Lipkin v. Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd.

93 F. Supp. 3d 1311, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42243, 2015 WL 1380466
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedMarch 6, 2015
DocketCase No. 13-CV-24206
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 93 F. Supp. 3d 1311 (Lipkin v. Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lipkin v. Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd., 93 F. Supp. 3d 1311, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42243, 2015 WL 1380466 (S.D. Fla. 2015).

Opinion

ORDER

KATHLEEN M. WILLIAMS, District Judge.

THIS MATTER is before the Court on the Norwegian Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss the Amended Complaint, [D.E. 21] and the Norwegian Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment [D.E. 40], Miami-Dade County’s Motion to Dismiss the Amended Complaint [D.E. 28] and Miami-Dade County’s Motion for Summary Judgment [D.E. 38]. For the reasons stated below, the Norwegian Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss is GRANTED IN PART, the Norwegian Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment is GRANTED, Miami-Dade County’s Motion to Dismiss, is DENIED, and Miami-Dade County’s Motion for Summary Judgment is GRANTED.

I. Background

Plaintiff Jack Lipkin is an 83-year-old resident of Delray Beach, Florida. In November 2012, Lipkin traveled on an 11-day cruise with his wife, Natalie, aboard the Norwegian Sun [D.E. 46 at 1]. The cruise concluded on November 25, 2012, at the Port of Miami, where Lipkin and his wife disembarked from the ship and entered Port Terminal C, heading toward the baggage claim area [D.E. 40 ¶¶ 4-5]. While his wife sought wheelchair assistance, Plaintiff, walking with the aid of a cane, stepped onto a moving walkway (alternately referred to as a people mover) to traverse a hallway in the terminal. Id. at ¶ 8. Lipkin stood still on the left side of the tread belt among about 10 other cruise passengers, including a woman assisting a man in a wheelchair on the walkway in front of him. Id. at ¶¶ 15, 17. For reasons unknown, the wheelchair became stuck at the end of the walkway, creating a barrier to oncoming passengers on the walkway, including Lipkin. Id. at ¶ 19. While attempting to free the wheelchair, the woman (whose identity remains unknown) collided with Lipkin, causing him to fall [D.E. 48 ¶ 20]. Lipkin suffered a broken hip in the fall [D.E. 45-10 at 8-9].

Lipkin originally filed this action against the Norwegian Defendants on November 20, 2013 [D.E. 1]. The original Complaint contained twelve claims of negligence and breach of contract against the four Norwegian Defendants. Id. Lipkin subsequently filed an Amended Complaint to add Miami-Dade County as a Defendant [D.E. 17]. The Amended Complaint asserts four negligence claims and four breach of contract claims against the four Norwegian Defendants, and a negligence claim against Miami-Dade County. Id.

In his Amended Complaint, Lipkin advances several theories of negligence liability, alleging, among other things, that Norwegian breached its duty of care by “allowing or directing people to access and/or use people movers in wheelchairs,” “failing] to safely and properly assist and/or monitor people walking through their building,” and “fail[ing] to reasonably and safely warn Plaintiff of the dangers of people using wheelchairs on the people movers.” Id.

At the time of the accident, no Norwegian employees were present at the entrance or exit of the moving walkway [D.E. 40 ¶ 10]. Yellow warning decals were affixed at the base of the walkway at its entrance and exit, which read: “Caution Passengers Only” [D.E. 40-4 at 2; D.E. 40-5 at 21], The signs also instructed [1317]*1317passengers to “hold handrail,” “attend children,” and “avoid sides,” and they included an illustration of a wheeled device (described by the Norwegian Defendants as either a “cart” or “chair”) inside a red circle with a slash [D.E. 40 ¶¶ 10; D.E. 40-5 at 21]. The walkway is owned by Miami-Dade County and maintained by the County under an agreement with the walkway’s manufacturer, Schindler [D.E. 48 ¶ 2; D.E. 40-2 at 6].

The Norwegian Defendants have filed a motion to dismiss the Amended Complaint on the grounds that Lipkin is asserting negligence claims under Florida law in this maritime action [D.E. 21], and a motion for summary judgment [D.E. 40]. Miami-Dade County has also filed a motion to dismiss, in which it argues that the Court does not have subject matter jurisdiction because the claims against Norwegian are not in fact in admiralty [D.E. 28], and a motion for summary judgment [D.E. 38]. Plaintiff opposes the motions.

II. Miami-Dade County’s Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Subject Matter Jurisdiction [D.E. 28]

Because district courts are courts of limited jurisdiction, the Court first must examine where it has subject matter jurisdiction over this case. See, e.g., Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Fla. v. Cypress, 975 F.Supp.2d 1298, 1305 (S.D.Fla.2013). In his Amended Complaint, Plaintiff has asserted a single negligence claim against Miami-Dade County for “allowing” cruise passengers to use wheelchairs on the walkway, and for the County’s failure to warn of this danger [D.E. 17 ¶ 60]. The County has filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing that the Court does not have subject-matter jurisdiction over this action because the claims against Norwegian do not arise in admiralty [D.E. 28 at 6-16]. The County further argues .that the Court should decline to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over the claim against the County because the state law claim predominates over the maritime claims. Id. at 16-18. Plaintiff [D.E. 29] and the Norwegian Defendants [D.E. 32] have objected to the motion.

A. Standard of Review

The County has moved to dismiss this action pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(1) [D.E. 28]. A Rule 12(b)(1) motion to dismiss may present a facial or factual attack on subject-matter jurisdiction. McElmurray v. Consol. Gov’t of August-Richmond Cnty., 501 F.3d 1244, 1251 (11th Cir.2007). Facial attacks challenge subject-matter jurisdiction based on the allegations in the complaint, and the district court takes as true the allegations contained in the complaint when considering the motion. Lawrence v. Dunbar, 919 F.2d 1525, 1529 (11th Cir.1990). In contrast, factual attacks challenge the existence of subject-matter jurisdiction in fact, and in such cases “no presumptive truthfulness attaches to plaintiffs allegations.” Id.

B. Analysis

The County’s principal argument is that, because Plaintiffs injury occurred in the Port of Miami Terminal after disembarking from the Norwegian Sun, this matter does not fall within the Court’s admiralty jurisdiction [D.E. 28 at 6-16]. To determine if a claim falls within a court’s admiralty jurisdiction, the court must consider the site of the tort (the “locality” test) and the relationship between the tort and traditional maritime activity (the “nexus” test). See Bunge Corp. v. Freeport Marine Repair, Inc., 240 F.3d 919, 923-24 (11th Cir.2001) (citing Executive Jet Aviation, Inc. v. City of Cleveland, 409 U.S. 249, 253, 93 S.Ct. 493, 34 L.Ed.2d 454 (1972)). Both Plaintiff and Norwegian assert that the allegations [1318]*1318raised in the Amended Complaint satisfy the locality and nexus tests to establish admiralty jurisdiction [D.E. 29; D.E. 32].

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
93 F. Supp. 3d 1311, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42243, 2015 WL 1380466, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lipkin-v-norwegian-cruise-line-ltd-flsd-2015.