McMillan v. Amazon.com
This text of 2 F.4th 525 (McMillan v. Amazon.com) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.
Opinion
Case: 20-20108 Document: 00515919359 Page: 1 Date Filed: 06/29/2021
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit
FILED June 29, 2021 No. 20-20108 Lyle W. Cayce Clerk
Morgan McMillan, individually and as next friend of E.G., a minor child,
Plaintiff—Appellee,
versus
Amazon.com, Incorporated,
Defendant—Appellant.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas USDC No. 4:18-CV-2242
Before Wiener, Costa, and Willett, Circuit Judges. Don R. Willett, Circuit Judge: This interlocutory appeal presents a single, narrow question: May Amazon be held liable as a “seller” under Texas products-liability law for third-party products sold on Amazon’s website and handled through Amazon’s Fulfillment by Amazon program? We certified this question to the Supreme Court of Texas “[g]iven the dearth of on-point caselaw and the significant potential consequences of holding online marketplaces responsible for third-party sellers’ faulty products.” McMillan v. Amazon.com, Inc., 983 F.3d 194, 196 (5th Cir. 2020), certified question Case: 20-20108 Document: 00515919359 Page: 2 Date Filed: 06/29/2021
No. 20-20108
answered sub nom. Amazon.com, Inc. v. McMillan, No. 20-0979, 2021 WL 2605885 (Tex. June 25, 2021). The Supreme Court of Texas has now answered the question, holding that “potentially liable sellers are limited to those who relinquished title to the product at some point in the distribution chain.” Amazon.com, Inc. v. McMillan, No. 20-0979, 2021 WL 2605885, at *1 (Tex. June 25, 2021). Because third-party sellers do not relinquish title to their products, “Amazon is not a ‘seller’” of those “products under Texas law.” Id. Accordingly, we REVERSE the district court’s conclusion that Amazon is a “seller” under Texas law with instructions to grant Amazon’s motion for summary judgment in full on remand.
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