Eberhart v. Amazon.com, Inc.

325 F. Supp. 3d 393
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Illinois
DecidedAugust 27, 2018
Docket16-CV-8546 (JPO)
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 325 F. Supp. 3d 393 (Eberhart v. Amazon.com, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Eberhart v. Amazon.com, Inc., 325 F. Supp. 3d 393 (S.D. Ill. 2018).

Opinion

J. PAUL OETKEN, United States District Judge

Plaintiff Jacob T. Eberhart brought this lawsuit against Amazon.com, Inc. for injuries he suffered from a coffeemaker purchased on Amazon's website. Amazon *395moves for summary judgment. For the reasons that follow, the motion is granted.

I. Background

This case arises out of an accident that Eberhart suffered in August 2015. According to the Complaint, Eberhart was washing his French press coffeemaker when the glass pot shattered. (Dkt. No. 1 ("Compl.") ¶¶ 16-18.) The shards of glass lacerated Eberhart's thumb, and he was taken to the hospital for emergency medical treatment. (Compl. ¶¶ 20-22.) Eberhart alleges that he suffered nerve damage and, as a result, potentially permanent limitations on the use of his thumb. (Compl. ¶¶ 28-34.)

At this stage of the litigation, however, the question is not whether or how Eberhart was injured. Rather, the issue is whether Amazon-the website from which Eberhart bought the coffeemaker1 -is legally responsible for injuries caused by the product's alleged defect. It is undisputed that Amazon neither manufactured nor designed the coffeemaker. (Dkt. No. 65 ("CSOF") ¶ 11.) Eberhart argues that Amazon sold the coffeemaker and, even if it did not, it is legally liable for defective products sold by third parties through its website. (See Dkt. No. 66 at 5-13.) Amazon states that it did not sell the coffeemaker to Eberhart; it merely provides an online marketplace and, in some instances, logistics services to shippers. Amazon argues that it cannot be held liable for the torts of third-party sellers, and it moves for summary judgment on that basis.

II. Legal Standard

A court "shall grant summary judgment if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). A fact is material if it "might affect the outcome of the suit under the governing law." Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc. , 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). And an issue is genuine "if the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party." Id.

On a motion for summary judgment, "[t]he moving party bears the initial burden of demonstrating 'the absence of a genuine issue of material fact.' " F.D.I.C. v. Great Am. Ins. Co. , 607 F.3d 288, 292 (2d Cir. 2010) (quoting Celotex Corp. v. Catrett , 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986) ). "Once the moving party has asserted facts showing that the non-movant's claims cannot be sustained, the opposing party must 'set out specific facts showing a genuine issue for trial' ...." Toshiba Corp. v. Am. Media Int'l, LLC , No. 12 Civ. 800, 2012 WL 3822759, at *4 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 4, 2012) (quoting Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(e) ). The moving party is entitled to summary judgment whenever "the nonmoving party has failed to make a sufficient showing on an essential element of her case with respect to which she has the burden of proof." Celotex Corp. , 477 U.S. at 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548.

The court must "construe all evidence in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party, drawing all inferences and resolving all ambiguities in its favor." Dickerson v. Napolitano , 604 F.3d 732, 740 (2d Cir. 2010). However, "[t]o defeat a summary judgment motion, the nonmoving party 'must do more than simply show that there is some metaphysical doubt as to the material facts,' and 'may not rely on conclusory allegations or unsubstantiated speculation.' " Great Am. Ins. Co. , 607 F.3d at 292 *396(citations omitted) (first quoting Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp. , 475 U.S. 574, 586, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986), then quoting Scotto v. Almenas , 143 F.3d 105, 114 (2d Cir. 1998) ).

III. Discussion

Eberhart asserts five causes of action against Amazon: strict products liability, negligence, vicarious liability for the manufacturer's negligence, breach of express warranty, and misrepresentation. (Compl. ¶¶ 24-103.) These counts are not additive; rather, each states an alternative theory of liability.

As both parties direct their briefing to New York law, the Court applies New York law to Eberhart's claims.2

A. Facts Not Subject to Genuine Dispute

Amazon operates an online marketplace at www.amazon.com. (CSOF ¶ 1; Dkt No. 47-2 ("Poad Aff.") ¶ 5.) Amazon sells some of its own products on its marketplace, but a significant portion of the products on amazon.com are sold by third-party sellers. (CSOF ¶ 1; Poad Aff.

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