Petro v. Jada Yacht Charters, Ltd.

854 F. Supp. 698, 1994 A.M.C. 1146, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7922, 1994 WL 255037
CourtDistrict Court, D. Hawaii
DecidedFebruary 8, 1994
DocketNo. 92-00213 DAE
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 854 F. Supp. 698 (Petro v. Jada Yacht Charters, Ltd.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Hawaii primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Petro v. Jada Yacht Charters, Ltd., 854 F. Supp. 698, 1994 A.M.C. 1146, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7922, 1994 WL 255037 (D. Haw. 1994).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANT PAUL STANCKER’S MOTION TO DISMISS SECOND AMENDED COMPLAINT, THIRD PARTY COMPLAINT AND CROSS CLAIMS

DAVID ALAN EZRA, District Judge.

The court heard defendant’s motion on February 7, 1994. Charles Crumpton, Esq., appeared on behalf of plaintiff Michael Petro; Dennis E.W. O’Connor, Jr., Esq., appeared on behalf of defendant Paul Stancker; John O’Kane, Jr., Esq., appeared on behalf of defendant/third party plaintiff Jada Yacht Charters; Jeffrey H.K. Sia, Esq., appeared on behalf of third party defendant Trans Hawaiian Services; E.J. Bain, Esq., appeared on behalf of third party defendant Mark Petro. After reviewing the motion and the supporting and opposing memoranda, the court GRANTS defendant Stancker’s Motion to Dismiss, as to him, the Second Amended Complaint, Third Party Complaint, and Cross Claims for lack of jurisdiction.

BACKGROUND

Plaintiffs Second Amended Complaint alleges that, after both the plaintiff and Mr. Stancker were passengers on a cruise run by Jada Yacht Charters, during which they both consumed large quantities of alcohol, Mr. Stancker assaulted the plaintiff. The alleged assault occurred in the parking lot, and plaintiffs head struck the asphalt. Complaint at ¶23. Both plaintiff and Mr. Stancker are citizens of Pennsylvania. Complaint at ¶ 2. Plaintiff pled jurisdiction based on admiralty, pursuant to Rule 9(h) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The Third Party Complaint and the Cross Claims are also grounded in this court’s admiralty jurisdiction. No other jurisdictional bases have been pled.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

A motion to dismiss will be granted where the plaintiff fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). A complaint should not be dismissed unless it appears to a certainty that plaintiff “would be entitled to no relief under any set of facts that could be proved.” Fidelity Fin. Corp. v. Federal Home Loan Bank, 792 F.2d 1432, 1435 (9th Cir.1986), cert. denied, 479 U.S. 1064, 107 S.Ct. 949, 93 L.Ed.2d 998 (1987); Stender v. Lucky Stores, Inc., 766 F.Supp. 830, 831 (N.D.Cal.1991). Ml allegations of material fact are taken as true and construed in the light most favorable to the plaintiff. Stender, 766 F.Supp. at 831.

Pursuant to a 12(b)(1) motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, the Court may receive among the forms of competent evidence affidavits to resolve any factual dispute. Biotics Research Corp. v. Heckler, 710 F.2d 1375, 1379 (9th Cir.1983). The consideration of such evidence does not convert a motion to dismiss into one for summary judgment. Id.

The court notes that, in his Reply Brief, defendant Stancker makes arguments regarding summary judgment standards. However, defendant has moved the court to dismiss the claims, and has not provided this court with any evidence beyond his argument to support his motion. Similarly, the plaintiff has responded to defendant’s motion as a motion to dismiss. Hence, there is no reason for the court to treat this as a motion for summary judgment, and the court will assume that all facts pled by the plaintiff are true in order to determine whether he has failed to state a claim.

DISCUSSION

Here, Defendant Stancker has moved to dismiss all of the allegations against him [700]*700based on lack of admiralty jurisdiction. A plaintiff invoking the court’s admiralty jurisdiction must satisfy two tests for identifying maritime torts: under the locality test, “the wrong and injury complained of must have been committed wholly upon the high seas or navigable waters, or, at least, the substance and consummation of the same must have taken place upon these waters....” The Plymouth, 8 Wall. 20, 35, 18 L.Ed. 125 (1866); Victory Carriers, Inc. v. Law, 404 U.S. 202, 92 S.Ct. 418, 30 L.Ed.2d 383 (1971). A plaintiff must also establish “a maritime nexus — some relationship between the tort and traditional maritime activities, involving navigation or commerce on navigable waters.” Executive Jet v. City of Cleveland, 409 U.S. 249, 256, 261, 93 S.Ct. 493, 498, 501, 34 L.Ed.2d 454 (1972); Guidry v. Durkin, 834 F.2d 1465 (9th Cir.1987) (admiralty suits must have maritime situs and maritime nexus). Thus, the incident at issue must bear a significant relationship to a “traditional maritime activity.” Executive Jet, 409 U.S. at 253-54, 93 S.Ct. at 497; Foremost Ins. Co. v. Richardson, 457 U.S. 668, 673, 102 S.Ct. 2654, 2657, 73 L.Ed.2d 300 (1982).

Three factors have been identified in the determination of “traditional maritime activities”: (1) traditional concepts of the role of admiralty law; (2) the function and role of the parties; (3) the types of vehicle and instrumentalities involved. Delta Country Ventures, Inc. v. Magana, 986 F.2d 1260 (9th Cir.1993); Complaint of Paradise Holdings, Inc., 795 F.2d 756 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, Stone v. Paradise Holdings, Inc., 479 U.S. 1008, 107 S.Ct. 649, 93 L.Ed.2d 705 (1986) (citing Solano v. Beilby, 761 F.2d 1369, 1371, (9th Cir.1985)). A fourth factor, causation of the injury, was invalidated in 1990 by the Supreme Court’s holding in Sisson v. Ruby, 497 U.S. 358, 110 S.Ct. 2892, 111 L.Ed.2d 292 (1990), which precludes the courts from “delving into the merits of the causation issue” in order to determine jurisdiction. Magana, 986 F.2d at 1262. Additionally, in Sisson, the Supreme Court emphasized that “protecting commercial shipping is at the heart of admiralty jurisdiction.” Sisson, 497 U.S. at 362, 110 S.Ct. at 2895. Hence, courts should also “assess the general features of the type of incident involved to determine whether such an incident is likely to disrupt commercial activity.” Id. at 363, 110 S.Ct. at 2896.

Assuming that the facts as pled in the complaint are true, the plaintiff and Mr. Stancker were guests aboard a pleasure cruise, during which both drank a lot of alcohol. When the boat docked, the two men disembarked, and began to argue on shore. Mr. Stancker, during the course of the argument on shore, assaulted the plaintiff.

It appears to the court that Mr. Stancker, during the incident which caused the plaintiffs injuries (i.e., the drunken brawl), was not engaged in any traditional maritime activities according to the Sisson

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

White Ex Rel. Estate of Bournakel v. Sabatino
526 F. Supp. 2d 1143 (D. Hawaii, 2007)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
854 F. Supp. 698, 1994 A.M.C. 1146, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7922, 1994 WL 255037, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/petro-v-jada-yacht-charters-ltd-hid-1994.