Caldwell v. Carnival Corp.

944 F. Supp. 2d 1219, 2014 A.M.C. 402, 2013 WL 1857144, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 63599
District Court, S.D. Florida·Decided May 2, 2013·No. Case No. 12-24086-Civ·Published·Cited by 5 cases

Opinion

ORDER DENYING DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO DISMISS

MARCIA G. COOKE, District Judge.

THIS MATTER is before me on Defendant Carnival Corporation’s Motion to Dismiss. ECF No. 14. I have reviewed the arguments, the record, and the relevant legal authorities. For the reasons explained in this Order, Defendant’s Motion is denied.

I. Background

On November 13, 2012, Plaintiff, Sandra Caldwell, filed a one-count Complaint alleging that Defendant’s negligence caused her to slip and fall while she was a passenger on the Legend, a vessel owned and operated by Defendant. Compl. 9, ECF No. 1.

The facts are taken from the Complaint. On the day of the incident, December 9, 2011, Legend was at port in Roatan, Honduras. Id. at 12. Defendant constructed and owned the port, which it named Mahogany Bay, to serve as an element of the cruise experience. Id. Mahogany Bay is an isolated property, not within walking distance of any other activities in Roatan, and is comprised of shops owned by or on behalf of Defendant. Id. at 13. The only means of entering or exiting Mahogany Bay from the vessel is a pier, which was designed and built during Defendant’s construction of the port. Id. at 12. Construction of Mahogany Bay was completed in 2009 and since then has served as a port for Defendant’s cruise ships. Id. at 14.

Plaintiff alleges that on December 9, 2011, she slipped and fell on the walkway between the Legend and Mahogany Bay. Id. Further, Plaintiff alleges that in the 2-[1221] year history of Mahogany Bay, numerous people slipped and fell on that walkway. Id. Although Defendant knew, or should have known that the walkway was slippery, it failed to block off the walkway, provide another means of entering and boarding the vessel, or act to make the walkway less slippery. Id. at 15.

In her Complaint, Plaintiff lists numerous duties that Defendant allegedly breached. Id. at ¶ 18(a-v). On December 27, 2012, Defendant moved to dismiss Plaintiffs Complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). Def. Mot. to Dismiss 1-13. Specifically, Defendant contends that Plaintiff did not plead sufficient facts to demonstrate Defendant breached any duty and that the duties Plaintiff alleges fail as a matter of law. Id. On January 10, 2013, Plaintiff filed a Response, ECF No. 17, and on January 22, 2012, Defendant filed a reply, ECF No. 22.

II. Legal Standards

“A pleading that states a claim for relief must 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 plaintiff must articulate “enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) (abrogating Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 78 S.Ct. 99, 2 L.Ed.2d 80 (1957)). “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 v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Edüd 868 (2009). Detailed factual allegations are not required, but a pleading that offers “labels and conclusions” or “a formulaic recitation of the elements of the cause of action will not do.” Id. at 1949 (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955). A complaint’s factual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief above speculative level. Id.

“In ruling on a 12(b)(6) motion, the Court accepts the factual allegations in the complaint as true and construes them in the light most favorable to the plaintiff.” Speaker v. U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Servs. Ctr. for Disease Control and Prevention, 623 F.3d 1371, 1379 (11th Cir. 2010). “A complaint is subject to dismissal for failure to state a claim ‘when its allegations, on their face, show that an affirmative defense bars recovery on the claim.’ ” Douglas v. Yates, 535 F.3d 1316, 1321 (11th Cir.2008) (quoting Cottone v. Jenne, 326 F.3d 1352, 1357 (11th Cir.2003)).

III. Analysis

A. Admiralty Jurisdiction Exists in This Case.

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Caldwell v. Carnival Corp., 944 F. Supp. 2d 1219, 2014 A.M.C. 402, 2013 WL 1857144, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 63599 (S.D. Fla. 2013).

944 F. Supp. 2d 1219 (Caldwell v. Carnival Corp.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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