Inland Steel Corp. v. Consolidated Rail Corp.

714 F. Supp. 389, 1989 WL 51693
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Indiana
DecidedMay 18, 1989
DocketCiv. No. H 88-106
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 714 F. Supp. 389 (Inland Steel Corp. v. Consolidated Rail Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Inland Steel Corp. v. Consolidated Rail Corp., 714 F. Supp. 389, 1989 WL 51693 (N.D. Ind. 1989).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

ALLEN SHARP, Chief Judge.

Facts

On August 27, 1984, a transformer owned by plaintiff Inland Steel Corporation (Inland) was arranged to be shipped from the Ohio Transformer Corporation in Louisville, Ohio to the plaintiffs facility in East Chicago, Indiana. The transformer was to be shipped by defendant Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail). Inland entered into a contract with Conrail, utilizing the straight Bill of Lading — Short Form, attached as Appendix “A”, which reflects receipt of the transformer from Ohio Transformer Corporation by Conrail in good condition on August 28, 1984. The bill of lading states as follows:

“(b) As a condition precedent to recovery, claims must be filed in writing with the receiving or delivering carrier, or carrier issuing the bill of lading, or carrier on whose line the loss, damage, injury or delay occurred, within nine months after delivery of the property (or, in case of export traffic, within nine months after delivery at port of export) or, in case of failure to make delivery, then within nine months after reasonable time for delivery has elapsed; * * * * Where claims are not filed or suits are not instituted thereon in accordance with the foregoing provisions, no carrier hereunder shall be liable, and such claims will not be paid.”

The transformer was loaded on car CR 766039, and impact recorders were placed on the car. The car was shopped by Conrail from August 31 through September 4 to provide adequate wheel clearances. During this period, a heavy impact was recorded on the impact to CR 766039 recorders.

The transformer arrived at Inland on September 8, 1984. On September 2, 1984 when Inland attempted to install the transformer, it did not work.

After the transformer was repaired, Inland filed a written claim for the cost of those repairs. Inland filled out a claim form dated June 7, 1985. This form was then stamped received by Conrail on June 10,1985. (See appendix letter B) On March 27, 1986, Conrail denied Inland’s claim. (See appendix letter C.)

Inland filed suit on February 26, 1988, claiming that Conrail had delayed payment of Inland’s claim. On May 6, 1988, Conrail filed a motion to dismiss which was converted into a motion for summary judgment on February 3, 1989. Conrail contends the claim filed by Inland was late. Inland argues that based on Rule 6(a), their claim was timely filed. Inland has filed a response to defendant’s motion to dismiss, and a supplemental submission in support of the motion for summary judgment.

Neither side disputes the facts in this case. The only question before this court is the application of the law to the facts. Jurisdiction in this case is based upon Section 11707 of the Interstate Commerce Act (49 U.S.C. § 11707), and 28 U.S.C. § 1337.

[391]*391 Issues

1) What day was the claim filed by Inland and was it timely filed?

2) Was the correspondence between Inland and Conrail sufficient to constitute a filing of a written claim?

Argument

Summary judgment is proper if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories and admissions on file, together with any affidavits, show that there is no genuine issue of material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Rule 56, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (Fed.R.Civ.P. 56); accord Arkwright-Boston Mfrs. Mutual Ins. Co. v. Wausau Paper Mills Co., 818 F.2d 591, 593 (7th Cir.1987). A material question of fact is a question which will be outcome-determinative of an issue in that case. Big O Tire Dealers, Inc. v. Big O Warehouse, 741 F.2d 160, 163 (7th Cir.1984).

Recently the Supreme Court of the United States took the opportunity to address Rule 56, Fed.R.Civ.P. In two cases decided on the same day, the Court has expanded the scope of the application of Rule 56. See Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986); Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). Celotex addressed the initial burdens of the parties under Rule 56, and Anderson addressed the standards under which the record is to be analyzed within the structure of Rule 56.

After Celotex it is clear that a non-moving party may not rest on its pleadings to avoid summary judgment. 106 S.Ct. at 2554. See also Catrett v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp., 826 F.2d 33 (D.C.Cir.1987). The initial burden is on the moving party to demonstrate “ ‘with or without supporting affidavits’ ” the absence of a genuine issue of material fact, and that judgment as a matter of law should be granted in the moving party’s favor. Celotex, 106 S.Ct. at 2553 (quoting Rule 56). Once the moving party has met the initial burden, the opposing party must “go beyond the pleadings” and “designate ‘specific facts showing that there is a genuine [material] issue for trial.’ ” Id. Furthermore, in Anderson, the Court held that what facts are material in a specific case shall be determined by the substantive law controlling that case or issue. 106 S.Ct. at 2510. In addition, the Court went on to interpret Rule 56 as requiring that the courts analyze summary judgment motions utilizing the standard of proof relevant to that case or issue. Id. at 2512-2513. For recent academic insight into Celotex and Anderson, see Childress, A New Era For Summary Judgments: Recent Shifts at the Supreme Court, 116 F.R.D. 183-194 (1987). At page 194 thereof, the author states:

The recent Supreme Court cases likely require that summary judgment be more readily granted.... This emerging trend signals a new era for summary judgments, one in which the old presumptions are giving way to a policy of balancing and efficiency, and the mechanism is more appropriate to double as a sufficiency motion — allowing some sort of trial itself on the paper record.

For the judicial epilogue of Celotex, see Catrett v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp., 826 F.2d 33 (D.C.Cir.1987). A recent object lesson applying these ideas is found in Richardson v. Penfold, 839 F.2d 392 (7th Cir.1988). See also Jamison-Bey v. Thier-et,

Related

United Van Lines, Inc. v. Anderson
802 F. Supp. 1399 (D. South Carolina, 1992)

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Bluebook (online)
714 F. Supp. 389, 1989 WL 51693, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/inland-steel-corp-v-consolidated-rail-corp-innd-1989.