Chicago & North Western Transportation Co. v. Hurst Excavating, Inc.

498 F. Supp. 1, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17801
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Iowa
DecidedMay 11, 1978
DocketC 75-2022, C 74-2021
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 498 F. Supp. 1 (Chicago & North Western Transportation Co. v. Hurst Excavating, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chicago & North Western Transportation Co. v. Hurst Excavating, Inc., 498 F. Supp. 1, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17801 (N.D. Iowa 1978).

Opinion

ORDER

McMANUS, Chief Judge.

This matter is before the court upon the parties’ motions for summary judgment and the State of Iowa’s motion to dismiss. All motions have been resisted.

The issues presently before the court arise from a permissive counterclaim filed by Hurst Excavating, Inc. (Hurst) against the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company (Railroad) for negligent injury to Hurst’s property.

Specifically, for the purposes of this motion, the parties have agreed to the following facts. On April 21, 1977 Hurst was constructing, pursuant to a contract with Iowa State University of Science and Technology (State), a steam pipeline. This pipeline was being constructed in an excavation at the end of a spur track owned by the State. The excavation was within 8% feet of the track and the pipeline was within 15 feet of the end of the track.

At the same time the Railroad was utilizing the spur track to deliver coal for use in the heating plant owned by the State when the lead car of an 11-car train left the track damaging the pipeline being constructed by Hurst. The Railroad was negligent in this regard and said negligence caused Hurst damage.

On or about September 22, 1965, the Chicago and North Western Railway Company, predecessor to the Railroad, and State entered into an agreement binding upon both the Railroad and the State, which contains the following language in paragraph 12:

In the event any equipment, material, structure, pole, or other article or obstruction shall be placed within 15 feet of the end of said track, then the Industry (State) hereby assumes all responsibility for and agrees to indemnify the Railway Company against all liability on account of loss or damage to property (except to property of the Railway Company) and injury to or death of any person or persons whatsoever (except employees of the Railway Company), caused by engines, cars, trains or other equipment running off the end of said track, from any cause whatsoever and without regard to negligence on the part of the Railway Company.

Likewise, on or about January 17, 1975, Hurst entered into an agreement with the State Board of Regents binding upon both Hurst and the State, which includes paragraph 21 of the specifications as follows:

*3 The contractor shall indemnify and hold harmless the owner . . . from any and all liability, loss, cost, damage and expense (including reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs) resulting from, arising out of, or incurred by reason of any claims, actions, or suits based upon or alleging bodily injury, including death, or property damage arising out of or resulting from the contractor’s operations under this Contract, whether such operations be by himself or by any subcontractor or by anyone directly or indirectly employed by either of them. The contractor shall obtain insurance for this purpose, which shall insure the interests of the owner and engineer as the same may appear, and shall file with the owner and engineer certificates of such insurance.

Under these facts, Hurst seeks damages from the Railroad. The Railroad seeks indemnity and contribution from the State under September contracts and the State seeks indemnity from Hurst under the January contract. The State has also moved to dismiss on grounds of sovereign immunity and lack of subject matter jurisdiction.

State’s Motion to Dismiss

The State has moved to dismiss the claims against it on two theories. First, the State contends that the action is barred by the eleventh amendment to the United States Constitution. This court has previously rejected a similar claim in Greiner v. Olsen, 498 F.Supp. 908 (N.D.Iowa 1976) on the theory that Kersten Co., Inc. v. Department of Social Services, 207 N.W.2d 117 (Iowa 1973) constituted a waiver of the state’s immunity in contract actions. The court would at this time reaffirm its prior ruling and concludes that the defense of sovereign immunity has been waived in this case.

Next, the State argues that under the principles of Aldinger v. Howard, 427 U.S. 1, 96 S.Ct. 2413, 49 L.Ed.2d 276 (1976) no subject matter jurisdiction exists. Both sides agree that no independent jurisdiction exists for the Railroad’s claim against the State in this case. Hence, the concept of either ancillary or pendent jurisdiction must be relied upon to justify jurisdiction in this action. In this regard it seems equally apparent that where only private parties are involved, the circumstances of this case would justify the exercise of ancillary jurisdiction. See generally, 6 Wright & Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure: Civil § 1444. Clearly, as the Railroad points out in its brief, all claims arise from a common set of facts and consideration of the parties’ convenience and overall judicial economy dictate having all claims settled in this action. The State, however, argues that the eleventh amendment presents an express or at least implied limitation on the court’s power to exercise pendent or ancillary jurisdiction in this case. This argument is not well taken.

The eleventh amendment provides that the federal judicial power does not extend to suits against a state by citizens of other states. By interpretation this immunity has been interpreted to preclude suits by a citizen against his own state as well. Hans v. Louisiana, 134 U.S. 1, 10 S.Ct. 504, 33 L.Ed. 842 (1890). The amendment was passed after the decision in Chisholm v. Georgia, 2 Dali. 419, 1 L.Ed. 440 (1793), permitting such suits with the purpose of resurrecting the common law concept of sovereign immunity. This immunity is not absolute however and may be waived in which case the state is no longer protected from suit. Parden v. Terminal R. Co., 377 U.S. 184, 84 S.Ct. 1207, 12 L.Ed.2d 233 (1963). Here, as indicated above, the court has found the requisite consent to suit by the state. Since the eleventh amendment is designed to protect the state treasury, the necessary intent to negate jurisdiction would appear to be lacking where that protection has been waived by the State itself. Along these lines the court finds nothing in the history of the amendment negating jur *4 isdiction where the state has consented to suit.

Railroad’s Motion for Summary Judgment

In its motion for summary judgment the Railroad seeks indemnity as a matter of law against the State urtder paragraph 12 of the September contract.

The core of the, Railroad’s argument is that under paragraph 12 of the contract, the State has accepted all responsibility for anything placed within 15 feet of the end of the track.

This appears to be the clear meaning of the language of the contract.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
498 F. Supp. 1, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17801, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chicago-north-western-transportation-co-v-hurst-excavating-inc-iand-1978.