Zapata Gulf Marine Corp. v. Puerto Rico Maritime Shipping Authority

138 F.R.D. 492, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9483, 1991 WL 155954
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Louisiana
DecidedJuly 5, 1991
DocketCiv. A. No. 86-2911 "I"
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 138 F.R.D. 492 (Zapata Gulf Marine Corp. v. Puerto Rico Maritime Shipping Authority) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Zapata Gulf Marine Corp. v. Puerto Rico Maritime Shipping Authority, 138 F.R.D. 492, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9483, 1991 WL 155954 (E.D. La. 1991).

Opinion

MENTZ, District Judge.

ORDER AND REASONS

The Court addresses here the motion of the defendant, Trailer Marine Transport Corporation (TMT), for relief under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b) from two judgments entered in this matter. Specifically, TMT seeks to have the Court vacate the judgments of March 22, 1990 and November 9, 1990 and re-renter a final and appealable judgment disposing of all claims. After reviewing the record, the briefs submitted by the parties, and the law, the Court finds that the circumstances in this case do not warrant relief under Rule 60(b).

I.

In this case, the plaintiff, Zapata Gulf Marine Corporation (Zapata), alleged that the defendant, Trailer Marine Transport Corporation (TMT), violated various federal antitrust laws. The jury agreed and awarded Zapata $14 million in actual damages. Pursuant to section 4 of the Clayton Act, the Court trebled the plaintiff’s damages and entered a judgment on March 22, 1990 under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 54(b) for $41 million.1

Zapata and TMT timely filed post-judgment motions, including TMT’s motion for [494]*494judgment notwithstanding the verdict and/or for a new trial, and Zapata’s motion for prejudgment interest under § 4 of the Clayton Act. After the Court denied the jury and new trial, but while Zapata’s motion for prejudgment interest was pending, TMT filed its only notice of appeal, seeking review of the $41 million judgment of March 22, 1990 and the order denying jnov and new trial. Thereafter, the Court denied Zapata’s motion for prejudgment interest. Pursuant to a stipulation between the parties, the Court entered a separate judgment on November 9, 1990 denying Zapata’s motion for pre-judgment interest.

On February 25, 1991, the Fifth Circuit entered an opinion dismissing TMT’s appeal for lack of jurisdiction based on TMT’s failure to effectively appeal. The Fifth Circuit held that Zapata’s timely filed motion for prejudgment interest under § 4 of the Clayton Act constituted a motion to alter or amend the judgment under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 59(e), and therefore, under Appellate Rule of Procedure 4(a)(4)2, TMT’s only notice of appeal was nullified by the pendency of Zapata’s Rule 59(e) motion. See Zapata Gulf Marine Corp. v. Puerto Rico Maritime Shipping Authority, 925 F.2d 812 (5th Cir.1991), cert. denied, — U.S.-, 111 S.Ct. 2917, 115 L.Ed.2d 1080 (1991).

On March 6, 1991, TMT filed its Motion for Relief from Judgment under Rule 60(b). At that time, the Fifth Circuit had not issued the mandate from the dismissal of TMT’s appeal because TMT’s application for rehearing was pending. Thus, this Court did not have power to vacate the judgment, except with leave of the appellate court. See Lairsey v. Advance Abrasives Co., 542 F.2d 928, 930 (5th Cir.1976). On March 12, 1991, in accordance with the procedures outlined in Lairsey, this Court issued a Memorandum and Notice of Intention to grant TMT’s motion in the event that the Fifth Circuit granted leave to do so by remanding the case to the district court. On April 2, 1991, the Fifth Circuit denied TMT’s motion to remand the case to the district court and TMT’s motion for rehearing. After obtaining a stay of the mandate, TMT filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari in the United States Supreme Court. The Supreme Court denied the petition on June 28, 1991. Anticipating imminent issuance of the mandate, TMT filed on the afternoon of June 28, a Motion for Entry of Fed.R.Civ.P. 60(b) Relief reurging its prior motion. Both TMT and Zapata adopted their briefs filed in connection with TMT’s prior Rule 60(b) motion and TMT’s appellate motion to remand. On July 3, 1991, the Fifth Circuit issued its mandate on the dismissal of TMT’s appeal.

II.

As the dismissal of TMT’s appeal is now final, this Court may entertain TMT’s motion for relief under Rule 60(b) without leave of the appellate court. See Standard Oil Co. of California v. United States, 429 U.S. 17, 97 S.Ct. 31, 50 L.Ed.2d 21 (1976). Contrary to Zapata’s argument that TMT seeks to have the Court overrule the Fifth Circuit’s opinion that TMT’s appeal was ineffective, the matter under consideration is strictly limited to whether TMT is entitled to relief under Rule 60(b). Clearly, the law of the case is that TMT never filed an effective appeal.

Zapata argues, however, that if the district court entertains TMT’s Rule 60(b) motion, it will be in defiance of the Fifth Circuit’s order denying TMT’s motion to remand to the district court. Zapata argues that in denying TMT’s motion to remand, the Fifth Circuit considered and rejected the merits of Rule 60(b) relief. Although the Fifth Circuit gave no reasons for denying the remand, Zapata argues [495]*495that the Fifth Circuit’s rejection of the merits of Rule 60(b) relief is implicit in its refusal to strike Zapata’s opposition to TMT’s motion to remand in which Zapata presented substantive arguments for denying Rule 60(b) relief. After careful consideration, this Court does not appreciate the orders of the Fifth Circuit denying TMT’s motions to remand and to strike Zapata’s opposition as a prohibition against 60(b) relief or an implication that the issue was disposed of on appeal.

TMT’s motion to remand was styled: “Motion to Remand and Preserve Defendant-Appellant’s Right to Pursue all Appellate Remedies Or, In the Alternative, To Withhold Mandate Pending Exhaustion of Appellate Remedies.” That the Fifth Circuit chose the alternative route of exhausting appellate remedies instead of remanding is not a rejection of Rule 60(b) relief. The stated position of the Fifth Circuit is that where the disposition of a motion filed after a notice of appeal does not affect the merits of the judgment being appealed, “judicial economy and common sense are best served by proceeding with the appeal on the merits and allowing the movant in the district court to refile his motion on remand after appellate judgment.” Echols v. Parker, 909 F.2d 795, 802 (5th Cir.1990) (citing Beliz v. W.H. McLeod & Sons Packing Co., 765 F.2d 1317, 1326-27 (5th Cir.1985)). Here, the Rule 60(b) motion had no effect on the merits of the judgment TMT sought to appeal. Once the Fifth Circuit considered and denied TMT’s Petition for Rehearing and the Suggestion for Rehearing En Banc, a remand was unnecessary because jurisdiction would automatically vest in the district court upon issuance of the mandate dismissing the appeal.

Moreover, the Fifth Circuit had no jurisdiction to address the merits of Rule 60(b) relief because the district court had entered no decision, order, or judgment on TMT’s entitlement to 60(b) relief.3 See 28 U.S.C. § 1291 (West 1986) (“The Courts of Appeals ...

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Related

In Re Zapata Gulf Marine Corporation
941 F.2d 293 (Fifth Circuit, 1991)

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Bluebook (online)
138 F.R.D. 492, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9483, 1991 WL 155954, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/zapata-gulf-marine-corp-v-puerto-rico-maritime-shipping-authority-laed-1991.