean Fuels that, as the owner of the affected property, it would make a claim with the USTIF and that any and all payments received by Walmart from the USTIF would be transmitted to

Bigler Boyz. (ECF No. 19 J 81.)

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On March 15, 2019, Bigler Boyz and Clean Fuels—on behalf of, and at the express direction of, Walmart—entered into a written service agreement (the “Service Agreement”), whereby the parties agreed that Bigler Boyz would provide cleanup and remediation services at Walmart’s property. (ECF No. 13 {{ 15, 17.) Walmart reviewed and approved the Service Agreement prior to its execution. (Id. [ 18.) After Bigler Boyz began work on the spill site, Walmart assumed responsibility for the oversight and monitoring of Bigler Boyz’s remediation work; as part of this oversight, Walmart retained an environmental consultant. (ECF No. 19 { 80.) Over the course of nearly three months, Bigler Boyz provided extensive containment, cleanup, and remediation services of the contaminated soil at Walmart’s property, completing the services on June 5, 2019, (ECF No. 13 {{ 21, 30.) On June 8, 2019, Bigler Boyz provided Clean Fuels and Walmart with a narrative report and detailed invoice of all cleanup and remediation

services provided. (Id. 31.) Pursuant to the Service Agreement, Bigler Boyz was to be paid for

its services on or before July 7, 2019. (Id. 1 33.) To date, neither Clean Fuels nor Walmart have

paid Bigler Boyz for its services. (Id. { 34.) IV. Procedural Background On October 18, 2019, Walmart removed this case from the Court of Common Pleas of Clearfield County. (ECF No. 1.) Bigler Boyz filed an Amended Complaint on November 8, 2019, asserting a breach of contract claim against Clean Fuels and an unjust enrichment claim against Walmart.! (ECF No. 13.) On November 22, 2019, Walmart moved to dismiss the Amended Complaint and Clean Fuels filed a Crossclaim against Walmart, asserting a promissory estoppel

1 Bigler Boyz also asserted a breach of contract claim against Walmart but has since stated that it would file a stipulation of dismissal of that claim. (ECF No. 26 at 7 n.2.) Accordingly, the Court does not address Bigler Boyz’s breach of contract claim against Walmart. -3-

claim. (ECF Nos. 19, 20.) Walmart then moved to dismiss the Crossclaim on December 9, 2019. (ECF No. 22.) Bigler Boyz and Clean Fuels responded in opposition to the Motions to Dismiss on December 13, 2019, and December 16, 2019, respectively. (ECF Nos. 26, 27.) Walmart replied to these oppositions on December 20, 2019. (ECF Nos. 28, 30.) V. Legal Standards A. Motion to Dismiss A complaint may be dismissed under Federal Rule of Civil Rule 12(b)(6) for “failure to

state a claim upon which relief can be granted.” Connelly v. Lane Constr. Corp., 809 F.3d 780, 786 (3d Cir. 2016). But detailed pleading is not generally required. Id. The Rules demand only “a

short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief” to give the defendant fair notice of what the claim is and the grounds upon which it rests. Bell Atl. Corp. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007) (quoting Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2)). Under the pleading regime established by the Supreme Court, a court reviewing the

sufficiency of a complaint must take three steps.” First, the court must “tak[e] note of the elements

[the] plaintiff must plead to state a claim.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 675 (2009). Second, the

court should identify allegations that, “because they are no more than conclusions, are not

entitled to the assumption of truth.” Id. at 679; see also Burtch v. Milberg Factors, Inc., 662 F.3d 212, 224 (3d Cir. 2011) (“Mere restatements of the elements of a claim are not entitled to the assumption of truth.” (citation omitted)). Finally, “[w]hen there are well-pleaded factual allegations, [the]

2 Although the Supreme Court described the process as a “two-pronged approach,” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 USS. 662, 679 (2009), the Court noted the elements of the pertinent claim before proceeding with that approach, id. at 675-79. Thus, the Third Circuit has described the process as a three-step approach, See Connelly, 809 F.3d at 787; Burtch v. Milberg Factors, Inc., 662 F.3d 212, 221 n.4 (3d Cir. 2011) (citing Santiago v. Warminster Twp., 629 F.3d 121, 130 (3d Cir. 2010)). -4-

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BIGLER BOYZ ENVIRO, INC. v. CLEAN FUELS OF INDIANA, INC., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bigler-boyz-enviro-inc-v-clean-fuels-of-indiana-inc-pawd-2020.