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CASES (2024)

Godoy v. Total Quality Logistics, LLC

Court of Appeals of Ohio, Twelfth Appellate District, Clermont County

December 18, 2023, Decided

CASE NO. CA2022-01-003

Reporter

2023-Ohio-4585 *; 2023 Ohio App. LEXIS 4419 **

DARIO GODOY, Appellant, – vs – TOTAL QUALITY LOGISTICS, LLC, Appellee.

Prior History:  [**1] APPEAL FROM CLERMONT COUNTY COURT OF COMMON PLEAS. Case No. 2019 CVH 00362.

Counsel: Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, and Daniel A. Leister and Kate L. Kennedy, for appellant.

Dinsmore & Shohl, and Matthew J. Wiles, for appellee.

Judges: HENDRICKSON, P.J. PIPER and BYRNE, JJ., concur.

Opinion by: HENDRICKSON

Opinion

HENDRICKSON, P.J.

 [*P1]  Plaintiff-appellant, Dario Godoy, appeals a decision of the Clermont County Court of Common Pleas granting summary judgment to defendant-appellee, Total Quality Logistics, LLC (“TQL”). For the reasons detailed below, we affirm the trial court’s decision.


I. Facts and Procedural History

 [*P2]  Godoy owns a trucking company (D.O.G. Transport) in California. In 2016, Godoy became a carrier for shipping broker TQL. Godoy executed TQL’s standard Broker-Carrier Agreement (the “Agreement”) in which he agreed to become one of TQL’s carriers and to transport cargo loads for its customers. The Agreement functioned as a master agreement, applying to all transactions between the parties while the Agreement was in effect.

 [*P3]  The Agreement imposes several duties on a carrier regarding cargo loads. The Agreement provides that the carrier is “fully responsible and liable” for the cargo from the moment the trailer is loaded [**2]  until the cargo is successfully delivered. A load that needs refrigeration—commonly called a “reefer” load—requires the carrier to ensure that the reefer unit on the trailer is set to a specified temperature and set to run on “continuous” mode, which maintains a more constant temperature in the trailer, as opposed to “cycle” mode, which results in a more varied temperature. The carrier may not assign responsibility or liability to anyone else. The carrier is obligated to indemnify TQL and its customer for any claims or liability arising out of or related in any way to the carrier’s negligence, willful misconduct, acts, omissions, or performance or failure to perform under the Agreement, including for claims or liability for cargo loss and damage. Further, if a loss or damage claim associated with a load is filed against TQL, TQL has the right to offset the claim with the amount owed to the carrier to cover the claim. If that amount is not sufficient to cover the claim, the Agreement gives TQL the right to further offset the claim with unpaid amounts owed to the carrier for other loads.

 [*P4]  The Agreement contains a forum-selection clause providing that any dispute arising out of the Agreement [**3]  must be brought in the Clermont County Court of Common Pleas. Another clause provides that the prevailing party in any lawsuit is entitled to all reasonable expenses, attorney fees, and costs.

 [*P5]  Certain transaction-specific terms were agreed to separately and were incorporated into the Agreement. These terms were specified in a “TQL Rate Confirmation” that was generated for each load. This was an agreement between TQL and the carrier to transport a particular load at a particular rate and contained information about the particular load.

 [*P6]  Godoy transported a number of loads for TQL without incident. In late 2017, he agreed to transport a reefer load of ice cream in the Los Angeles, California, area for TQL’s customer Halo Top Creamery. On November 10, 2017, Godoy was to pick up 2,025 cases of ice cream from a warehouse and deliver them to a Walmart store a couple of hours away. The TQL Rate Confirmation sheet for the load required the reefer temperature to be set at -20 degrees Fahrenheit on continuous mode. The rate for the load was $600.

 [*P7]  Godoy arrived at the warehouse on November 10 by 5:00 p.m. His reefer was set to -19 degrees and was set on cycle mode. When the ice cream was loaded [**4]  onto his trailer, it was frozen to -20 degrees. It took 30-60 minutes to load the ice cream. Godoy then drove to the Walmart store, arriving around 8:00 p.m. After arriving, he docked his trailer and was told to wait. Godoy left the load and waited inside.

 [*P8]  Two hours later, Walmart told Godoy that it was rejecting the entire load because the temperature was too high and some of the ice cream in his trailer was melted. Godoy notified TQL that the load had been rejected and was told to bring the ice cream back to the warehouse. There it was offloaded and put back in a freezer.

 [*P9]  Later analysis of the data generated by the reefer that day showed that it had been turned off at 5:56 p.m., before Godoy had arrived at Walmart. So there was no refrigeration occurring at all after that time. There is no explanation for why the reefer was turned off or who did it. Nor is there any evidence of a mechanical failure.

 [*P10]  In early January 2018, Halo Top Creamery sent a load of ice cream from the warehouse to a processing company for destruction. According to Halo, this load included the rejected ice cream. Halo filed a cargo-loss claim against TQL for $42,930, the value of the entire ice cream load. TQL [**5]  paid the claim by crediting Halo this amount against outstanding amounts that Halo owed TQL. On March 5, 2018, Halo executed a Release and Assignment Agreement assigning TQL all its rights to all claims relating to the transportation of the ice cream, including any claims that it had against Godoy.

 [*P11]  Around the same time, TQL helped file an insurance claim related to the loss with Godoy’s insurer. TQL told the insurance company the reason that Walmart had rejected the load, that the temperature was too high, and provided the insurer with the documentation that it requested. In May 2018, the insurer denied the claim on multiple grounds, including that Godoy had failed to cooperate with its investigation and had failed to submit sufficient documentation showing that the reefer unit malfunctioned, a condition for coverage.

 [*P12]  TQL sought indemnification for Halo’s cargo-loss claim from Godoy. TQL used its “Standard Form for Presentation of Loss and Damage Claim,” dated February 13, 2018, to claim $42,930 for the high temperature issue connected with the ice cream shipment. Included with the claim form were pictures of melting ice cream (the damages) and documents related to the load. TQL obtained [**6]  $1,900 of the claim amount from Godoy from the amount that it owed him for the ice cream load as well as for prior loads that he had transported and which TQL had not yet paid.

 [*P13]  In April 2018, Godoy filed suit against TQL in a California state court, asserting a lone claim for breach of contract and seeking payment for the ice cream load and for the prior loads for which he had not been paid. In January 2019, the California court, on TQL’s motion, dismissed the case based on the forum-selection clause in the Agreement. According to TQL, it incurred $11,888.60 in attorney fees and costs to get the California case dismissed.

 [*P14]  In March 2019, Godoy filed suit in Ohio against TQL. Godoy asserted a claim for breach of the Agreement based on TQL’s failure to pay him for the ice cream load and for prior loads. Godoy also asserted three other claims (trade libel, tortious interference, and deceptive trade practices) based on allegedly false statements that TQL had made to his insurer that Godoy claimed caused his insurance coverage to be canceled, rendering him unable to work for lack of insurance.

 [*P15]  In response, TQL asserted three counterclaims. TQL claimed that Godoy had breached the Agreement [**7]  by filing suit in California, by failing to obtain a signed delivery receipt, by failing to indemnify it for its customer’s cargo-loss claim, and by failing to run the reefer on the proper settings and failing to ensure that the unit remained on. As assignee of Halo’s rights and claims against Godoy, TQL also asserted a counterclaim under the Caramack Amendment, based on Godoy’s failure to deliver the ice cream in good condition, as well as a counterclaim that he had breached his bailment duties by failing to use due care to deliver the ice cream in good and marketable condition.

 [*P16]  In August 2021, TQL moved for summary judgment on all claims and counterclaims. In its motion, TQL requested that the trial court award it damages of $41,030 for the rejection of the ice cream and damages of $11,888.60 for the cost of dismissing the California suit. TQL also asked the trial court to set a date by which to submit an application for attorney fees and costs incurred in this case. For his part, Godoy argued that a triable issue of fact existed as to whether he was responsible for the rejection of the ice cream load. He contended that the high temperature must have been Walmart’s fault. Godoy also [**8]  contended that the ice cream, though melting, was not damaged but remained in good condition.

 [*P17]  On December 31, 2021, the trial court granted TQL’s motion and entered summary judgment for TQL on all claims and counterclaims. The court concluded that the only reasonable conclusion from the evidence was that the rejection of the load was Godoy’s fault. The trial court awarded TQL $41,030 in damages and reasonable attorney fees and costs of $11,888.60. The court said nothing in its decision about TQL’s application for attorney fees and costs.

 [*P18]  Godoy appealed.

 [*P19]  In May 2022, while the appeal was pending in this court, TQL moved to dismiss or remand the appeal on the ground that the trial court had mistakenly designated the $11,888.60 award as attorney fees. TQL argued that the amount was actually an award of damages for Godoy’s breach of the forum-selection clause. Godoy opposed the motion. Because the parties disagreed as to whether TQL’s request for attorney fees had been addressed by the trial court, we remanded the case to the trial court so that the issue could be resolved.

 [*P20]  On remand, TQL filed a fee application and supporting evidence requesting $132,072.26 in attorney fees and costs [**9]  associated with the Ohio case only. On February 2, 2023, the trial court entered a decision concluding that “the summary judgment decision errantly awarded TQL $11,888.60 for attorney fees.” The court then found attorney fees and costs of $66,165.76 was reasonable and awarded that amount to TQL.

 [*P21]  Godoy subsequently filed a motion to amend his notice of appeal to include this attorney-fee decision. But he did not file an amended or supplemental appellate brief challenging the $66,165.76 award.


II. Analysis

 [*P22]  Godoy assigns three errors to the trial court. The first challenges the entry of summary judgment on TQL’s counterclaims and the $41,030 damage award. The second challenges the $11,888 award. And the third assignment of error challenges the entry of summary judgment on Godoy’s breach-of-contract claim.

 [*P23]  An appellate court reviews a decision on a motion for summary judgment de novo, independently and without deference to the decision of the trial court. Flagstar Bank, FSB v. Sellers, 12th Dist. Butler No. CA2009-11-287, 2010-Ohio-3951, ¶ 7. Summary judgment is proper when there is no genuine issue of material fact remaining for trial, the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law, and reasonable minds can only come to a conclusion that is adverse to the nonmoving [**10]  party, construing the evidence most strongly in that party’s favor. See Civ.R. 56(C); Harless v. Willis Day Co., 54 Ohio St.2d 64, 375 N.E.2d 46 (1978).

 [*P24]  Before considering the assignments of error, we feel there is a need to clarify the issues in this appeal. Godoy does not challenge summary judgment on his claims of trade libel, tortious interference, and deceptive trade practices. The relevant claims in this appeal are the breach-of-contract claim and the counterclaims based on breach-of-contract, the Caramack Amendment, and bailment. In its summary-judgment decision, the trial court did not analyze the counterclaims individually. It gave only this summary conclusion that TQL presented sufficient evidence to support a judgment in its favor on all three:

Based upon the depositions and affidavits filed with the case, the court finds that TQL has presented sufficient evidence to support a judgment in its favor for breach of contract, for damages under the Caramack Amendment, and for damages for losses on the theory of bailment. However, the court finds that the damages sustained by TQL are the same as to all three areas of the counterclaim and shall be awarded only once.

 [*P25]  Godoy presents the key issue in this appeal as whether a triable issue of fact exists as [**11]  to his “responsibility” for the rejection of the ice cream load. He contends that whether the high temperature was his fault is a genuine issue of material fact for trial. He further contends that whether the ice cream was in good (or damaged) condition is a genuine issue of material fact for trial. TQL agrees that this is the key issue. TQL claims that if Godoy cannot raise a triable issue of fact as to his “responsibility” for the rejection of the ice cream, his breach-of-contract claim fails. The issue, asserts TQL, is also central to all parts of its counterclaims.

 [*P26]  We must address how the factual questions of responsibility for the rejection and condition of the ice cream relate to the larger breach-of-contract question. At first, it was not clear what relevance the question of Godoy’s fault has to the breach-of-contract claim and counterclaim. The Agreement does use the word “responsible” in several places, but neither party points to a relevant provision that says anything about a carrier’s fault with respect to lost or damaged cargo. The answer becomes clear when it is recognized that the word “responsible” has several different meanings. “Responsible” can mean having a job [**12]  or duty, that is, having the job or duty of doing something or taking care of something, so that one may be blamed if something goes wrong. Cambridge Dictionary, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/responsible (accessed Dec. 13, 2023). The word can also mean causing something, that is, being able to be blamed for something because one is the cause. Id. When Godoy uses the word “responsible,” he intends the second meaning. He is saying that he cannot be blamed—is not at fault—for the high temperature and melting ice cream because he was not the cause. But that is not how the Agreement uses the word. The Agreement uses “responsible” according to the word’s first meaning. The Agreement places on the carrier the duty to take care of the cargo such that the carrier may be blamed for any loss or damage—whether or not the carrier was the cause or was at fault.

 [*P27]  Accordingly, there are two key issues in the breach-of-contract claim and counterclaim. Both issues concern the interpretation of the Agreement. The first issue is whether Godoy had a contractual duty to ensure no loss or damage to the ice cream. The second issue is whether Godoy has a contractual duty to indemnify [**13]  TQL on its customer’s loss claim for the ice cream.


A. TQL’s breach-of-contract counterclaim

 [*P28]  The first assignment of error alleges:

 [*P29]  THE TRIAL COURT ERRED BY GRANTING APPELL[EE]’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON APPELLEE’S COUNTERCLAIM AND AWARDING $4[1],030.00 IN COMPENSATORY DAMAGES.

 [*P30]  Before considering the two legal issues that we have identified, we briefly consider the issue decided by the trial court—whether Godoy was at fault for the rejection of the ice cream load.


Godoy can be blamed for the high temperature and rejection

 [*P31]  The trial court concluded, based on the evidence, that the only explanation for why the ice cream load was rejected by Walmart was that the reefer was turned off before Godoy arrived at Walmart. The court concluded that Godoy failed to present evidence showing that there was a genuine issue of material fact regarding his fault for the rejection. The trial court was correct that the evidence requires the conclusion that Godoy was responsible for the condition of the ice cream. Viewing the evidence most strongly in favor of Godoy, reasonable minds can conclude only that Godoy was at fault for the temperature problem.

 [*P32]  The evidence shows that Godoy violated his duties [**14]  under the Agreement regarding temperature. It is undisputed that the ice cream temperature was -20 degrees Fahrenheit when Godoy picked it up from the warehouse. The Rate Confirmation sheet states that the reefer temperature must be -20 degrees and that the reefer should be set on a continuous-temperature setting. In his deposition Godoy admitted that he set the temperature of his reefer at -19 degrees Fahrenheit and that he set it on the cycle-temperature setting. He does not say why.

 [*P33]  The evidence also shows that the reefer was mysteriously turned off at 5:56 p.m., which was shortly after the ice cream had been loaded and well before Godoy arrived at Walmart. The reefer contained a data logger, a “black box” that automatically recorded certain information about the reefer, much like the black box of an airplane records information about a plane and a flight. Trevor McMullen, a representative of the reefer’s manufacturer, Thermo King, testified regarding the data logger and the data report generated for the load here. McMullen said that it’s a routine process to download data from a reefer. The report generated from the data lists a series of temperatures and an event code for a particular [**15]  date and time. The times are all stated in 24-hour time, and the temperatures are in Fahrenheit. The temperatures listed include the “Setpoint,” the temperature manually set by the driver; “Return,” the temperature of the trailer; and “Ambient,” the temperature of the outside air. The report shows when the reefer was turned on or off and what mode (e.g., cycle or continuous) it is running in. An entry is made whenever an event occurs or at timed intervals of about one hour.

 [*P34]  The report for Godoy’s reefer lists entries beginning at midnight on November 10, 2017, through midnight on November 12, 2017. Here are a few of the key entries:

Go to table1

McMullen confirmed that these entries show that Godoy’s reefer was turned on at 1:26 a.m. on November 11, 2017, and [**16]  that the temperature was manually set at -19 degrees. The temperature of the box was 71.7 degrees, almost matching the outside air temperature of 71.1 degrees. At 4:46 p.m., around the time Godoy arrived at the warehouse to pick up the ice cream, the reefer was still set at -19 degrees and the trailer temperature matched. The event codes show that the reefer was running in cycle mode. Then, at 5:56 p.m., the reefer was turned off. The report shows that it was off all the next day. Godoy denies turning off the reefer, and there is no evidence of a mechanical failure.

 [*P35]  Godoy says that he arrived at Walmart around 8:00 p.m. Two hours later, Walmart told Godoy that it was rejecting the load due to temperature problems. Godoy alleges that the temperature was high because the trailer was left open on the receiving dock. But there is no evidence to support this allegation.

 [*P36]  In sum, what the uncontradicted evidence shows is that Godoy was the cause of the temperature problem and condition of the ice cream. He violated the reefer settings specified in Agreement by setting the temperature higher (-19 degree instead of -20) and using the incorrect mode setting (cycle instead of continuous). Furthermore, [**17]  Godoy’s reefer turned off entirely before he arrived at Walmart. Considering the evidence in a light most favorable to Godoy, we hold that reasonable minds could conclude only that he was at fault for the high temperature.


Godoy was contractually responsible for the ice cream

 [*P37]  Regardless of whether Godoy was the cause of the high temperature, he was contractually responsible for any loss or damage to the ice cream. The Agreement placed full and sole responsibility for the cargo on him, as the carrier.

 [*P38]  In Section 8 of the Agreement, Godoy agreed to assume full responsibility and liability for the cargo that he was transporting from the time it was loaded into his trailer until the time he successfully delivered it:

8. CARGO LIABILITY AND CLAIMS. * * * CARRIER is fully responsible and liable for the freight once in possession of it, and the trailer(s) is loaded, even partially, regardless of whether a bill of lading has been issued, signed, or delivered to CARRIER. CARRIER’s responsibility and liability shall continue until proper and timely delivery of the shipment to the consignee and the consignee signs the bill of lading or delivery receipt evidencing successful delivery.

Also, in Section 22(d), [**18]  Godoy assumed responsibility for any damage or loss to the cargo that he was transporting:

22. GENERAL CARRIER DUTIES. CARRIER agrees as follows: (These duties are in addition to any other duties required in this Agreement or in Laws)

* * *

(d) CARRIER is responsible for any damage or loss to the product, shipment, or its packaging, and any and all shortages, from the time the shipment, or any portion thereof, first comes into CARRIER’s possession or control at pickup, until the shipment is no longer in CARRIER’s possession or control at delivery.

 [*P39]  In Section 23, Godoy agreed to assume specific duties related to temperature for refrigerated loads and assumed full responsibility if the products were damaged because of a variation in temperature:

23. CARRIER DUTIES FOR REFRIGERATED LOADS. In order to fulfill CUSTOMERS’ delivery and tracking requests, if CARRIER accepts BROKER’s tender of a refrigerated load, then CARRIER agrees as follows: (These duties are in addition to the General Carrier Duties listed above)

Prior to loading. CARRIER shall confirm that the reefer unit is working properly and pre-cool trailer to the temperature specified on BROKER’s rate confirmation. The temperature on [**19]  BROKER’s Rate Confirmation will be in Fahrenheit unless otherwise specified in writing. CARRIER must strictly adhere to the temperature listed on the Rate Confirmation and shall make sure the temperature pulped for the product at loading is reflected on the bill of lading.

* * *

(d) By signing the bill of lading, CARRIER is confirming that the correct product and correct product count were received at the proper temperature. CARRIER is solely responsible for cargo loss or damage incurred related to discrepancies in product information between the bill of lading, Rate Confirmation, and the actual product. * * *

(e) CARRIER shall continuously maintain the temperature noted on BROKER’s Rate Confirmation from pickup at shipper until delivery at receiver. CARRIER shall not, at any time, set reefer on start/stop, cycle, or any other non-continuous temperature setting unless otherwise notified in writing by BROKER. * * *

 [*P40]  The Agreement placed on Godoy the duty to take care of the cargo such that he could be blamed for any loss or damage, whether or not he was the cause or at fault. Godoy was entirely and solely responsible for the ice cream from the time it was loaded until it was successfully [**20]  delivered. As a matter of law, then, Godoy was contractually responsible for any loss or damage to the ice cream.


Godoy had a contractual duty to indemnify TQL

 [*P41]  Parties “have a fundamental right to contract freely with the expectation that the terms of the contract will be enforced.” Nottingdale Homeowners’ Asso. v. Darby, 33 Ohio St. 3d 32, 36, 514 N.E.2d 702 (1987). Indemnity “is the right of a person, who has been compelled to pay what another should have paid, to require complete reimbursement.” Worth v. Aetna Cas. & Sur. Co., 32 Ohio St.3d 238, 240, 513 N.E.2d 253 (1987). The Ohio Supreme Court has explained:

Express indemnity * * * is based on a written agreement or contract in which one party (the indemnitor) promises to indemnify another party (the indemnitee) for payments it makes under circumstances set forth in the agreement or contract. See Worth at 240. And the nature of the indemnity relationship is determined by the intent of the parties, as expressed by the language used in the agreement or contract. Id. When the indemnitor expressly agrees to indemnify an indemnitee, the indemnitor is obligated to do so under the terms of the agreement or contract. Allen v. Std. Oil Co., 2 Ohio St.3d 122, 2 Ohio B. 671, 443 N.E.2d 497 (1982), paragraph one of the syllabus. Therefore, when parties have entered into an agreement or contract that includes an indemnification clause, unless that clause is ambiguous or otherwise unlawful, [**21]  it will be applied as written because the agreement or contract governs the rights of the parties.

Wildcat Drilling, L.L.C. v. Discovery Oil & Gas, L.L.C., Slip Opinion No. 2023-Ohio-3398, ¶ 17.

 [*P42]  Under the Agreement, Godoy agreed to indemnify TQL for any claim for loss or damage to the ice cream. The indemnification provision in Section 10 of the Agreement provides:

10. INDEMNIFICATION. CARRIER agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold BROKER * * * harmless from and against any and all claims or liability * * * arising out of or in any way related to CARRIER’s negligence, willful misconduct, acts, omissions, or performance or failure to perform under this Agreement, including, without limitation, claims or liability for cargo loss and damage * * *.

We previously considered this indemnification provision in a case very similar to the present one, Total Quality Logistics L.L.C. v. JK & R Express L.L.C., 12th Dist. Clermont No. CA2022-02-005, 2022-Ohio-3969, 201 N.E.3d 1. And we concluded this provision unconditionally requires a carrier to indemnify TQL, even for voluntary payment of a customer’s loss claim. It is worth examining this case in some depth.

 [*P43]  The basic facts of JK & R Express are fairly straightforward. TQL’s customer contracted with TQL to transport a load of apples. TQL arranged for a carrier to provide the transportation service. The apples were destroyed when the trailer caught fire enroute to delivery. [**22]  TQL’s customer submitted a loss claim to TQL for the value of the load of apples, and TQL paid the claim by offsetting the amount from the customer’s unpaid invoices. The customer signed a release and assignment agreement, releasing TQL from liability and assigning to TQL all claims and causes of action that it had against the trucking company. The evidence showed that the payment of the loss claim was voluntary, a business decision that TQL made to maintain its business relationship with the customer. TQL notified the trucking company of the claim and requested payment, submitting its Standard Form for Presentation of Loss and Damage Claim. The trucking company refused to pay.

 [*P44]  TQL sued the trucking company for breach of contract for failure to indemnify or, alternatively, unjust enrichment and promissory estoppel. TQL offset the amount that it had paid its customer with the amount that it owed the trucking company on unpaid invoices and sought that amount as damages for the breach. Both parties moved for summary judgment. The trucking company argued that it was not obligated to indemnify TQL because TQL had not been compelled by contract or court judgment to pay its customer’s loss [**23]  claim. Because TQL had no obligation to pay for the loss, said the trucking company, TQL had voluntarily settled the claim merely as a business consideration and therefore failed to satisfy a common-law indemnification requirement.1 The trial court granted summary judgment for the trucking company on the breach-of-contract claim, and TQL appealed.

 [*P45]  The primary issue on appeal was whether, under the Broker-Carrier Agreement in JK & R Express, the parties intended to require the trucking company to indemnify TQL for a voluntary settlement of a customer’s loss claim. We first concluded that the law did not require TQL to pay its customer for the cargo loss. We stated that cargo damage claims against an interstate motor carrier are determined under the Caramack Amendment, which places the risk of cargo loss solely on the carrier, but that Amendment did not specifically govern shipping brokers like TQL. We also found no evidence that TQL’s contract with its customer obligated it to pay for the loss.

 [*P46]  The indemnification provision in Section 10 of the JK & R Express Agreement in the case pertinently provided:

CARRIER agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold BROKER * * * harmless from and against any and all claims or [**24]  liability * * * arising out of or in any way related to CARRIER’s negligence, willful misconduct, acts, omissions, or performance or failure to perform under this Agreement, including, without limitation, claims or liability for cargo loss and damage * * *

This provision, we said, explicitly provided that the trucking company was obligated to indemnify TQL for any and all claims or liability for cargo loss. The evidence showed that TQL’s customer asserted a claim for cargo loss. Therefore, we concluded, TQL was subject to a “claim” for cargo loss that arose out of the trucking company’s failure to perform under the Agreement, i.e., its failure to deliver the apples.

 [*P47]  We concluded that it was irrelevant that TQL paid the loss claim voluntarily. Section 8 of the Agreement placed the risk of cargo loss solely on the trucking company as the:

* * * CARRIER is fully responsible and liable for the freight once in possession of it, and the trailer(s) is loaded, even partially, regardless of whether a bill of lading has been issued, signed, and/or delivered to CARRIER. CARRIER’s responsibility/ liability shall continue until proper and timely delivery of the shipment to the consignee and the consignee [**25]  signs the bill of lading or delivery receipt evidencing successful delivery. * * *

We also looked at Sections 8(d) and (e), which provided:

8(d). Except as provided in this Agreement, all liability standards, time limitations, and burdens of proof regardless of whether CARRIER has common or contract Operating Authority shall be governed by common law applicable to common carriers and by the Caramack Amendment codified in 49 U.S.C. § 14706. CARRIER agrees to accept notice of a claim in the form issued by BROKER, including electronic or facsimile transmission.

8(e). Notwithstanding the terms of 49 C.F.R. § 370.9, CARRIER shall acknowledge a claim within 30 days of receipt, and pay, decline, or make a settlement offer in writing on all cargo loss or damage claims within 60 days from the receipt of the claim. Failure of CARRIER to pay, decline, or offer settlement within this 60-day period shall be deemed an admission by CARRIER of full liability for the amount claimed and a breach of this Agreement. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Agreement, BROKER reserves the right to offset any claim(s) with CARRIER’S pending invoices.

We concluded that these sections made the trucking company exclusively liable for any cargo loss or damage. [**26]  We specifically noted that Section 8(e) allowed TQL to offset cargoloss claims with a carrier’s unpaid invoices. We noted this showed that the parties intended to require the trucking company to indemnify TQL for any loss claim asserted by a customer.

 [*P48]  We declined to read into the Agreement a condition that a carrier’s duty to indemnify TQL for a cargo-loss claim did not arise if TQL paid the claim voluntarily. The duty to indemnify for cargo-loss claims in Section 10, we said, must be read in the context of the entire Agreement.2 We stated that the Agreement, considered as a whole, was designed to make TQL the single point of contact for its customers and carriers and to prevent interaction and communication between customers and carriers. The Agreement was also intended to make TQL solely responsible for the transportation of its customer’s cargo, which included the resolution of cargo claims without involving either the shipper or the customer.

 [*P49]  In sum, we concluded that Section 10 plainly and unconditionally entitled TQL to indemnification from a carrier for “any and all claims.” This broad phrase was not limited or modified nor was there any language excluding voluntary payments or settlements. Therefore [**27]  we concluded that TQL’s voluntary payment to its customer qualified as a “claim” that the trucking company was obligated to indemnify.

 [*P50]  The pertinent language related to the indemnification duty in Sections 8 and 10 of the Agreement in JK & R Express is identical with the language in those same sections of the Agreement in the present case. Moreover, the factual situation in JK & R Express is very similar also. Like here, TQL’s customer submitted a cargo-loss claim to TQL for the value of a load, and TQL paid the claim. Like in JK & R Express, TQL was not compelled to pay its customer’s loss claim. TQL sought indemnification from the carrier for the amount that it had paid (after offset), and the carrier refused to pay.

 [*P51]  Based on our reasoning and conclusions in JK & R Express, we conclude that Godoy is obligated to indemnify TQL for its customer’s loss claim. Under the Agreement, Godoy was entirely and solely responsible for the ice cream until he successfully delivered it to Walmart. He did not deliver the ice cream successfully. Walmart rejected the entire load because the temperature was high. It is irrelevant who was at fault for the high temperature. TQL’s customer asserted a loss claim against TQL for the value of the entire load, [**28]  which TQL paid.

 [*P52]  Godoy cites evidence that some of the ice cream that Walmart rejected was refrozen and later resold. There is evidence in the record that after Walmart rejected the load Godoy brought the ice cream back to the warehouse where it was put back in the freezer. Halo, TQL’s customer, had the ice cream put on “hold” while samples were tested at a lab. A few weeks later, Halo received word from the lab that a third of the refrozen ice cream was clear. This ice cream was released back into inventory and subsequently sold to other retail stores. The rest of the refrozen ice cream was destroyed. This evidence suggests that Halo recovered some of the value of the Walmart load.

 [*P53]  Yet the loss claim that Halo submitted to TQL—and TQL paid—was for the entire value of the Walmart load. The evidence does not give a clear answer for this apparent discrepancy. TQL’s designated representative, Marc Bostwick, hints at reasons in his deposition. Bostwick said that he did not know that some of the ice cream had been resold. According to Bostwick, TQL paid the loss claim likely because Halo had told TQL that it was not going to pay $42,930 in outstanding invoices that it owed. This suggests [**29]  that TQL, like it did in JK & R Express, paid Halo’s loss claim because it wanted to keep Halo as a customer. No doubt TQL was also thinking about its reputation as a shipping broker. It also stands to reason that TQL might have expected that it would be able to recover the amount from Godoy’s insurer. The evidence suggests, then, that TQL simply saw paying the entire loss claim as a cost of doing business.

 [*P54]  Regardless, as we concluded in JK & R Express, TQL’s reasons for paying a customer’s loss claim are irrelevant to the indemnification duty under the Agreement. In Section 10 of the Agreement, Godoy agreed that he would indemnify TQL from any claim for loss. Godoy’s indemnification duty is not limited to actual loss or loss involving damaged goods. TQL’s customer presented TQL with a claim for loss that was related to Godoy’s performance under the Agreement. Godoy is obligated to indemnify TQL for that claim. When he refused to indemnify TQL, Godoy was in breach of the Agreement. As a matter of law, Godoy has a duty to indemnify TQL for the entire claim.


TQL properly offset the amount that it owed Godoy

 [*P55]  TQL properly offset the amount that Godoy owed it with the amount that it owed Godoy. Section 4(g) of the [**30]  Agreement allows TQL to offset cargo loss claims with Godoy’s open invoices with TQL:

4. COMPENSATION. * * * Additionally:

* * *

(g) Notwithstanding any other provision in this Agreement to the contrary, BROKER may offset against CARRIER’s pending invoices for any amounts due to BROKER, including, without limitation, those arising from or related to cargo claims, CARRIER’S breach of this Agreement, or CARRIER’s indemnity obligations to BROKER or CUSTOMERS.

 [*P56]  The only major difference between the pertinent Agreement provisions in JK & R Express and those here is the offset provision. In JK & R Express, that provision was found in the last sentence of Section 8(e); here, it is in Section 4(g). Also, the provision has been expanded in the current version of the Agreement and broadens TQL’s right to offset. Here, TQL essentially did the same thing with respect to the offset that it did in JK & R Express, where we found that TQL had the right to offset the claim against invoices it owed to the carrier.

 [*P57]  The evidence here shows that Godoy had pending invoices that totaled $1,900. Offsetting the amount that TQL paid for the loss claim ($42,930) with the pending invoices leaves a net balance due TQL of $41,030, which is the amount that the trial court [**31]  awarded TQL. We see no error. As a matter of law, TQL’s offset was proper under the Agreement.

 [*P58]  Godoy was obligated to indemnify TQL for the claim against it. The evidence shows that TQL fulfilled its contractual obligations, Godoy failed to fulfill his contractual obligations, and TQL incurred net damages of $41,030 as a result. There is no issue of fact for trial, and TQL is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Because TQL is entitled to full relief based on its breach-of-contract counterclaim, we need not address its other two counterclaims under the Caramack Amendment and breach of bailment.

 [*P59]  The first assignment of error is overruled.


B. Godoy’s breach-of-contract claim

 [*P60]  Next, we will address the third assignment of error out of order, where Godoy alleges:

 [*P61]  THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN GRANTING SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN APPELLEE’S FAVOR ON APPELLANT’S BREACH OF CONTRACT CLAIM.

 [*P62]  Godoy argues that TQL breached the Agreement in several ways by: (1) terminating the Agreement and refusing to tender freight for transportation; (2) refusing to pay Godoy for the Walmart load; (3) refusing to pay Godoy for prior transported loads; (4) refusing to hire Godoy to provide transportation services; and [**32]  (5) failing to pay Godoy’s invoices, fees, and costs.

 [*P63]  With regard to his second breach-of-contract claim above, TQL’s duty to pay Godoy for the Walmart load never arose. As we have concluded, Godoy violated the Agreement in a way that caused TQL damage. In addition, he failed to satisfy an express condition to payment. Section 4(b) of the Agreement states:

4. COMPENSATION. CARRIER agrees to perform the Services for BROKER, under CARRIER’s Operating Authority exclusively, at a rate mutually agreed upon in writing in a TQL Rate Confirmation (“Rate Confirmation”), which shall be incorporated into this Agreement, or by Electronic Communications (defined in Section 20). Additionally:

* * *

(b) As a condition to payment, CARRIER shall submit complete and legible invoices, clean bills of lading, and signed loading or delivery receipts for all Services.

Godoy did not submit signed loading or delivery receipts for the Walmart load.

 [*P64]  As for the other alleged breaches, as we discussed above, TQL properly offset the amount that it was entitled to under the indemnification provision with amounts that it owed Godoy for prior transportation services. Finally, Godoy fails to convince us that the Agreement [**33]  obligated TQL to hire him to perform transportation services.

 [*P65]  There is no issue of fact for trial on Godoy’s breach-of-contract claim, and TQL is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Therefore, the trial court properly entered summary judgment for TQL on this claim.

 [*P66]  The third assignment of error is overruled.


C. Attorney fees

 [*P67]  Turning now to the second assignment of error, Godoy alleges:

 [*P68]  THE TRIAL COURT ERRED BY GRANTING SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN APPELLEE’S FAVOR AND AWARDING $11,888 IN ATTORNEY’S FEES.

 [*P69]  Godoy argues, on page 15 of his brief, that “the trial court erred when it awarded TQL attorneys’ fees without first identifying the lodestar or requiring TQL to submit an affidavit attesting to the reasonableness of the alleged award.” TQL disagrees, claiming that the initial award of $11,888.60 was actually for damages pursuant to its separate breach-of-contract claim against Godoy for filing suit in California in violation of the Agreement’s forum-selection clause, which clearly required any dispute between the parties to be brought in Ohio. The amount of the award, says TQL, reflected the attorney fees and costs that TQL incurred to obtain a dismissal of the California lawsuit. In the [**34]  alternative, TQL argues that even if the award was not for damages but for attorney fees, it submitted an affidavit setting forth the amount it sought to recover and there was ample evidence in the record setting forth the legal work performed in defending the California lawsuit.

 [*P70]  While this appeal was pending, TQL moved to dismiss the appeal because the issue of attorney fees was still outstanding with respect to the fees it incurred in the Clermont County, Ohio, litigation. Alternatively, TQL requested that we remand the case for the trial court to address the pending issue of attorney fees. Godoy opposed dismissal or remand of the case and countered that the trial court already had addressed TQL’s request for attorney fees by awarding it $11,888.60. Since there was confusion as to the classification of that award and whether the motion for attorney fees was still pending before the trial court, we remanded the matter. In our remand entry, we stated:

It is evident that there is a disagreement between the parties with respect to whether TQL’s motion for attorney fees has been addressed by the trial court. If the motion for attorney fees had not been addressed, which is TQL’s argument [**35]  here, App.R. 4(B) requires that this appeal be remanded so that this issue can be resolved by the trial court. Judicial economy will be best served if this case is remanded. If the designation of the $11,888.60 attorney fees was an error, the error must be corrected and TQL’s request for attorney fees addressed. If the $11,888.60 was in fact an award of attorney fees due to TQL, that should be made clear so this appeal can proceed to conclusion.

 [*P71]  On remand,3 TQL filed affidavits in support of its motion for attorney fees. The trial court held a hearing at which counsel for the parties argued their positions on the record. After the hearing, the trial court took the matter under advisement, and on February 2, 2023, the court rendered its “Decision/Entry.” The trial court acknowledged that it was “tasked with determining whether it made an error in awarding attorney fees in its summary judgment decision, and if so, determining the correct attorney fees award.” After reviewing the record, the court noted that at the time summary judgment was granted to TQL, the court had not yet received a fee application from TQL nor held an evidentiary hearing on this issue. The court then considered the submitted [**36]  evidence and determined that TQL was entitled to $66,165.76 for attorney fees. The trial court did not award TQL a separate amount of $11,888.60 for damages, as TQL implied.

 [*P72]  It is clear that, on remand, the trial court deemed the $11,888.60 award as an award for attorney fees only. The court stated in its decision that “[i]t appears to the court that the summary judgment decision errantly awarded TQL $11,888.60 for attorney fees.” In sum, then, on remand, the trial court found that the $11,888.60 award was in error and awarded attorney fees in the amount of $66,165.76. Therefore, this results in Godoy’s second assignment of error being moot, and it need not be considered.


III. Conclusion

 [*P73]  The judgment granting TQL summary judgment is affirmed.

PIPER and BYRNE, JJ., concur.

Table1 (Return to related document text)

TimeSetpointReturnAmbientEvent Codes
     
11/10/2017    
01:26 [a.m.]-19.071.771.1Unit Turned On
***************
07:16 [a.m.]-19.0-28.765.5Null, Diesel, Cycle Sentry
***************
16:46 [4:46 p.m.]-19.0-19.062.3Null, Diesel, Cycle Sentry
16:54 [4:54 p.m.]-19.0-13.166.1Running, Diesel, Cycle Sentry
17:14 [5:14 p.m.]-19.0-19.061.3Null, Diesel, Cycle Sentry
17:21 [5:21 p.m.]-19.0-13.164.0Running, Diesel, Cycle Sentry
17:56 [5:56 p.m.]-19.031.070.5Unit Turned Off


End of Document


The common law imposes requirements for determining whether an indemnitee may recover against an indemnitor when the indemnitee has settled a claim without the indemnitor’s involvement. See Globe Indem. Co. v. Schmitt, 142 Ohio St. 595, 53 N.E.2d 790 (1944).

We pointed out that the Agreement also provided: (1) the carrier is fully responsible and liable for the cargo once in possession of it and until it is properly and timely delivered; (2) the carrier looks only to TQL for payment and agrees to neither contact nor seek payment from TQL’s customers; (3) the contact between the carrier and shipper is limited to “the minimum level of contact necessary to perform the services”; (4) in the event a claim arises, the carrier agrees to accept notice of the claim from TQL, as opposed to a shipper or customer, and agrees TQL has the right to offset any claim with the trucking company’s open invoices with TQL without any exception; (5) the carrier agrees to indemnify TQL and its customers for any and all claims for cargo loss and damage arising out of or relating to the carrier’s performance or failure to perform; and (6) the only limitation on indemnification is when a claim or liability arises directly and solely from the negligence or willful misconduct of TQL or another party, not the carrier.

Judge McBride presided over the case up to the point of the summary-judgment decision in question. At some point after entering that decision, Judge McBride retired from the bench. Judge Miles replaced Judge McBride and presided over the remand proceedings and decided the attorney-fee matter in this case.

Jeanty v. Antillean Marine Shipping, Corp.

United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida

December 7, 2023, Decided; December 8, 2023, Entered on Docket

CASE NO. 22-cv-23721-ALTMAN/Reid

Reporter

2023 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 218594 *; 2023 WL 8518957

JOHN JEROME JEANTY, Plaintiff, v. ANTILLEAN MARINE SHIPPING, CORP., Defendant.

Counsel:  [*1] For John Jerome Jeanty, an individual, Plaintiff: David Kasahn McGill, LEAD ATTORNEY, The McGill Law Firm, LLC, Coral Gables, FL.

For Antillean Marine Shipping, Corp., a Florida Corporation, Defendant: Ashley Sabrina Rodriguez de Conte, LEAD ATTORNEY, McAlpin Tanner Marcotte, P.A., Miami, FL; Richard James McAlpin, LEAD ATTORNEY, McAlpin & Conroy PA, Miami, FL; Tyler Jon Tanner, McAlpin Tanner Marcotte, PA, Miami, FL.

For Antillean Marine Shipping, Corp., a Florida Corporation, Counter Claimant: Ashley Sabrina Rodriguez de Conte, LEAD ATTORNEY, McAlpin Tanner Marcotte, P.A., Miami, FL; Richard James McAlpin, LEAD ATTORNEY, McAlpin & Conroy PA, Miami, FL; Tyler Jon Tanner, McAlpin Tanner Marcotte, PA, Miami, FL.

For John Jerome Jeanty, an individual, Counter Defendant: David Kasahn McGill, LEAD ATTORNEY, The McGill Law Firm, LLC, Coral Gables, FL.

Judges: ROY K. ALTMAN, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE.

Opinion by: ROY K. ALTMAN

Opinion


ORDER

Our Plaintiff, John Jerome Jeanty, has filed a Motion to Remand [ECF No. 42]—which, after careful review, we now DENY.1


The Facts

In February 2018, Jeanty hired the Defendant, Antillean Marine Shipping Corp., to ship his 2002 Mack Truck from Florida to Haiti for $7,250.2 See Amended [*2]  State Court Complaint [ECF No. 1-2] ¶ 7. This wasn’t the first time the two had done business together. See Nancy Perez3 Depo. at 21:25-22:6 [ECF No. 42-2] (Q: “[Y]ou’ve worked with Mr. Jeanty in the past, correct?” A: “He had done previous shipments, yes.” Q: “Okay. About how many, do you know?” A: “No….It’s a lot.”). After the vehicle was delivered to Antillean, Jeanty “noticed issues with [its] transportation” to Haiti and inquired about the truck’s status. Id. ¶¶ 8-9. These inquiries went nowhere because the truck never made it to Haiti (for reasons we’ll discuss shortly). Id. ¶ 9. On November 9, 2020, Jeanty sued Antillean (and Nancy Perez) in Florida’s Eleventh Judicial Circuit. See generally Original State Court Complaint [ECF No. 1-4]. He would eventually amend that Complaint on October 22, 2022, alleging six causes of action4 and seeking a total of $184,000 in damages.5 See generally Amended State Court Complaint.6

On November 11, 2022, the Defendants timely removed the case here. See Notice of Removal [ECF No. 1]. In doing so, they asked us to exercise our federal-question jurisdiction because (they said) the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act (“COGSA”), 46 U.S.C. § 30701 et. seq., “governs all transportation [*3]  of goods by sea between the United States and foreign ports from the time they are loaded on or the time they are discharged from the ship.” Id. ¶ 3. According to the Defendants, “[t]he truck was to be transported pursuant to ocean carrier Antillean’s regular form bill of lading, which incorporates the terms and conditions of COGSA through its Clause Paramount, making COGSA applicable to the entire time the cargo is in the custody of the carrier, including the period of time prior to the loading of the cargo on board the vessel and after discharge of the vessel.” Id. ¶ 4.

Jeanty didn’t challenge removal because he was under the impression that the truck disappeared at some point during transit to Haiti. See Motion to Remand [ECF No. 42] ¶ 1 (“Before litigation commenced and throughout this lawsuit, Defendants have claimed that the truck was shipped with Plaintiff’s additional items to Haiti, and they did not know the whereabouts.” (cleaned up)). Under such a scenario, Jeanty apparently agreed with the Defendants that COGSA applied. See id. ¶ 3 (acknowledging that COGSA “governs all transportation of goods by sea between the United States and foreign ports from the time they are loaded [*4]  on or after the time they are discharged from the ship.”).

Shortly after removing the case to federal court, the Defendants filed a Motion to Dismiss Counts II-VI of the Amended Complaint. See Motion to Dismiss [ECF No. 3]. We granted that motion by default because Jeanty failed to respond. See January 18, 2023, Paperless Order [ECF No. 10]. That left us, then, “with a single breach-of-contract claim worth (according to the Plaintiff) $42,500.” Ibid. We thus ordered the Defendants to “show cause why we shouldn’t remand this case.” Ibid. The Defendants responded to our order by making the same argument they had made in their Notice of Removal. See generally Response to Order to Show Cause [ECF No. 11]. Specifically, the Defendants asserted that COGSA both “governs all transportation of goods by sea between the United States and foreign ports” and “allows the parties to extend its application by contract.” Id. ¶¶ 4-5. Because (the Defendants added) “[t]he truck was to be transported pursuant to ocean carrier Antillean’s standard form bill of lading [which] incorporates the terms and conditions of COGSA through its Clause Paramount, . . . COGSA [was] applicable to the entire time the cargo [*5]  [was] in the custody of Antillean Marine.” Id. ¶ 6. And, since “COGSA completely preempts the field,” they concluded, Jeanty’s “‘artfully plead’ state law breach of contract cause of action is in reality a claim arising under COGSA, and thus removable.” Id. ¶ 7.

On March 2, 2023, the Defendants responded to the Amended Complaint, denying all of Jeanty’s allegations as to the only remaining cause of action (breach of contract). See generally Answer and Affirmative Defenses to Amended Complaint [ECF No. 18]. They also asserted five affirmative defenses, the first of which stated that “all claims presented by the Plaintiff[ ] are subject to the terms, conditions, and limitations contained in the ANTILLEAN MARINE’s regular form Bill of Lading and Tariff that was in use on February 14, 2018.” Id. at 3.7

The trajectory of the case abruptly changed in July 2023, however, when Jeanty “was informed by the Defendants . . . that they never transported the truck” but, rather, “sold [it] for profit.” Motion for Remand ¶ 5. According to Jeanty, “this was the first time [he] received any explanation as to what happened to his truck.” Ibid. “Immediately thereafter,” Jeanty says, he “requested better [*6]  answers to his previous discovery requests and depositions of the individuals who failed to ship and decided to sell the property[.]” Id. ¶ 10.

On August 30, 2023, Jeanty deposed Perez. According to Perez, somebody delivered the truck to Antillean’s Florida terminal on Jeanty’s behalf on February 14, 2018. See Perez Depo. at 23:7-9 (Q: “When did he first bring the truck to you?” A: “February 14 of 2018.”). Normally, Perez testified, “when [a] vehicle arrives at the terminal, the customer usually comes in with the title, they fill out the paperwork . . . for us to be able to do the U.S. customs validation. They give us the shipping instructions and make payment. Customs validation takes about . . . 72 hours. Once the validation is done, then we prepare the shipment for the next available sailing.” Id. at 10:5-12. But that didn’t happen with this truck because Antillean “did not have documents. We did not have a title for the truck.” Id. at 23:5-6. So, rather than process this truck for shipment, Antillean let the truck sit on its Florida lot “for over a year” before it was ultimately “disposed of.” Id. at 7:4-8; see also id. at 12:23-13:2 (“[A]nything that’s [at the terminal] past six [*7]  months is considered abandoned,” and Antillean “has the right to dispose of [it].”). Shortly after the truck was disposed of, Jeanty finally supplied the paperwork—and perhaps the payment—required to ship it (along with his other cargo). See id. at 25:18-26:1 (Q: “Mr. Jeanty did make a payment to you, correct?” A: “I believe a year later.” Q: “So after he made the payment you were ready to ship the cargo, correct?” A: “After he makes the payment and provides paperwork, uh-huh.”). Perez then processed Jeanty’s cargo for sailing, at which point she learned that the truck had been disposed of. See id. at 27:24-28:3 (Q: “So you was notified the Monday after the cargo was shipped that the truck had been disposed of?” A: “Yes.”). Sometime after that, Perez claims that she notified Jeanty about what had happened to the truck.8

Jeanty next deposed Antillean’s executive vice president (and corporate representative), Yeline Valdes, whose testimony corroborated Perez’s. Valdes said that Jeanty’s Mack Truck “was sold for scrap” to a man named Ramon Rodriguez. Valdes Depo. [ECF No. 42-1] at 7:18, 9:3. According to Valdes, if cargo remains on Antillean’s premises “past six months, as [*8]  our terms describe, it’s considered abandoned cargo. No payment was made [by Jeanty]. It was just considered abandoned cargo.” Id. at 13:18-21 (cleaned up).9

Notably, both Perez and Valdes denied that a bill of lading was ever issued for Jeanty’s Mack truck. According to Perez, whoever dropped off the truck on Jeanty’s behalf at Antillean’s facility would have received a “dock receipt,” which is “issued at the time of delivery . . . to the terminal.” Perez Depo. at 37:14-21. And, indeed, this dock receipt (or “Warehouse Receipt” as it’s officially called) for Jeanty’s truck has been filed on the docket, see [ECF No. 3-1], and was presented to Perez during her deposition. When asked whether the “customer [has] to sign this dock receipt,” she said: “[n]ot if they’re not present at the time. And . . . it says that [the Mack truck] was delivered by a trucking company, so the customer wouldn’t have been present when it was delivered.” Perez Depo. at 39:6-13. A bill of lading is a different story, though. When asked about a bill of lading, Perez answered that she didn’t have any “for deliveries of cargo [to Antillean]. A bill of lading is issued at time of export.” Id. at [*9]  41:3-5. Valdes was more explicit when she described Jeanty’s situation: “[T]here was no bill of lading issued, there is really no contract. It was never sent to be shipped. They didn’t pay.” Valdes Depo. at 13:16-18. She later reiterated this point, saying: “[Jeanty] never paid. A bill of lading was never issued. He didn’t bring the correct documentation to be able to go through customs first to validate the vehicle. If that’s not done, no bill of lading will be issued.” Id. at 29:22-30:1.

On September 13, 2023, Antillean—the lone remaining Defendant—filed a Counterclaim [ECF No. 39], claiming in a single breach-of-contract count that Jeanty owed $945,523.25 of storage fees for the “601 days of unjust and undue delay of shipment and clear abandonment of his vehicle.” Counterclaim ¶ 18. Jeanty timely answered, denying all liability and asserting several affirmative defenses. See generally Answer to Counterclaim [ECF No. 40].

Two weeks later, Jeanty filed this Motion to Remand, arguing that COGSA doesn’t apply here because the truck “was sold for profit” before ever being loaded onto an Antillean vessel—and because the “Defendants testified that there was no valid agreement to ship and [*10]  no bill of lading.” Motion to Remand ¶¶ 5, 14, 19.10 Instead, Jeanty contends that “this is a storage lien matter governed by Florida Statute § 83.806.” Id. ¶ 18. In its Response, Antillean appears to concede that, by its own terms, COGSA doesn’t apply to this situation. Still, it notes that COGSA allows parties to contractually extend the statute’s application to an earlier point in time. See Response at 3 (“The law is well-settled that parties may agree to apply COGSA to other periods of transit . . . by so indicating in their contract.”). And that, Antillean says, is exactly what it and Jeanty did here. According to Antillean, it “issued a ‘Warehouse Receipt’ upon receipt of the subject vehicle, which reads in relevant part: ‘Received the above described cargo in apparent good order and condition, except as noted, for shipment to the indicated port, subject to the terms and conditions contained in the Carrier’s regular form Bill of Lading and Tariff[.]'” Ibid. (quoting the Warehouse Receipt (emphasis in original)). And (Antillean continues) its form bill of lading’s “terms and conditions expressly state[ ] that COGSA governs ‘between the time of receipt of the Goods by the Carrier at the port of loading [*11]  and the time of delivery by the Carrier at the port of discharge[.]'” Id. at 4 (quoting Antillean’s form bill of lading).

With that background in mind, we turn to the question at hand: Is Jeanty bound by the terms and conditions of Antillean’s form bill of lading even though he never received a specific bill of lading for his Mack truck? If he is, then we have subject-matter jurisdiction over this case. If he isn’t, then we must remand this case to Florida’s Eleventh Judicial Circuit.


The Law

A federal court should remand to state court any case that has been improperly removed. See 28 U.S.C. § 1447(c). The party attempting to invoke the federal court’s jurisdiction bears the burden of establishing that jurisdiction. See McNutt v. Gen. Motors Acceptance Corp. of Ind., Inc., 298 U.S. 178, 189, 56 S. Ct. 780, 80 L. Ed. 1135 (1936). “Not only does the language of the Act of 1887 evidence the Congressional purpose to restrict the jurisdiction of the federal courts on removal, but the policy of the successive acts of Congress regulating the jurisdiction of federal courts is one calling for the strict construction of such legislation.” Shamrock Oil & Gas Corp. v. Sheets, 313 U.S. 100, 109, 61 S. Ct. 868, 85 L. Ed. 1214 (1941). Indeed, “[d]ue regard for the rightful independence of state governments, which should actuate federal courts, requires that they scrupulously confine their own jurisdiction to the [*12]  precise limits which the statute has defined.” Healy v. Ratta, 292 U.S. 263, 270, 54 S. Ct. 700, 78 L. Ed. 1248 (1934).

“Federal courts exercise limited subject matter jurisdiction, empowered to hear only those cases within the judicial power of the United States as defined by Article III of the Constitution or otherwise authorized by Congress.” Taylor v. Appleton, 30 F.3d 1365, 1367 (11th Cir. 1994) (cleaned up). “Congress granted federal courts jurisdiction over diversity actions and cases raising a federal question. If jurisdiction is based on either of these, the pleader must affirmatively allege facts demonstrating the existence of jurisdiction and include ‘a short and plain statement of the grounds upon which the court’s jurisdiction depends.'” Ibid. (quoting Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)).

“Under the federal question jurisdiction statute, 28 U.S.C. § 1331, a district court has subject matter jurisdiction over ‘all civil actions arising under the Constitution, laws, or treaties of the United States.'” Smith v. GTE Corp., 236 F.3d 1292, 1310 (11th Cir. 2001) (quoting 28 U.S.C. § 1331). “Whether a claim arises under federal law for purposes of 28 U.S.C. § 1331 is generally determined by the well-pleaded complaint rule, ‘which provides that federal jurisdiction exists only when a federal question is presented on the face of the plaintiff’s properly pleaded complaint.'” Ibid. (quoting Caterpillar, Inc. v. Williams, 482 U.S. 386, 392, 107 S. Ct. 2425, 96 L. Ed. 2d 318 (1987)). In other words, “[f]ederal question jurisdiction exists only when the ‘well-pleaded [*13]  complaint standing alone establishes either that federal law creates the cause of action or that the plaintiff’s right to relief necessarily depends on resolution of a substantial question of federal law.'” Baltin v. Alaron Trading Corp., 128 F.3d 1466, 1472 (11th Cir. 1997) (quoting Franchise Tax Bd. of the State of Cal. v. Constr. Laborers Vacation Tr. for S. Cal., 463 U.S. 1, 27-28, 103 S. Ct. 2841, 77 L. Ed. 2d 420 (1983)).

Although courts continue to apply the well-pleaded-complaint rule, the Supreme Court has said that the delicate balance of federalism concerns has “kept [it] from stating a ‘single, precise, all-embracing’ test for jurisdiction over federal issues embedded in state-law claims between nondiverse parties.” Grable & Sons Metal Prods., Inc. v. Darue Eng’g & Mfg., 545 U.S. 308, 314, 125 S. Ct. 2363, 162 L. Ed. 2d 257 (2005). The Supreme Court has therefore refused to “treat[ ] ‘federal issue’ as a password opening federal courts to any state action embracing a point of federal law.” Ibid.

Under the well-pleaded-complaint rule, a federal court generally cannot exercise federal-question jurisdiction over a case just because the defendant advances a federal defense to a state-law claim. See Cmty. State Bank v. Strong, 651 F.3d 1241, 1258 (11th Cir. 2011) (“Federal jurisdiction cannot be predicated on an actual or anticipated defense.” (quoting Vaden v. Discover Bank, 556 U.S. 49, 60, 129 S. Ct. 1262, 173 L. Ed. 2d 206 (2009))). But there’s one main exception to this general rule: “Under the complete preemption doctrine, a complaint that (on its face) raises only state-law claims can still be removed ‘when a federal statute wholly displaces [*14]  the state-law cause[s] of action through complete pre-emption.'” Poet Theatricals Marine, LLC v. Celebrity Cruises, Inc., 2023 U.S. App. LEXIS 11836, 2023 WL 3454614, at *3 (11th Cir. May 15, 2023) (quoting Beneficial Nat’l Bank v. Anderson, 539 U.S. 1, 8, 123 S. Ct. 2058, 156 L. Ed. 2d 1 (2003)).

In evaluating whether the “particular factual circumstances of a case give rise to removal jurisdiction, we strictly construe the right to remove and apply a general presumption against the exercise of federal jurisdiction, such that all uncertainties as to removal jurisdiction are to be resolved in favor of remand.” Scimone v. Carnival Corp., 720 F.3d 876, 882 (11th Cir. 2013) (cleaned up); see also Burns v. Windsor Ins. Co., 31 F.3d 1092, 1095 (11th Cir. 1994) (“[W]here plaintiff and defendant clash about jurisdiction, uncertainties are resolved in favor of remand.”).


Analysis

Before getting to the heart of Jeanty’s Motion to Remand, we must clarify whether he’s still prosecuting this case on the theory that he and Antillean entered into a contract to ship his Mack truck to Haiti. That’s the claim he appears to advance in his Amended Complaint. See Amended Complaint ¶ 13 (“On February 2018, Plaintiff Jeanty and Defendants entered into a contract, a true and correct copy of which is attached hereto as Composite Exhibit A[.]”) And, indeed, the only live claim Jeanty still has is his first breach-of-contract claim. See January 18, 2023, Paperless Order (“granting by default the Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss Counts II, III, IV, V, [*15]  and VI of the Plaintiff’s Amended Complaint”). But we’re now less sure about what exactly Jeanty is alleging. See Motion to Remand ¶ 16 (“[P]laintiff does not wish to abandon his claim. However, due to the deposition testimony of Yeline Valdes and Nancy Perez, Defendants’ have testified that there was no valid agreement/bill of lading to ship the truck[.]”). If Jeanty now believes that there was no contract, he should seek our leave either to voluntarily dismiss his case (so he can start anew in state court) or to re-amend his Amended Complaint. See Flintlock Constr. Servs., LLC v. Well-Come Holdings, LLC, 710 F.3d 1221, 1228 (11th Cir. 2013) (noting that a plaintiff—albeit in the summary-judgment context—may not “attempt to amend its complaint . . . without seeking leave of court pursuant to [Fed. R. Civ. P.] 15(a)(2).”); see also Pensacola v. City of Pensacola, 2015 WL 12516688, at *3 (N.D. Fla. Mar. 13, 2015) (Vinson, J.) (“To revise or expand on their claims, plaintiffs must amend their complaint.”). Until Jeanty does that, though, we’re left with no choice but to treat the allegations in the Amended Complaint as the operative ones. See Pensacola, 2015 WL 12516688, at *3 (“A basic principle of law . . . is that the claims a plaintiff brings before a court are controlled by, and limited to, those set forth in the complaint.”). And, based on the allegations as they appear in Jeanty’s Amended Complaint, we assume [*16]  Jeanty and Antillean had entered into a contract to ship the Mack truck to Haiti.


A. COGSA explained

COGSA “governs ‘all contracts for carriage of goods by sea to or from ports of the United States in foreign trade.” Polo Ralph Lauren, L.P. v. Tropical Shipping & Constr. Co., Ltd., 215 F.3d 1217, 1220 (11th Cir. 2000) (quoting 46 U.S.C. § 1312 (1999)). Antillean is right that, when it applies, COGSA “provides an exclusive remedy, barring all other theories of liability.” Response at 4. Indeed, “COGSA affords one cause of action for lost or damaged goods which, depending on the underlying circumstances, may sound louder in either contract or tort.” Polo, 215 F. 3d at 1221. When COGSA applies, then, any claims advanced under theories of liability outside of COGSA’s statutory scheme must be dismissed. See LIG Ins. Co. Ltd. v. Inter-Fla. Container Transp., Inc., 564 F. App’x 495, 495 (11th Cir. 2014) (noting (without issue) that, “[b]ecause COGSA provides an exclusive remedy, the district court dismissed [the plaintiff’s] claims for bailment and negligence”). In other words, COGSA is completely preemptive. See, e.g., Miami Warehouse Logistics, Inc. v. Seaboard Marine, Ltd., 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6595, 2018 WL 1093592, at *2 (S.D. Fla. Jan. 16, 2018) (Cooke, J.) (“COGSA governs this dispute and completely preempts [the plaintiff’s] state-law breach of contract and negligence claims.”); UTI, U.S., Inc. v. Bernuth Agencies, Inc., 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 141520, 2012 WL 4511304, at *5 (S.D. Fla. Oct. 1, 2012) (Altonaga, J.) (“Because ‘COGSA leaves no state remedy in its wake, it provides an exclusive remedy and is therefore completely preemptive’ of [the plaintiff’s negligence and [*17]  bailments counts].” (cleaned up)). Our question, then, is whether COGSA applies here.

COGSA jurisdiction is normally triggered when the cargo in question has been loaded onto the carrier’s vessel. See Polo, 215 F.3d at 1220 (“COGSA governs during the time after cargo is loaded and before it is removed from the ship[.]”); see also Distribuidora N.Y. S. de R.L. v. Great White Fleet Liner Serv., Ltd., 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 215532, 2019 WL 13141570, at *4 (S.D. Fla. Dec. 13, 2019) (Dimitrouleas, J.) (“COGSA only governs from the time the goods are loaded on the ship to the time they are discharged from the ship.”). And the statute itself makes this clear. See 46 U.S.C § 30701, Stat. Notes § 13 (“This Act shall apply to all contracts for carriage of goods by sea to or from ports of the United States in foreign trade.”); see also id., Stat. Notes § 1 (“The term ‘carriage of goods’ covers the period from the time when the goods are loaded on to the time when they are discharged from the ship.”). Because Jeanty’s Mack truck was sold before it could be loaded onto one of Antillean’s vessels, COGSA’s application here is a bit more complicated. See Underwriters at Int. Under Bailee Ins. Pol’y No. 09RTAMIA1158 v. SeaTruck, Inc., 858 F. Supp. 2d 1334, 1338 (S.D. Fla. 2012) (Scola, J.) (noting that a theft of cargo from a carrier’s shoreside warehouse “undisputedly occurred outside of the default loading-to-delivery period of COGSA application”).

By its own terms, COGSA empowers parties to a shipping contract to extend the statute’s coverage [*18]  to an earlier point in time. See 46 U.S.C. § 30701, Stat. Notes § 7 (“Nothing in this Act shall prevent a carrier or a shipper from entering into any agreement, stipulation, condition, reservation, or exemption as to the responsibility and liability of the carrier or the ship for the loss or damage to or in connection with the custody and care and handling of the goods prior to the loading on and subsequent to the discharge from the ship on which the goods are carried by sea.” (emphasis added)); see also Miami Warehouse, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6595, 2018 WL 1093592, at *2 (“Where COGSA does not apply by operation of law, the parties to a bill of lading may incorporate the statute as a contractual term.” (quoting Sail Am. Found. v. M/V T.S. Prosperity, 778 F. Supp. 1282, 1286 (S.D.N.Y. 1991))). It has therefore become common practice for carriers to “extend COGSA to pre-loading . . . periods,” during which they have “actual physical custody of or responsibility for the cargo.” Underwriters, 858 F. Supp. 2d at 1339.


B. Even though no specific bill of lading was issued for Jeanty’s truck, the terms and conditions of Antillean’s regular form bill of lading—and thus COGSA—apply.

As we’ve established, COGSA might apply to our case. But, to determine whether it does, we must decide whether the parties agreed to extend COGSA coverage to Antillean’s pre-shipment possession of the truck. Antillean says that’s [*19]  exactly what happened. According to the company, when the driver dropped off Jeanty’s Mack truck at Antillean’s facility on February 14, 2018, the Antillean employee who received the truck handed the driver a Warehouse Receipt. See Response at 3 (“[O]n February 14, 2018, Defendant issued a ‘Warehouse Receipt’ upon receipt of the subject vehicle[.]”); see also Perez Depo. at 38:3-23 (explaining that an Antillean employee, Juan Hernandez, signed the Warehouse Receipt for Jeanty’s truck—albeit on the wrong line—before providing it to the driver). That Warehouse Receipt, in turn, states: “Received the above described cargo . . . for shipment to the indicated port, subject to the terms and conditions contained in the Carrier’s regular form Bill of Lading and Tariff now in use. In accepting this warehouse receipt, the shipper, consignee and owner of the goods agree to be bound by all of the stipulations, exceptions and conditions, whether written, printed or stamped, on the carrier’s bill of lading.” Response at 3-4 (quoting the Warehouse Receipt). And Antillean’s regular form bill of lading says: “This Bill of Lading shall have effect subject to the provisions of [COGSA] in respect of carriage [*20]  of goods to or from ports in the United States. . . . [COGSA governs] between the time of receipt of the Goods by the Carrier at the port of loading and the time of delivery by the Carrier at the port of discharge[.]” Id. at 4 (quoting Antillean’s regular form bill of lading (emphasis added)). In Antillean’s view, then, “the parties were contractually bound by COGSA from the time that the truck was delivered to Antillean[,] and the claims asserted by [Jeanty] in this case are governed by COGSA.” Ibid.

Jeanty doesn’t dispute most of this. Again, he asserts in his Amended Complaint that he “and Defendants entered into a contract, a true and correct copy of which is attached hereto as Composite Exhibit A and incorporated herein by reference, to ship a 2002 Mack Truck.” Amended Complaint ¶ 13 (referencing the Warehouse Receipt). By adopting the Warehouse Receipt as a binding contract, Jeanty has saved us considerable work. We, for instance, don’t need to determine whether the driver who delivered the truck to Antillean was Jeanty’s agent11 or whether the Warehouse Receipt—which wasn’t signed by the driver (or by Jeanty)—satisfies Florida’s statute of frauds.12 The parties do, however, diverge [*21]  on a central issue—viz., whether the Warehouse Receipt for the Mack truck incorporated by reference the terms and conditions in Antillean’s regular form bill of lading.

Under Florida law, “[a] document may be incorporated by reference in a contract if the contract specifically describes the document and expresses the parties’ intent to be bound by its terms. The contract must contain more than a mere reference to the collateral document, but it need not state that it is ‘subject to’ the provisions of the collateral document to incorporate its terms.” Jenkins v. Eckerd, 913 So. 2d 43, 51 (Fla. 1st DCA 2005) (quoting Mgmt. Comput. Controls, Inc. v. Charles Perry Constr., Inc., 743 So. 2d 627, 631 (Fla. 1st DCA 1999)). While acknowledging this rule, the Eleventh Circuit has noted that it “seems to apply only when the collateral document’s terms and conditions govern the actual dispute, not when . . . the collateral document simply clarifies the meaning of terms and conditions, all of which are contained in the contract itself.” Roman v. Spirit Airlines, Inc., 2021 U.S. App. LEXIS 28847, 2021 WL 4317318, at *2 n.1 (11th Cir. Sept. 23, 2021). “It is a generally accepted rule of contract law that, where a writing expressly refers to and sufficiently describes another document, that other document, or so much of it as is referred to, is to be interpreted as part of the writing.” Lowe v. Nissan of Brandon, Inc., 235 So. 3d 1021, 1026 (Fla. 2d DCA 2018) (quoting BGT Grp., Inc. v. Tradewinds Engine Servs., LLC, 62 So. 3d 1192, 1194 (Fla. 4th DCA 2011)).

It’s safe to say that something was incorporated into [*22]  the Warehouse Receipt. “In accepting this warehouse receipt,” after all, “the shipper, consignee and owner of the goods agree to be bound by all stipulations, exceptions and conditions, whether written, printed or stamped on the Carrier’s Bill of Lading.” Warehouse Receipt. But was it Antillean’s regular form bill of lading or a specific bill of lading that was to be issued for Jeanty’s Mack truck once he provided title and payment? If it was the former, then Antillean is right, because—as far as we can tell—Antillean uses a regular form bill of lading that always has the same COGSA language. But, if it was the latter, Jeanty prevails, because Antillean’s corporate representative admitted that no specific bill of lading was ever issued. See Valdes Depo. at 13:16-18 (“T]here was no bill of lading issued, there is really no contract. It was never sent to be shipped. They didn’t pay.”).

On this question, our former Chief Judge’s opinion in AAA Int’l Freight Forwarding Grp., Inc. v. King Ocean Serv. de Venezuela, S.A., 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21075, 2000 WL 33956708 (S.D. Fla. June 13, 2000) (Moore, J.), is instructive. The shipper there contracted with a carrier to ship a container from Florida to Venezuela. 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21075, [WL] at *1. After the carrier took control of the container—but before the container was loaded onto the carrier’s vessel—armed men broke into [*23]  the container and stole its contents.13 Ibid. The shipper sued the carrier, “alleging that, because no bill of lading was ever issued by [the carrier], it is strictly liable as a common carrier of goods for the loss of [the shipper’s] goods.” 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21075, [WL] at *3. But the carrier “responded by filing a motion for summary judgment against [the shipper], claiming in part that: (1) the parties’ rights and liabilities are governed by the bill of lading which would have issued had the cargo not been lost prior to being loaded aboard the vessel, [and] (2) the bill of lading incorporated [COGSA] for all time periods relevant to this action[.]” Ibid. (emphasis added). The court agreed, noting that “it is well settled in this Circuit that the bill of lading that would have issued in the ordinary course of business represents the contract governing the relationship between the shipper and carrier even if it was not actually issued.” Ibid. In so holding, the court quoted from a 1928 Fifth Circuit14 case for the proposition that

[the carrier] was required by law to issue a bill of lading…. [The shipper] is presumed to know the law, and therefore must have known the terms and conditions on which the goods were received [*24]  and would be transported would be contained in a bill of lading to be issued later…. [A]n implied understanding arose from common business experience that the carrier would issue such a bill of lading as it was custom to issue to shippers in the usual course of its business…. [A] shipper, in the absence of a special contract, must be presumed to deliver his goods on the terms and conditions usually and customarily imposed by the carrier in the regular course of business.

2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21075, [WL] at *4 (quoting Luckenbach S.S. Co. v. Am. Mills Co., 24 F.2d 704, 705 (5th Cir. 1928)).

Our case is just the same. As in AAA, we’re adjudicating a dispute between a shipper and a carrier who had previously done business together. As in AAA, the carrier’s regular form bill of lading triggered COGSA coverage when the carrier took control of the freight. As in AAA, the freight in question went missing while in the carrier’s control, but before it had been loaded onto the carrier’s vessel. And, as in AAA, a specific bill of lading had not yet been issued when the cargo was lost. Finding AAA’s reasoning persuasive, we now reach the same conclusion and hold that Antillean’s regular form bill of lading governs this dispute, even though no specific bill of lading was ever issued.

And this seems [*25]  to be the well-settled rule in our Circuit. See, e.g., Distribuidora, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 215532, 2019 WL 13141570, at *6 (“It is well settled that, as long as a bill of lading would have been issued in the ordinary course of business, the bill of lading serves as a contract governing the relationship of a shipper and carrier even if it was not actually issued.” (quoting Ironfarmers Parts & Equip. v. Compagnie Generale Mar. et Financiere, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18874, 1994 WL 730895, at *2 (S.D. Ga. June 3, 1994))); N.H. Ins. Co. v. Seaboard Marine, Ltd., 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21640, 1992 WL 33861, at *3 (S.D. Fla. Jan. 2, 1991) (Ryskamp, J.) (applying the reasoning of Luckenbach S.S. and finding that the terms of a bill of lading issued after cargo was damaged still governed even though there was an “absence of a prior course of dealing” between shipper and carrier).15

We therefore hold that the terms and conditions of Antillean’s regular form bill of lading govern the loss of Jeanty’s Mack truck because (1) the Warehouse Receipt so specified and (2) Jeanty was on notice that this was Antillean’s standard business practice. And, because Antillean’s regular form bill of lading applies, so too does COGSA—along with its complete preemption of Jeanty’s contract claim.

***

After careful review, therefore, we hereby ORDER and ADJUDGE that the Plaintiff’s Motion to Remand [ECF No. 42] is DENIED.

DONE AND ORDERED in the Southern [*26]  District of Florida on December 7, 2023.

/s/ Roy K. Altman

ROY K. ALTMAN

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE


End of Document


The Motion to Remand is ripe for resolution. The Plaintiff filed his Motion to Remand on October 16, 2023. See [ECF No. 42]. On October 30, 2023, the Defendant filed a timely Response to the Motion to Remand (the “Response”) [ECF No. 48]. The Plaintiff replied to the Response (the “Reply”) on November 6, 2023. See [ECF No. 49].

Jeanty says that he resided in Miami-Dade County, Florida, during the times in question. See Amended Complaint ¶ 1. Antillean is a Florida corporation doing business in Miami-Dade County. Id. ¶ 2.

Jeanty also sued Nancy Perez, believing her to be Antillean’s “agent/owner.” Complaint ¶ 3. It turns out, though, that she’s just the company’s “Traffic Coordinator.” See Nancy Perez Depo. at 8:24-9:1 (Q: “And what’s your . . . current position?” A: “Traffic coordinator.” Q: “And what does the traffic coordinator do?” A: “We just handle the shipments for Haiti.”). She’s since been dismissed from the suit. See Perez’s Motion for Summary Judgment [ECF No. 26] at 1-2 (“While Plaintiff did enter into a carriage contract with Antillean, a carrier, there is no privity of contract between Plaintiff and Perez, who never signed the document nor is explicitly named as a beneficiary in its provisions.”); see also Joint Stipulation of Dismissal [ECF No. 34].

The six causes of action were: (1) breach of contract; (2) breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing; (3) fraud in the inducement; (4) violation of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices statute; (5) negligent misrepresentation (as to Nancy Perez only); and (6) civil theft. See generally Amended Complaint.

This represented the sum of the following claims: $42,250 for the value of the truck and the money paid to Antillean; $15,000 for lost sales; and $126,750 in treble damages for civil theft under Fla. Stat. § 772.11. Id. at 10-11.

Because this is the operative complaint, we’ll refer to it as the “Amended Complaint.”

The other affirmative defenses were: (2) “the Amended Complaint fails to state a claim for which relief may be granted”; (3) “Plaintiff’s claims are time-barred by the applicable statute of limitations”; (4) “the actions of [the Plaintiff] are the factual and legal cause of the alleged damages sought”; and (5) “the actions of third parties are the factual and legal cause of the alleged damages sought[.]” Answer at 3.

If, when, and how Perez notified Jeanty about the sale of the truck is in dispute. See generally Perez Depo. at 61:10-69:16. But that dispute isn’t relevant to the question of remand.

Antillean isn’t a paragon of recordkeeping. They, for instance, have no receipt of the sale of Jeanty’s truck to Ramon Rodriguez. See Valdes Depo. at 8:22-9:1 (Q: “So there was documentation regarding the selling of the vehicle?” A: “No. It was scrapped.” Q: “Did you receive a receipt?” A: “No.”). But, based on what Perez and Valdes have gleaned from the limited records they do have—and what we have gleaned from their depositions—it appears that the truck was sold to Rodriguez in September or October of 2019. See id. at 16:14-17:13 (discussing the date of this sale). Jeanty then supplied payment of some kind in November of 2019. See id. at 24:8-15 (A: “From my understanding, he made a payment in November of 2019…. [T]hat was after I sold [the truck to Rodriguez].” Q: “Okay. So he never made a payment prior to November 2019?” A: “Correct. For those vehicles in question—actually, the Mack truck, no payment was made.”).

10 This obviously conflicts with what Jeanty alleged in his Amended Complaint, the ramifications of which we’ll discuss shortly.

11 “In simple terms, agency may be defined as the relation which results where one person or entity, called the principal, authorizes another, called the agent, to act for it with more or less discretionary power, in business dealings with third persons.” Sarmiento Lopez v. CMI Leisure Mgmt., Inc., 591 F. Supp. 3d 1232, 1238 (S.D. Fla. Mar. 8, 2022) (Bloom, J.) (quoting Econ. Research Analysts, Inc. v. Brennan, 232 So. 2d 219, 221 (Fla. 4th DCA 1970) (cleaned up)). “To prove an agent-principal relationship existed, the following elements must be proven: ‘(1) acknowledgment by the principal that the agent will act for him or her, (2) the agent’s acceptance of the undertaking, and (3) control by the principal over the action of the agent.'” WB’s Septic & Sitework, Inc. v. Tucker, 365 So. 3d 1242, 1246 (Fla. 1st DCA 2023) (quoting Robbins v. Hess, 659 So. 2d 424, 427 (Fla. 1st DCA 1995)).

12 Our contract probably does satisfy the statute of frauds. A contract to ship a truck needn’t be in writing under Florida’s statute of frauds. See generally FLA. STAT. §§ 725.01-08 (listing those contracts that do require a writing). And “[i]t is not necessary for a party to be a signatory to a contract to be bound by its terms, but ordinary contract law governs such a situation.” Steritech Grp., Inc. v. MacKenzie, 970 So. 2d 895, 898 (Fla. 5th DCA 2007). “A nonsignatory’s consent to a contract can be manifested by both a party’s words and actions.” BDO Seidman, LLP v. Bee, 970 So. 2d 869, 874 (Fla. 4th DCA 2007).

13 Thieves broke into the container while it was being transported by a third-party trucking company hired by the carrier to deliver the container from the shipper to the carrier’s facility. AAA Int’l, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21075, 2000 WL 33956708, at *1.

14 In Bonner v. City of Prichard, 661 F.2d 1206, 1209 (11th Cir. 1981) (en banc), the Eleventh Circuit adopted as binding precedent all decisions of the former Fifth Circuit handed down before October 1, 1981.

15 We’re not suggesting that Antillean’s regular form bill of lading would have applied if (1) Jeanty and Antillean had never done business before and (2) Antillean hadn’t issued the Warehouse Receipt that specifically mentioned the form bill of lading to Jeanty’s driver. That scenario would present a more complicated question. In Montaze Broz, LLC v. Global Ocean Line, Inc., for example, the court found (at the motion-to-dismiss stage) that the carrier’s regular form bill of lading didn’t apply to the loss of a pick-up truck that occurred before embarkation because the shipper—at least according to his Complaint—hadn’t received any documentation from the carrier that mentioned a bill of lading. See 2023 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 136004, 2023 WL 4998575, at *4 (S.D. Fla. Aug. 4, 2023) (Bloom, J.) (“The [c]omplaint further alleges Defendant did not issue, nor did it provide Plaintiff, ‘a Bill of Lading or any other written contract pursuant to which the parties agreed to terms or conditions incident to’ Cargo transport.” (quoting the complaint (emphasis added)). And there was no indication in the opinion that the shipper and carrier had a prior history of working together—as a result of which the shipper would have been on notice of the carrier’s regular policies. See generally ibid.

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