Crockett v. Uniroyal, Inc.

592 F. Supp. 821, 1984 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14814
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Georgia
DecidedJuly 19, 1984
DocketCiv. A. No. 83-313-1-MAC, 83-314-2-MAC
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 592 F. Supp. 821 (Crockett v. Uniroyal, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Crockett v. Uniroyal, Inc., 592 F. Supp. 821, 1984 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14814 (M.D. Ga. 1984).

Opinion

[822]*822ORDER

OWENS, Chief Judge.

These actions, consolidated for purposes of pretrial proceedings and trial, involve a wrongful death and personal injury claim against Uniroyal, Inc. (Uniroyal), Southern Railway Company (Southern), and Seaboard System Railroad, Inc. (Seaboard). Plaintiffs’ claim against Southern has been dismissed by prior order of this court. Southern remains as a party by virtue of defendant Uniroyal’s cross-claim for indemnity or contribution. Uniroyal has also cross-claimed against Seaboard for indemnity or contribution. Presently before this court are motions for summary judgment by Seaboard on plaintiffs’ claim and by both Southern and Seaboard on Uniroyal’s cross-claim.

Findings of Undisputed Fact

1. Defendant Uniroyal operates Alpine Laboratories in Bay Minette, Alabama.1 A chemical known as substituted nitrophenol pesticide liquid is manufactured at Alpine Laboratories. This chemical is shipped to another Uniroyal plant, located in Gastonia, North Carolina, where it is used to produce an agricultural herbicide.

2. Defendant Uniroyal leased at least eight railroad tank cars from General American Transportation Company (GATX) to use to ship substituted nitrophenol pesticide liquid from Bay Minette, Alabama to Gastonia, North Carolina.

3. In early 1982, Uniroyal shipped four GATX tank cars (GATX car numbers 63506, 63457, 37819, and 75680) of substituted nitrophenol pesticide liquid from Bay Minette to Gastonia. At all times relevant to this litigation the words “SUBSTITUTED NITROPHENOL PESTICIDE LIQUID” were stenciled in white letters on each of these four cars.

4. Employees of Uniroyal unloaded the cars in Gastonia, placarded each car as “EMPTY,” and securely bolted each man-way shut with eight bolts and two safety bolts. The cars were returned to Bay Minette.

5. Upon receipt of the rail cars in Bay Minette, an employee of Uniroyal determined that the interior tank of each rail car required cleaning. An agreement was reached between Uniroyal and Rail Car Services, Inc., located in Gordon, Georgia, for Rail Car Services to clean the four rail ears at its site in Gordon.2

6. Uniroyal instructed defendant Seaboard to transport said railroad cars from Bay Minette to Gordon. Seaboard moved the cars on its tracks to Atlanta and there delivered them to defendant Southern to move to Gordon on Southern’s tracks for delivery to Rail Car Services.

7. Two of the cars — GATX 37819 and 75680 — were delivered by Southern to Rail Car Services in the spring of 1982 and cleaned without incident in mid-July.

8. The remaining cars — GATX 63506 and 63457 — were shipped from Bay Minette in June of 1982. Car number 63457 contained a residue3 of substituted nitrophenol pesticide liquid, a “hazardous material,” as defined at 40 C.F.R. § 261 Appendix VIII (1983).

9. Neither Uniroyal, Seaboard, nor Southern prepared or demanded a “hazardous waste manifest” (a shipping document described at 40 C.F.R. § 262 (1983)) for the shipment of GATX 63457.

[823]*82310. A waybill is a written document made out by the carrier listing point of origin and destination, consignor and consignee, and describing goods included in a shipment. It is delivered to connecting carriers for the purpose of instructing each railroad as to route and destination of each car. It is industry custom and practice not to give the consignee a copy of the waybill. Rail Car Services as consignee was therefore not given a copy of any of the waybills for these cars.

11. Seaboard prepared a waybill for GATX 63457, which stated that the car was empty, that it last contained substituted nitrophenol pesticide liquid, that it was being shipped to Rail Car Services for cleaning, and that the car was placarded “poison.” 4 Unlike the waybills prepared for the prior shipment of cars 37819 and 75680, the waybill for car 63457 was not stamped “DANGEROUS.”

12. Seaboard never physically inspected the interior of tank car 63457.

13. Southern received car 63457 from Seaboard, moved it on its tracks, and delivered it to Rail Car Services in Gordon on July 30, 1982. Southern never physically inspected the interior of car 63457.

14. On August 2, 1982, Shedrick and Jeremiah Crockett, brothers and fellow employees of Rail Car Services, entered the interior of car 63457 in order to clean it. While using steam to clean it both men became ill. Shedrick was taken to a hospital and died shortly after his admission.

Issues Presented for Summary Judgment

Plaintiffs’ complaint alleges that the Crocketts and Rail Car Services were told by Uniroyal that GATX 63457 last contained a nontoxic food preservative. Liability of both railroads is predicated on a claim that each railroad owed a duty to warn of the presence of a toxic residue and its potential for harm.

Plaintiffs Claim Against Seaboard

Plaintiffs claim that Seaboard was negligent per se by failing to provide a “hazardous waste manifest” pursuant to DOT and EPA regulations. Alternatively, plaintiffs claim that Seaboard, having knowledge of the former contents of GATX 63457, had a common law duty to warn Rail Car Services of the potential harm. Seaboard responds by arguing, inter alia, that the regulations cited by plaintiffs do not require a hazardous waste manifest for an empty car, nor do they impose a duty upon a transporter to verify the consignor’s claim that the car is indeed empty. Finally, Seaboard argues that plaintiffs have failed to allege a breach of the common law duty owed by a carrier to the consignee of a rail car not owned by the carrier.

Uniroyal’s Cross-Claim Against Seaboard

Uniroyal argues that Seaboard’s alleged prior “courtesy” in interpreting the applicable DOT and EPA regulations and in'preparing all necessary shipping documents on Uniroyal’s behalf renders Seaboard liable to Uniroyal, either in contribution or complete indemnity, should Uniroyal be held liable to plaintiffs for failing to provide a hazardous waste manifest. Seaboard responds with the same argument asserted against plaintiffs’ claims, i.e., that Seaboard was entitled to rely on Uniroyal’s assurances that the cars were empty and contained no wastes, and that it had no duty to inspect and verify these representations.

Uniroyal’s Cross-Claim Against Southern

Uniroyal’s cross-claim against Southern for indemnity or contribution is similar to its claim against Seaboard, i.e., Southern, as a carrier, should have refused transportation absent a hazardous waste manifest or other shipping document setting forth an adequate warning. Additionally, Uniroyal argues that Southern possessed peculiar knowledge as to Rail Car Services’ commercial practices and inexperience in [824]*824working with toxic chemicals. This “superior” knowledge, Uniroyal argues, created a duty upon Southern to inspect and warn Rail Car Services of the potential hazard.

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Bluebook (online)
592 F. Supp. 821, 1984 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14814, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/crockett-v-uniroyal-inc-gamd-1984.