Patriot Signs, Inc. v. SAIA Motor Freight Lines, LLC

616 F. Supp. 2d 646, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 47619, 2009 WL 1456423
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Texas
DecidedMay 22, 2009
Docket4:08-cv-00210
StatusPublished

This text of 616 F. Supp. 2d 646 (Patriot Signs, Inc. v. SAIA Motor Freight Lines, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Patriot Signs, Inc. v. SAIA Motor Freight Lines, LLC, 616 F. Supp. 2d 646, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 47619, 2009 WL 1456423 (N.D. Tex. 2009).

Opinion

ORDER

REED O’CONNOR, District Judge.

Before the Court is Defendant SAIA Motor Freight Lines, LLC’s (“Defendant”) Motion to Dismiss and Memorandum in Support (Doc. No. 3), filed January 9, 2009, arguing that Plaintiffs claim against it for attorney’s fees should be dismissed for failure to state a claim pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Plaintiff Patriot Signs, Inc., (“Plaintiff’) did not file a response. Having considered the Motion, the Court finds that it should be and hereby is GRANTED.

I. Background

Plaintiff initiated this action by filing its Original Petition against Defendant on November 25, 2008, in County Court at Law Number Two of Wichita County, Texas. See Original Petition (Doc. No. 1, Ex. 1); see also, Doc. 1, Ex. 2. In the Petition, Plaintiff, a Texas corporation, alleges that Defendant, a common carrier doing business in the state of Texas, delivered damaged commercial goods to Plaintiff. See Original Petition, pg. 2 (Doc. No. 1). More specifically, Plaintiff alleges that on September 19, 2008, Trans-Lux West Corp., located in Des Moines, Iowa, delivered to Defendant a digital message sign for transportation and delivery to Plaintiff in Electra, Texas, which arrived in damaged condition to Plaintiffs custody on September 23, 2008. Id,; see also, Bill of Lading (Doc. No. 1-2, Ex. A). Plaintiffs Original Petition asserts that the “damage rendered the sign unmarketable and voided the manufacturer’s warranty” and estimated the sign diminished in value by a sum of $50, 691.50. Id. Consequently, Plaintiff initiated this action seeking recovery of the lost value of the sign plus an additional $5,500 in attorney’s fees. Id.

Defendant timely removed this action to this Court on December 30, 2008, based on 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331, 1337, 1441, and 49 U.S.C. § 14706 et. seq. Doc. No. 1.

Defendant contends that the claim for attorney’s fees should be dismissed pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), for failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. Def. Mtn. at 4. Specifically, Defendant argues that “[a]ll of Plaintiffs claims arise directly from ... interstate transit” and, as such are governed by the Interstate *648 Commerce Act, 49 U.S.C. § 14706, et. seq. 1 Id. at 2.

II. Legal Standard

To defeat a motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, a plaintiff must plead “enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 1974, 167 L.Ed.2d 929(2007). While a complaint need not contain detailed factual allegations, it must set forth “more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do.” Id. at 1965 (citation omitted). The factual allegations of a complaint must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level, on the assumption that all the allegations in the complaint are true (even if doubtful in fact). Id.

In reviewing a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, the court must accept all well-pleaded facts in the complaint as true and view them in the light most favorable to the plaintiff. Sonnier v. State Farm Mutual Auto. Ins. Co., 509 F.3d 673, 675 (5th Cir.2007). In ruling on such a motion, the court cannot look beyond the pleadings. Spivey v. Robertson, 197 F.3d 772, 774 (5th Cir.1999). The pleadings include the complaint and any documents attached to it. Collins v. Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, 224 F.3d 496, 498-99 (5th Cir.2000). Likewise, documents that a defendant attaches to a motion to dismiss are considered part of the pleadings if they are referred to in the plaintiffs complaint and are central to the plaintiffs claims. Id. The court does not evaluate the plaintiffs likelihood of success; instead, it only determines whether the plaintiff has a legally cognizable claim. United States ex rel. Riley v. St. Luke’s Episcopal Hosp., 355 F.3d 370, 376 (5th Cir.2004).

III. Analysis

The present motion before the Court contends that Plaintiffs claims for alleged damages are to be determined under federal law and argues that the claim for attorney’s fees is preempted by the Car-mack Amendment. Def. Mtn. at 2-4.

The Carmack Amendment does not expressly provide for removal of state law claims. Hoskins v. Bekins Van Lines, 343 F.3d 769, 773 (5th Cir.2003). However, “a state claim may be removed to federal court in only two circumstances — when Congress expressly so provides ..., or when a federal statute wholly displaces the state-law cause of action through complete pre-emption.” Hoskins, 343 F.3d at 773, quoting Beneficial National Bank v. Anderson, 539 U.S. 1, 123 S.Ct. 2058, 156 L.Ed.2d 1 (2003). Thus, the Court’s determination of whether Defendant properly removed this case hinges upon whether the Carmack Amendment pre-empts Plaintiffs state law claim for a damaged sign arising from its interstate transportation by a common carrier. Id.

“Congress intended for the Car-mack Amendment to provide the exclusive cause of action for loss or damages to goods arising from the interstate transportation of those goods by a common carrier.” Id. at 778. The Carmack Amendment provides that a shipper may recover the “actual loss or injury to the property” caused by a carrier. 49 U.S.C. § 14706(a)(1). A “carrier,” or in the present case, a “motor carrier,” is someone who provides commercial motor vehicle transportation for compensation. 49 *649 U.S.C. § 13102(3).

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Related

Spivey v. Robertson
197 F.3d 772 (Fifth Circuit, 1999)
Collins v. Morgan Stanley Dean Witter
224 F.3d 496 (Fifth Circuit, 2000)
Hoskins v. Bekins Van Lines
343 F.3d 769 (Fifth Circuit, 2003)
Sonnier v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance
509 F.3d 673 (Fifth Circuit, 2007)
Beneficial National Bank v. Anderson
539 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 2003)
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly
550 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 2007)

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Bluebook (online)
616 F. Supp. 2d 646, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 47619, 2009 WL 1456423, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/patriot-signs-inc-v-saia-motor-freight-lines-llc-txnd-2009.