Henslin v. Roaasti Trucking, Inc.

815 F. Supp. 1347, 1993 WL 82165
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedFebruary 25, 1993
DocketNo. CV-F-92-5335 DLB
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 815 F. Supp. 1347 (Henslin v. Roaasti Trucking, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Henslin v. Roaasti Trucking, Inc., 815 F. Supp. 1347, 1993 WL 82165 (E.D. Cal. 1993).

Opinion

ORDER DENYING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND GRANTING DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY .JUDGMENT

BECK, United States Magistrate Judge.

This is a collection action wherein Plaintiff, Shirley Henslin, dba Car Transportation Company (Henslin), seeks to obtain.payment for three (3) loads of produce which Henslin transported by truck between the various Defendants. Henslin alleges federal question jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and 1337 and 49 U.S.C. § 10501 et seq., the Interstate Commerce Act. Although it is not alleged in the complaint on file herein, Plaintiff maintains in her motion for summary judgment that Car Transportation Company is a motor carrier licensed by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) (Plaintiff’s Memorandum of Points and Authorities in Support of Summary Judgment page 12, lines 4-5). The parties have consented to the jurisdiction of this court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 636(c).

In her complaint, Plaintiff maintains in the fourth claim for relief that on or about July [1348]*134826, 1990, she transported a shipment from Defendant, A.T.B. Packing Co.’s (ATB) facility in Turlock, California to Defendant, Fruit Salad in Lawrence, Massachusetts and that freight fees in the amount of four thousand four hundred and sixteen dollars ($4,416) are due and unpaid.

In the fifth claim, Plaintiff alleges on or about June 20, 1990, she transported goods in a single shipment from: Defendant, William Bolthouse Farms, Inc.’s (Bolthouse) facility in Bakersfield, California; Defendant, Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc.’s (Dole) Miami facility at Oxnard, California; and from Defendant, The Nunes Co., Inc.’s (Nunes) facility in Salinas, California to Defendant, The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co.’s (A & P) facility in Edison, New Jersey and that four thousand four hundred dollars ($4400) is due and unpaid.

Finally, in the sixth claim Henslin alleges that on or about June 10,1990 she transported goods by truck from Defendant, Hi Value Processors, Inc.’s (Hi Value) facility in Blythe, California to Defendant, Kleiman and Hochberg, Inc.’s (Kleiman) facility in Bronx, New York and that four thousand two hundred dollars ($4200) in- freight charges is due and unpaid.

It is uncontested that each of these shipments were shipments of produce, an agricultural commodity within the meaning of 49 U.S.C. § 10526(a)(6)(B). It is also undisputed that arrangements for each of these shipments were made by one or more of the Defendants with Defendant, Roaasti Trucking, Inc. and, at least in the case of the shipment which is alleged to be the subject of the fifth claim, that Roaasti has been paid all sums due for the shipment.

Plaintiff moves for summary judgment contending that each of the Defendants were either consignors- or consignees and, pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 10744 and Southern Pacific Transportation Co. v. Commercial Metals Co., 456 U.S. 336, 102 S.Ct. 1815, 72 L.Ed.2d 114 (1982) and Maislin Industries U.S., Inc. v. Primary Steel, Inc., 497 U.S. 116, 110 S.Ct. 2759, 111 L.Ed.2d 94 (1990), each are liable for payment of the motor carrier fees in spite of the fact that they may have paid Defendant Roaasti Trucking, Inc. for the freight charges.

Each of the Defendants has filed a cross motion for summary judgment maintaining that the shipment(s) involved agricultural commodities which are exempt from regulation by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 10526(a)(6)(B).

Defendant Dole has also filed a cross motion for summary judgment on the grounds that it was not a consignor within the meaning of the Interstate Commerce Act since all arrangements for shipping were made by Defendant A & P and the terms of the sale of produce between Dole and A & P were FOB Dole’s Minami plant in Oxnard, California.1

SUMMARY JUDGMENT

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(c) provides that summary judgment may be granted where “... there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law....”

“[A] party seeking summary judgment always bears the initial responsibility of informing the district court of the basis for its motion, and identifying those portions of ‘the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any,’ which it believes demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact”. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2553, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). This responsibility is simply one of pointing out to the District Court that there is an absence of evidence to support the non-movant’s case, it is not the responsibility of producing evidence showing the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Id. at 325, 106 S.Ct. at 2554.

[1349]*1349AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY EXEMPTION

It is undisputed that each of the shipments involved in the remaining claims in this action consisted of agricultural commodities which are exempt from the jurisdiction of the Interstate Commerce Commission pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 10526(a)(6)(B). Plaintiff maintains however, that the exemption - of agricultural commodities applies only to the ICC’s jurisdiction over the motor vehicles which transport the agricultural commodities. Henslin maintains that her position is supported by three of the handful of cases decided concerning exempt commodities, East Texas Motor Freight Lines v. Frozen Food Express, 351 U.S. 49, 76 S.Ct. 574, 100 L.Ed. 917 (1956); Interstate Commerce Commission v. Dunn, 166 F.2d 116 (5th Cir.1948); and Interstate Commerce Commission v. Service Trucking, 186 F.2d 400 (3rd Cir.1951).

However, Henslin relies primarily on Fawley Motor Lines v. Cavalier Poultry Corp., 235 F.2d 416 (4th Cir.1956). In Fawley

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815 F. Supp. 1347, 1993 WL 82165, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/henslin-v-roaasti-trucking-inc-caed-1993.