Mapco Petroleum v. Memphis Barge Line
Tennessee Supreme Court
849 S.W.2d 312 (1993)
- Written by Daniel Clark, JD
Facts
Memphis Barge Line, Inc. (Memphis Barge) (defendant) owned a motor vessel that was towing three barges down the Mississippi River. The vessel was in the process of being moored when one of the barges crashed into a dock owned by Mapco Petroleum, Inc. (Mapco) (plaintiff). Mapco sued Memphis Barge for damages in Tennessee state court. Memphis Barge sought to limit its liability pursuant to the federal Limitation of Vessel Owner’s Liability Act. Rather than file a petition in federal district court for a ruling that it was entitled to limit its liability under the act, as is customary, Memphis Barge instead chose to invoke the act’s limitation of liability as an affirmative defense. Mapco challenged Memphis Barge’s right to limit its liability under the act. The state trial court ruled that it lacked subject-matter jurisdiction to decide whether Memphis Barge was entitled to the act’s limitation in the face of Mapco’s challenge. The court of appeals affirmed, and the parties appealed to the Tennessee Supreme Court.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Drowota, J.)
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