Brown v. Dow Chemical Co.

777 F. Supp. 504, 1989 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17546, 1989 WL 260126
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Mississippi
DecidedMarch 29, 1989
DocketCiv. A. No. J88-0456(W)
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 777 F. Supp. 504 (Brown v. Dow Chemical Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brown v. Dow Chemical Co., 777 F. Supp. 504, 1989 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17546, 1989 WL 260126 (S.D. Miss. 1989).

Opinion

ORDER

WINGATE, District Judge.

Before the court in the above styled cause are the motions of the defendants to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction or, alternatively, for summary judgment. Defendants contend that all of plaintiffs’ claims are barred by applicable statutes of limitations. Having reviewed the motions, the pleadings, memoranda and arguments of the parties, and evidence submitted, this court is persuaded that defendants’ motions should be granted.1

Facts

On March 27,1980, Calvin Wilmet Brown died. On September 1, 1988, the named plaintiffs consisting of the decedent’s brother, Tyree W. Brown, and father, Willie Brown, brought this action “as the remaining statutory heirs” of the decedent’s estate. They claim that “on or prior to March 26, 1980,” (Complaint, Paragraph 6), the defendants, Dow Chemical Company and Sonford International Company, engaged in certain conduct which eventually resulted in the wrongful death of Calvin Wilmet Brown. Specifically, plaintiffs claim that while the decedent worked for defendant Sonford International Company, defendant Dow Chemical Company sold to the Sonford defendant certain toxic substances, including pentacholorophenol. Supposedly, the decedent came into contact with these toxic substances during his employment and that such contact resulted in decedent’s death. Plaintiffs, appearing pro se, seek relief under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, 29 U.S.C. §§ 654, 666, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, unspecified United States Labor Codes, products liability laws of Mississippi, and the wrongful death statute. Plaintiffs also allege claims for negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, strict liability, breach of warranty, fraudulent suppression of facts, and conspiracy.

This action is actually the third lawsuit brought as a result of the alleged wrongful death. The first action was filed in June, 1980, and was brought by Carolyn and Yestra Brown, through counsel, “for the benefit of all of the statutory heirs at law of Calvin W. Brown.” That action, in which plaintiffs herein were active, was filed against Sonford Products Corporation [506]*506and The Dow Chemical Company in the Circuit Court for the First Judicial District of Hinds County, Mississippi, Cause No. 26,606.

During that litigation the Chancery Court of Rankin County, Mississippi, found that five persons, including the plaintiffs herein, were the only persons authorized by law to inherit from the decedent. On May 24, 1984, the administratrix and heirs of the estate of the deceased settled with Sonford Products and executed a release in favor of Sonford. Pursuant to this settlement, plaintiffs also dismissed with prejudice their action against Sonford International Company, Inc., which was pending before the Mississippi Workmen’s Compensation Commission. The order approving settlement with Sonford Products reserved plaintiffs claim against The Dow Chemical Company, but authorized plaintiffs “to execute good, valid and binding releases to Sonford Products Corporation and the employer/carrier Sonford International Company, Inc., and The Home Insurance Company from any and all known and unknown claims which they may now or hereafter have and arising out of the aforesaid incident. ...” Subsequently, on July 31, 1986, The Dow settled with all of the wrongful death statutory beneficiaries, except Willie and Tyree Brown, who were not named parties in the state court action, but who, on February 11, 1986, had filed a wrongful death action concerning Calvin Brown in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Jackson Division, No. J86-0114(W). The state court approved the settlement between The Dow and the other heirs and dismissed the case with prejudice, obvior ly supposing that Willie and Tyree Brown would pursue their remedies in their federal court action.

As above mentioned, in February, 1986, Tyree and Willie Brown, pro se, and on behalf of themselves and Yestra Brown, as Administratrix for the Estate of Calvin Brown, filed an action in this court against three of the defendants here — The Dow Chemical Company, Sonford Products, and Sonford International. Premised on the alleged wrongful death of Calvin Brown, that lawsuit was virtually identical to the state lawsuit and the one now before the court.

On February 24, 1987, after continuous and unexcused failure of the plaintiffs to respond to various motions and discovery matters, this court dismissed without prejudice Civil Action No. J86-0114(W), pursuant to Rule 41(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Then, on September 24, 1987, upon motion of the plaintiffs seeking relief under Rule 60(b), this court denied the motion and clearly delineated the circumstances of the failure of plaintiffs to prosecute the prior action. That decision was subsequently appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (Number 87-4790). Plaintiffs’ appeal was ultimately dismissed for failure to file an appellants’ brief.

Now, some eight and one half years after the death of Calvin Wilmet Brown, plaintiffs have instituted the present and third lawsuit. The operative issue to be determined here is whether plaintiffs’ present claims are barred by the applicable statute of limitations.

CONCLUSION

To determine the applicable limitations period on state law claims, a federal court, sitting in diversity, must look to state law for the controlling prescriptive period. Dade County v. Rohr Industries, Inc., 826 F.2d 983 (11th Cir.1987); Abdul-Alim Amin v. Universal Life Insurance Co., 706 F.2d 638 (5th Cir.1983); Goodbody & Company, Inc. v. McDowell, 530 F.2d 1149 (5th Cir.1976). It is apparent that all of plaintiffs’ claims are barred. Whether defendants’ acts are characterized as intentional or negligent, the longest possible limitations period under Mississippi law is six years.2 Yet, approximately eight and one half years have elapsed between the [507]*507decedent’s death and the filing of the present action.

Plaintiffs’ response is that the applicable prescriptive periods have been tolled by § 15-1-57 of the Miss.Code Ann.3 Plaintiffs argue that since Mississippi’s wrongful death statute, Miss.Code Ann. § 11-7-13 (Supp.1988), provides that only one action may be brought by the personal representative of the decedent or the beneficiaries of the decedent, they have been prohibited by law from bringing this action due to the pendency of the other actions in which they were not parties. Hence, they contend that under § 15-1-57 the applicable statutes of limitations have been tolled.

This argument wholly lacks merit.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
777 F. Supp. 504, 1989 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17546, 1989 WL 260126, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brown-v-dow-chemical-co-mssd-1989.