Independent Oil & Tire Co. v. Marathon Petroleum Co.

555 F. Supp. 633, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9953
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedDecember 27, 1982
DocketCiv. A. No. C82-382
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 555 F. Supp. 633 (Independent Oil & Tire Co. v. Marathon Petroleum Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Independent Oil & Tire Co. v. Marathon Petroleum Co., 555 F. Supp. 633, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9953 (N.D. Ohio 1982).

Opinion

ORDER

DOWD, District Judge.

Before the Court is the motion of defendant, Marathon Petroleum Company (Marathon), to dismiss the complaint and amended complaint of plaintiff, Independent Oil and Tire Company (Independent), pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim.

I.

The facts alleged in the complaint must be accepted as true for the purposes of deciding this motion. Between August 19, [634]*6341973, and January 28, 1981, the federal government regulated petroleum prices. During that period of time, Independent purchased a large amount of fuel oil, middle distillates and gasoline from Marathon. Independent now charges that Marathon prices on sales were in violation of the relevant federal regulations.

On January 22, 1982, Independent sent a letter to Marathon requesting a refund of over $1.8 million because of these alleged overcharges. Marathon responded to Independent’s letter on February 1, 1982, requesting that Independent “specify precisely the respects in which you believe that Marathon failed to comply with the DOE regulations and that such failure resulted in damage.” On February 4, 1982, Independent replied by issuing a request to Marathon for information which it believed necessary to further explain its claim. Marathon declined to provide this data by a letter dated February 16, 1982.

Independent filed this suit under § 210 of the Economic Stabilization Act of 1970 (ESA), 12 U.S.C. § 1904, et seq. and § 5(a)(1) of the Emergency Petroleum Allocation Act of 1973 (EPAA), 15 U.S.C. § 7541 on February 17,1982.2 Independent subsequently amended its original complaint on April 26,1982. As amended, Independent’s complaint alleges three counts against Marathon.3 Count 1 of Independent’s amended complaint seeks damages for overcharges arising out of Marathon’s unintentional violations of the federal energy regulations. The second count of the amended complaint seeks damages for “willful” overcharges by Marathon. Finally, the third count of Independent’s claim seeks treble damages based on “intentional” overcharges that were “not the result of bona fide error.” Independent’s amended complaint also seeks compound interest on the amount of any monetary judgment, reasonable attorney’s fees, and the cost of this action.

This case is now before the Court on the motion of Marathon to dismiss the action for failure to state a claim. With respect to Count 1 of the amended complaint, Marathon seeks dismissal based on statute of limitations grounds and Independent’s failure to comply with the procedural requirements for bringing a private right of action under § 210 of the ESA. With respect to Counts 2 and 3 of the amended complaint, Marathon’s motion to dismiss is based solely on statute of limitations grounds. For the reasons stated below, the Court denies the motions to dismiss.

II.

The first basis advanced by Marathon for dismissing Count 1 of Independent’s claim alleging unintentional violation of the ESA is Independent’s failure to comply with the procedural requirements for bringing a private right of action under § 210(b) of the ESA.4 That section provides, in relevant [635]*635part, that “no action for an overcharge may be brought by or on behalf of any person unless such person has first presented to the seller ... a bona fide claim for refund of the overcharge and has not received repayment of such overcharge within 90 days from the date of the presentation of such claim.” ESA § 210(b)(2) (emphasis added). Marathon claims that Independent has failed to comply with either of these procedural prerequisites to suit. The Court will address each of these contentions separately-

A.

Section 210(b)(2) requires that a purchaser present a “bona fide claim for refund of the overcharge” to the seller as a prerequisite to a judicial action. Marathon does not deny that it received a claim for refund from Independent on January 22, 1982. It contends, however, that the letter5 does not constitute a bona fide claim.

Before turning to the case law on the requirement of a bona fide claim for refund, the Court must examine the legislative intent behind § 210. In two recent decisions, the Temporary Emergency Court of Appeals (TECA)6 has examined the legislative history behind the Congressional enactment of the private right of action and the requirement of a bona fide claim. See Bulzan v. Atlantic Richfield Company, 620 F.2d 278 (TECA 1980); Dempsey v. Rhodes Oil Company, 620 F.2d 274 (TECA 1980). In Bulzan, the Court noted the Congressional intent to create a private right of action as a means for deterring violations of the statute, 620 F.2d at 282. At the same time Congress enacted the bona fide claim requirement in hopes of avoiding unnecessary litigation. Congress hoped that the filing [636]*636of claims for refund before litigation would both deter the filing of frivolous suits and encourage the speedy resolution of meritorious claims. Dempsey v. Rhodes Oil Company, 620 F.2d at 276-77 (TECA 1980). This legislative history suggests the problem which faces this Court in defining the parameters of the bona fide claim requirement. The Court’s decision must preserve the requirement for filing a meaningful claim for refund to serve as a vehicle for encouraging nonjudicial resolution of these cases. The decision may not, however, impose additional obstacles to plaintiffs seeking to enforce the regulations through the private right of action.

Dempsey v. Rhodes Oil Company, 620 F.2d 274, is TECA’s most recent and complete discussion of the requirements for a bona fide claim. In Dempsey, TECA affirmed a lower court judgment for the defendants in a suit brought under § 210 based on plaintiff’s failure to comply with the bona fide claim requirement. Plaintiffs did not present a claim for refund to the defendant until 15 months after the filing of their lawsuit. In place of this letter of claim, plaintiffs contended that they had met the requirement of § 210(b) by sending a letter to the Federal Energy Administration asserting their claim and by the FEA’s communication of that claim to the defendant. TECA rejected this claim of “substantial compliance” with § 210(b), stating that the Court would not assume the added burden created by allowing a “shifting of the focus of the courts from the objective conduct of the purchaser to issues involving a seller’s knowledge and state of mind.” Id. at 277. The Court noted that the statute “sets forth several explicit requirements as conditions precedent to a purchaser’s right to recover overcharges in an action in federal court: there must be a claim; the claim must be for a refund; it must be presented by the purchaser; and it must be presented to the seller.” Id. at 276-77.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

STATE OF MINN. BY HUMPHREY v. Standard Oil Co.
568 F. Supp. 556 (D. Minnesota, 1983)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
555 F. Supp. 633, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9953, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/independent-oil-tire-co-v-marathon-petroleum-co-ohnd-1982.