Newman v. Socata Sas

924 F. Supp. 2d 1322, 2013 WL 538002, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19417
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedFebruary 13, 2013
DocketCase No. 6:09-cv-193-Orl-28GJK
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 924 F. Supp. 2d 1322 (Newman v. Socata Sas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Newman v. Socata Sas, 924 F. Supp. 2d 1322, 2013 WL 538002, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19417 (M.D. Fla. 2013).

Opinion

ORDER

JOHN ANTOON II, District Judge.

In February 2007, a Socata TBM 700B aircraft (“the TBM 700”) piloted by Michael Milot crashed during a missed approach at New Bedford Regional Airport in Massachusetts, killing Mr. Milot and the two passengers on the plane.1 The crash allegedly occurred due to a loss of control consistent with a “torque roll” — a roll to the left upon an increase in engine power such as would occur during a missed approach — for which the TBM 700 allegedly had a known propensity. Prior to the crash, Defendant Simcom International, Inc. (“Simcom”) had trained Mr. Milot, a licensed pilot, in the operation of the TBM 700 but allegedly did not warn him of the TBM 700’s propensity to torque roll when engine power is increased.

Plaintiffs, the administrators of the deceased’s estates, have sued Simcom, alleging breach of contract and negligence,2 but Simcom moves to dismiss, arguing that these claims are in essence “educational malpractice claims” that are not cognizable in Florida.3 Florida courts have barred “educational malpractice” claims, but it is not likely that the Supreme Court of Florida would extend that bar to the claims against Simcom, a private, for-profit flight school that allegedly owed and breached a duty to warn and train regarding a known lethal propensity of an aircraft. Accordingly, Socata’s motion to dismiss must be denied.

I. Allegations of the Amended Complaint

Under an agreement with Socata, Simcom provided the majority of TBM 700 simulated flight training offered in the United States, and Simcom held itself out as the leading provider of classroom and simulator-based flight training on the TBM 700. (Id. ¶¶ 35, 36). In July 2006-seven months prior to the crash at issue here — Mr. Milot attended Simcom’s initial TBM 700 flight training program at the company’s training center in Orlando, Florida. (Id. ¶ 37). The program was [1324]*1324designed to train experienced pilots to fly the TBM 700 aircraft. At the conclusion of the course, Mr. Milot was issued a Pilot Proficiency Certificate, indicating, that he had successfully completed -the initial training course -in accordance with Simcom’s standards. (Id.).

By the time of the crash at issue in this cáse, there had already been at least fifteen accidents reported by the 'National Transportation Safety Board and its counterpart, the United Kingdom Air Accidents Investigation Branch, referencing torque roll or similar conditions. (Id. ¶ 29). . Simcom allegedly knew or should have known about the accidents involving torque roll of TBM 700 aircraft and the defective, unsafe, and dangerous flight characteristics of the aircraft. (Id. ¶¶ 89, 90). Plaintiffs assert that Simcom owed a duty to warn Mr. Milot of the TBM 700’s known propensity to torque roll and to otherwise competently train him regarding flying that type of aircraft. (Id. ¶¶ 78-79). Plaintiffs further allege that there was a foreseeable risk of harm from Simcom’s acts or omissions and that Simcom breached its duty by failing to inform and warn Mr. Milot of the propensity of the TBM 700 to torque roll. (Id. ¶¶ 79, 81, 87-88). Finally, Plaintiffs contend that Simcom’s failure to warn Mr. Milot and to train him regarding the torque roll propensity of the TBM 700 was the proximate cause of the crash and of the deaths of the three occupants of the plane. (Id. ¶¶ 38, 82, 83,122).

- II. Pleading Standards

“A pleading that states a claim for relief must contain ... a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a)(2). “ ‘[Djetailed factual allegations’ ” are not required, but “[a] pleading that offers ‘labels and conclusions’ or ‘a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do.’ ” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007)). “To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’ ” Id. (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955).

IIP Discussion

A. Educational Malpractice

The substantive issues in this diversity case are governed by state law, see Erie R.R. Co. v. Tompkins, 304 U.S. 64, 78, 58 S.Ct. 817, 82 L.Ed. 1188 (1938), and as agreed by the parties the applicable state law is that of Florida. Thus, the task of this federal court is to apply established Florida law or, in the absence of such established law, to predict how the Supreme Court of Florida would rule on the state law questions presented. See GuideOne Elite Ins. Co. v. Old Cutler Presbyterian Church, Inc., 420 F.3d 1317, 1326 n. 5 (11th Cir.2005).

In its motion to dismiss, Simcom contends that although thé claims against it are pleaded as breach of contract and negligence claims, these claims are essentially assertions of “educational malpractice” — a cause of action not recognized in Florida. Plaintiffs acknowledge that Florida case law precludes causes of action for educational malpractice, but Plaintiffs maintain that their claims are not of the type that Florida courts have found to constitute. noncognizable claims of educational malpractice.- I agree with Plaintiffs’ position.

Like courts in many other states, Florida courts refuse to recognize a cause of action for educational malpractice. Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal first declared such lack of recognition in 1982, see Tubell v. Dade Cnty. Pub. Sch., 419 So.2d 388, 389 (Fla. 3d DCA 1982), and the bar on such claims has been noted by [1325]*1325other district courts of appeal and by the Supreme Court of Florida as well, see Dep’t of Health & Rehabilitative Servs. v. B.J.M., 656 So.2d 906 (Fla.1995); Simon v. Celebration Co., 883 So.2d 826, 832 & n. 5 (Fla. 5th DCA 2004); Monroe v. Sarasota Cnty. Sch. Bd., 746 So.2d 530, 533 n. 4 (Fla. 2d DCA 1999); Armstrong v. Data Processing Inst., Inc., 509 So.2d 1298, 1299 (Fla. 1st DCA 1987).4 While these cases all mention educational malpractice, most of them do not actually discuss the claims or the reasons for barring educational malpractice claims. Tubell squarely addressed the question of whether such claims should be recognized in Florida— answering it in the negative — but the court did so only by opining that no cause of action was stated and then citing decisions from other states. 419 So.2d at 389; accord Armstrong, 509 So.2d at 1299 (stating that “educational malpractice ... is not cognizable in Florida,” citing Tubell and one New York case). The Simon

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Bluebook (online)
924 F. Supp. 2d 1322, 2013 WL 538002, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19417, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/newman-v-socata-sas-flmd-2013.