Union Pacific Railroad v. Higgins

223 F. Supp. 396, 1963 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6505, 1963 WL 110894
CourtDistrict Court, D. North Dakota
DecidedOctober 25, 1963
DocketCiv. No. 3973
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 223 F. Supp. 396 (Union Pacific Railroad v. Higgins) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. North Dakota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Union Pacific Railroad v. Higgins, 223 F. Supp. 396, 1963 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6505, 1963 WL 110894 (D.N.D. 1963).

Opinion

RONALD N. DAVIES, District Judge.

The above-entitled cause came on regularly for hearing upon the plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment and the defendants having been given the prescribed 10-day notice provided for by law, and the cause having been thereupon submitted to the court for consideration upon the brief of the plaintiff and the defendants having failed to file a brief in opposition thereto; and the court having duly considered the pleadings, the admissions of the defendants, the affidavits submitted by the plaintiff in support of its motion for summary [398]*398judgment, and the deposition of defendant George L. Higgins; and being fully advised in the premises, the court now finds the following:

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. That the Union Pacific Railroad Company and other carriers hereinafter referred to are common carriers by rail in interstate commerce and that the defendants, George L. Higgins and Roy L. Higgins, at all times referred to in the complaint, did business as Higgins Potato Co. and engaged in the buying, selling and shipping of potatoes.

2. That on or about the 17th day of September, 1959, the Great Northern Railway Company, a common carrier by rail in interstate commerce, under a uniform straight bill of lading, received for transportation by railroad to Minneapolis, Minnesota, subject to classifications and tariffs in effect on that date, at East Grand Forks, Minnesota, from Driscoll Brothers Potato Company, 400 one-hundred pound bags of potatoes, consigned to Higgins Potato Co. at Minneapolis, Minnesota, in car FGEX No. 38603.

3. That said bill of lading provided, among other things, that—

“The owner or consignee shall pay the freight and average, if any, and all other lawful charges. * * * The consignor shall be liable for the freight and all other lawful charges.”

4. That before said shipment of potatoes was delivered to the defendants at Minneapolis, Minnesota, by the Great Northern Railway Company, the defendants consigned and diverted said shipment to themselves at Coldspur, Kansas, for storage in transit at Natural Storage Company.

5. That the said car was transported from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Cold-spur, Kansas, via the rail lines of the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad Company to Albert Lea, Minnesota, thence via the Illinois Central Railroad Company to Omaha, Nebraska, and thence via the Union Pacific Railroad Company to Coldspur, Kansas, upon the order of the defendants.

6. That said shipment of potatoes was delivered to the Natural Storage Company for the defendants by the plaintiff, Union Pacific Railroad Company, on the 22nd day of September, 1959, and the Natural Storage Company, on behalf of the defendants, paid to the Union Pacific Railroad Company the inbound freight charges therefore in the amount of $315.21, and the potatoes were thereafter kept in storage by the defendants at Coldspur, Kansas, until February 1, 1960.

7. That on February 1, 1960, Union Pacific Railroad Company received from the defendants, through Natural Storage Company, for transportation by railroad to Decatur, Illinois, subject to the classifications and tariffs in effect on that date, at Coldspur, Kansas, the carload shipment of potatoes received by Natural Storage Company, Inc., for Higgins Potato Co. in Car FGEX No. 38603 on September 17, 1959.

8. That Natural Storage Company, Inc., on February 1, 1960, on behalf of Higgins Potato Co. as shipper, requested, pursuant and subject to the classifications and tariffs in effect on the date of the issuance of the outbound bill of lading, an advance of payment of the inbound freight charges in the amount of $315.21 and storage charges in the amount of $244.69 with instruction that all charges were to follow the car.

9. That said shipment was so received by Union Pacific Railroad Company for consignment and shipment to the Licek Potato Chip Company at Decatur, Illinois, in car PFE No. 44232 over the Union Pacific Railroad Company to Kansas City, Missouri, and thence via the Wabash Railroad Company to Decatur, Illinois.

10. That pursuant to Item 280, Part 1, Western Trunk Lines Freight Tariff 214-1, which provides as follows:

“PART 1 (See Note 7)
Upon request, carriers will advance to shippers of freight tendered [399]*399for shipment for collection from consignee, accrued charges thereon, as follows:
Cartage (intracity or intraterminal).
Storage. Freight i in accordance with Switching J tariffs filed with the Interstate Commerce Commission and State Commissions.
Freight charges of dray lines or motor carriers will not be advanced, except as provided above for intracity and intraterminal cartage. (See Notes 1 and 2.)
Charges as specified, desired to be advanced, must be entered on bills of lading and payment thereof guaranteed by shipper.
(1) No portion of inbound charges will be refunded and waybills as advances on shipments of grain and grain products given transit privileges, except will not apply when in conflict with published provisions in tariffs on file with State Commissions for advancing charges in connection with transit arrangements.
(2) No portion of inbound charges will be refunded or waybilled as advances on shipments of grain and grain products given transit privileges, except to the extent authorized in tariffs providing transit privileges on such commodities, on file with the Interstate Commerce Commission or State Commissions.
On shipments of Livestock originating at Canadian points and reforwarded from South St. Paul, Minn., carriers will, upon request, advance the duty and custom house brokerage charges on such shipments, for collection from consignee, provided that the charges to be advanced are entered on bills of lading and payment thereof guaranteed by the shipper.
Upon request, and satisfactory guarantee of payment at destination, carriers will advance for collection from consignee, charges advanced for feed purchased for carload shipments of Live Poultry while in transit.
Except as provided above, no charges will be advanced to shippers by the carriers parties to this tariff.
Note 7. — The provisions of this item will also apply at points within the territorial scope of this item in connection with all tariffs which provide that shipments moving thereunder are subject to terminal and/or other special services as published in tariffs lawfully on file with the Interstate Commerce Commission or State Commissions.”,

the Union Pacific Railroad Company advanced said charges to defendants through the Natural Storage Company, Inc., and the charges as specified, and so advanced, were entered on the outbound bill of lading.

11. That a copy of this bill of lading advising that the Natural Storage Company, Inc., acting as agent for Higgins Potato Co., had requested and was advanced said charges, pursuant to the said tariff provisions, which provide that these charges will be advanced only on the condition that they are guaranteed by the shipper, was immediately forwarded to the Higgins Potato Co.

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

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
223 F. Supp. 396, 1963 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6505, 1963 WL 110894, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/union-pacific-railroad-v-higgins-ndd-1963.