 |
 |
to fill out a simple form to connect to Personal Injury Lawyers in your area.
|
|
|
|
|
Engvall v. Soo Line Railroad Company8/2/2001
PAGE, Justice
We are asked to decide whether a railroad can maintain a cause of action for contribution and/or indemnity against a railroad locomotive manufacturer when the railroad is sued by an employee under the Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA), 45 U.S.C. §§á51-60 (1994). The district court granted summary judgment to the manufacturer, holding that federal law preempted the contribution and indemnity actions and that the manufacturer was not a proper FELA defendant. The court of appeals affirmed. We reverse.
This case arises from an alleged injury suffered by James Engvall, a locomotive engineer for appellant Soo Line Railroad Company (Soo Line), in the course of his employment on November 6, 1996, while operating an SD60 series locomotive manufactured by the Electro-Motive Division of respondent General Motors Corporation (GM). Engvall sued Soo Line under the FELA and the Locomotive Inspection Act ((LIA), formerly known as the Boiler Inspection Act (BIA)), 49 U.S.C. §§ 20701-20703 (1994), specifically alleging that while he was applying the SD60's handbrake the handbrake's handwheel mechanism slipped, causing him to injure his back. Soo Line, in turn, filed a third-party complaint against GM, alleging, among other things, that Engvall's injury was the result of a design flaw in the SD60's handbrake doubler assembly. In the third-party complaint, Soo Line asserted that GM was liable for Engvall's injuries under various state common law claims and that Soo Line was entitled under Minnesota law to contribution and/or indemnity from GM if Engvall recovered from Soo Line. GM raised the affirmative defense that Soo Line's claims are preempted by federal law and moved for summary judgment. Soo Line filed a cross-motion for partial summary judgment, asserting that it was entitled to contribution and/or indemnity from GM for any liability it owed on Engvall's FELA claims. During the summary judgment proceedings, Soo Line moved the court for leave to amend its third-party complaint to include claims for contribution and/or indemnity based on the SD60's handbrake doubler assembly's alleged noncompliance with the LIA and the Safety Appliance Act, 49 U.S.C. §§ 20301-20306 (1994) (SAA), which, like the LIA, is a railroad safety statute. Following those proceedings, Soo Line settled with Engvall, leaving only its contribution and indemnity claims against GM.
The district court found that the LIA preempted Soo Line's state common law claims and granted GM's summary judgment motion. The court also found that "Soo Line has no claims against General Motors under either the LBIA or the SAA because General Motors is not a proper FELA defendant and there exists no private right of action under either statute." Finally, based on these findings, the district court further found that Soo Line's motions for partial summary judgment and amendment of its third-party complaint were moot. On appeal, the court of appeals affirmed the district court, holding "that the LIA preempts state common-law claims for contribution or indemnity based on design and construction asserted by a railroad carrier against a locomotive manufacturer." Engvall v. Soo Line R.R., 617 N.W.2d 444, 448 (Minn. App. 2000) (Engvall II).
This court reviews an order granting summary judgment to determine whether there are any genuine issues of material fact and whether the lower court erred in applying the law. Amaral v. Saint Cloud Hosp., 598 N.W.2d 379, 383 (Minn. 1999). In doing so, the court "views the evidence in the light most favorable to the party against whom summary judgment was granted." Ciardelli v. Rindal, 582 N.W.2d 910, 912 (Minn. 1998).
We address as a threshold matter whether S
Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Minnesota Personal Injury Attorneys
Personal Injury Lawyers
|
| |
to fill out a simple form to connect to Personal Injury Lawyers in your area.
|
|