Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-09-02317/USCOURTS-ca8-09-02317-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
American Airlines
Appellee
Catherine Ray
Appellant

Document Text:

1

The Honorable Robert T. Dawson, United States District Judge for the Western

District of Arkansas. 

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

Nos. 09-2317/09-2357

___________

Catherine Ray, individually and *

on behalf of all others similarly *

situated, *

*

Plaintiff - Appellant/ *

Cross-Appellee. * Appeals from the United States

* District Court for the Western

v. * District of Arkansas.

*

American Airlines, Inc., *

*

Defendant - Appellee/ *

Cross-Appellant. *

___________

Submitted: June 16, 2010

Filed: July 2, 2010

___________

Before MURPHY, BEAM, and BENTON, Circuit Judges.

___________

MURPHY, Circuit Judge.

Catherine Ray, the named plaintiff in a purported class action lawsuit against

American Airlines (American), appeals from the district court's1

 order denying her

motion for a continuance under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(f) and granting

summary judgment in favor of American on her claims for false imprisonment and

Appellate Case: 09-2317 Page: 1 Date Filed: 07/02/2010 Entry ID: 3680220
-2-

negligence arising from a nine hour tarmac delay. American cross appeals, arguing

that Ray's state tort claims are preempted by federal aviation legislation. We affirm.

I.

Ray and her husband boarded an American flight at six a.m. on December 29,

2006, traveling from Oakland, California to Dallas, Texas. Due to bad weather and

a backup of flights in the Dallas area, the flight was diverted to Austin, Texas for

refueling. The plane landed around noon at the Austin airport, refueled, began to taxi

toward the runway, and then stopped. At that point the pilot informed the passengers

that the Dallas airport had been closed as a result of the bad weather and that the plane

could not takeoff until it reopened. 

About an hour later the pilot announced that a bus would be arriving to take any

passengers who wished to deplane to the Austin airport. During her deposition, Ray

testified that the pilot recommended that the passengers remain on board as it was

likely they would be leaving within the next hour or so. She also testified that the

pilot told passengers that if they chose to deplane, they would be "finished with this

flight" and would be "on their own." Ray and her husband believed that the pilot

meant that passengers who chose to deplane would be required to fund alternate

transportation home, although neither asked a member of the flight crew to clarify the

pilot's statements. Ray testified that she and her husband chose to remain on the plane

when the bus arrived because they did not have enough money to pay for alternate

transportation.

After two to three hours on the tarmac the pilot announced that a second bus

would be arriving to take any more passengers who wished to proceed to the

Appellate Case: 09-2317 Page: 2 Date Filed: 07/02/2010 Entry ID: 3680220
2

At oral argument Ray's counsel stated that the second bus arrived four and a

half hours into the nine hour delay. That statement differs from those in the briefs and

in the depositions of both Ray and her husband, who stated that the second bus arrived

within the first two to three hours.

-3-

terminal.2

 Ray testified that when the second bus arrived the passengers were

instructed, "[t]his is your last chance, if you want to get off, get off now because this

is it." Ray and her husband again chose to remain on the plane. 

American provided no further opportunities for passengers to exit the plane for

the next six to seven hours. Ray asserts that during the remaining delay conditions on

the plane deteriorated and the air became "stuffy" and "smelly." Passengers were only

given "two or three granola bars" and "two soda pops." When Ray attempted to use

one of the plane's lavatories, it had waste in it and would no longer flush, and there

was no water with which to wash her hands. Ray did not alert any flight crew member

of the nonworking lavatory and did not attempt to use another restroom. Ray also

asserts that at one point a male passenger began arguing with a flight attendant and

asked to see the pilot. When the pilot stepped out of the cockpit, the passenger

demanded to be taken to a gate. Ray testified that she was concerned a fist fight

would break out. 

Around six p.m. the pilot announced that he was no longer able to fly the plane

because he had reached his maximum duty hours. He informed the passengers that

he was trying to get the plane to a gate but that there was lightning in the area which

had required the ground crews to shut down. Ray alleges that the lightning ended

shortly after the pilot made his announcement. At nine p.m. the plane was taken to a

gate at the Austin airport and the remaining passengers deplaned. American did not

provide passengers with food or lodging vouchers when they initially entered the

terminal although the record indicates that some were later distributed. Many of the

passengers, including Ray and her husband, spent the night in the terminal. 

Appellate Case: 09-2317 Page: 3 Date Filed: 07/02/2010 Entry ID: 3680220
-4-

The following morning American flew Ray and her husband from Austin to

Dallas, where they connected to another flight that day to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ray

testified that on the day after the delay, she experienced "some kind of intestinal

stomach irritation" which she attributed to not being able to wash her hands after using

the restroom aboard the plane. She did not seek any medical attention for the stomach

irritation, which she described as a "24-hour kind of thing."

Ray filed a putative class action against American in Arkansas state court

alleging claims for false imprisonment, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional

distress, breach of contract, and fraud or deceit. She alleged that the December 29

delay occurred because of American's "intentional or negligent lack of personnel,

equipment, and planning for ordinary weather disruptions." She also alleged that

American had chosen for its own financial benefit not to allow passengers to deplane

after the buses had left. 

American removed the case to the Western District of Arkansas and then moved

to dismiss all Ray's claims under 12(b)(6), arguing that the claims were preempted by

the Airline Deregulation Act (ADA), 49 U.S.C. § 41713, and the Federal Aviation Act

(FAA), 49 U.S.C. § 40103. The district court granted the motion to dismiss in part,

concluding that the FAA precluded Ray from bringing state law claims based on the

airline's decision to reroute the plane for safety and that the ADA preempted any state

law claims seeking compensation for meals, lodging, ground transportation, and

expenses during delays. Ray's breach of contract and fraud claims were dismissed as

preempted. The court concluded, however, that her false imprisonment, emotional

distress, and negligence claims were not preempted because they arose from

American's actions "after the flight was diverted and on the ground in Austin."

American moved for reconsideration, which the court denied. 

In October 2008 the district court filed its final scheduling order, which set the

discovery deadline for May 20, 2009 giving the parties a seven month discovery

Appellate Case: 09-2317 Page: 4 Date Filed: 07/02/2010 Entry ID: 3680220
-5-

period. Ray filed a motion for class certification in November 2008. In December

2008 American moved for summary judgment on Ray's remaining false imprisonment,

emotional distress, and negligence claims. Ray submitted a response to American's

summary judgment motion in January 2009 and concurrently moved for a continuance

of its motion, arguing that she had not yet had a reasonable opportunity to obtain the

information she needed to defend the summary judgment motion adequately.

American opposed the motion for a continuance. 

American moved for a temporary stay in February 2009, asking the district

court to stay discovery until it ruled on the pending class certification and summary

judgment motions. The district court did not grant the motion and discovery

proceeded uninterrupted. Also in February 2009 Ray filed a Rule 20 joinder motion

seeking to amend her complaint to join as plaintiffs two passengers of other American

planes grounded on the same day as hers. 

The district court granted summary judgment to American and dismissed Ray's

false imprisonment, negligence, and emotional distress claims on April 2, 2009, three

months after the motion had been filed and seven weeks before the discovery

deadline. In the same memorandum opinion the court denied Ray's motions for

continuance and joinder. Ray filed a motion to reconsider which the court denied.

Ray appeals the district court's denial of her motion for a continuance and the

adverse grant of summary judgment on her false imprisonment and negligence claims.

She also appeals the court's denial of her joinder motion. American cross appeals,

challenging the district court's partial denial of its motion to dismiss and arguing that

Ray's state law claims are preempted by federal legislation.

Appellate Case: 09-2317 Page: 5 Date Filed: 07/02/2010 Entry ID: 3680220
3

Ray argues that it was per se procedural error for the court to rule on

American's summary judgment motion without first ruling on her Rule 56(f) motion.

See Doe v. Abington Friends Sch., 480 F.3d 252, 257 (3d Cir. 2007). Our case law

does not support such a rule. See Iverson v. Johnson Gas Appliance Co., 172 F.3d

524, 529–31 (8th Cir. 1999) (reviewing for abuse of discretion a court's denial of a

Rule 56(f) motion after granting summary judgment). 

-6-

II.

Ray first contends that the district court prematurely granted American's motion

for summary judgment on her false imprisonment and negligence claims without first

ruling on her pending motion for a continuance. A district court's determination that

a claim is ripe for summary judgment is reviewed for abuse of discretion, Robinson

v. Terex Corp., 439 F.3d 465, 466–67 (8th Cir. 2006), as is the denial of a rule 56(f)

motion for a continuance. Elnashar v. Speedway SuperAmerica, LLC, 484 F.3d 1046,

1054 (8th Cir. 2007).3

Although discovery does not have to be completed before a district court can

grant summary judgment, "summary judgment is proper only after the nonmovant has

had adequate time for discovery." In re TMJ Litigation, 113 F.3d 1484, 1490 (8th Cir.

1997). Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(f) allows a party opposing summary

judgment to request the court postpone a decision until adequate discovery is

completed. To obtain a Rule 56(f) continuance, the party opposing summary

judgment must file an affidavit "affirmatively demonstrating . . . how postponement

of a ruling on the motion will enable him, by discovery or other means, to rebut the

movant's showing of the absence of a genuine issue of fact." Humphreys v. Roche

Biomedical Lab., Inc., 990 F.2d 1078, 1081 (8th Cir. 1993). 

American filed a motion for summary judgment on Ray's false imprisonment

and negligence claims two months into the parties' discovery period. Alongside her

answer to the motion, Ray filed a Rule 56(f) motion for a continuance arguing that she

Appellate Case: 09-2317 Page: 6 Date Filed: 07/02/2010 Entry ID: 3680220
-7-

had not yet had adequate time to conduct discovery. Her accompanying affidavit

stated that American had not yet responded to her interrogatories or notices to

produce, that the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) had not yet

responded to her information requests, and that she had not yet been able to depose

any of American's employees or passengers. The affidavit also contained a lengthy

list of facts that Ray asserted could be developed through further discovery. 

The district court denied Ray's motion for a continuance, concluding that the

additional information Ray claimed she needed to discover was not relevant to the

grounds for American's summary judgment motion. Based on the record, we cannot

conclude that the district court abused its discretion in so deciding. American's

summary judgment motion was based solely on the deposition testimony of Ray and

her husband. With respect to Ray's false imprisonment claim, American relied upon

Ray's undisputed testimony that she declined two opportunities to deplane during the

delay, that she never told any member of the flight crew that she wished to get off the

plane, and that she had failed to present any rule or regulation making American's

actions unlawful. American asserted that these facts were fatal to Ray's false

imprisonment claim. With respect to her negligence claim, American relied on Ray's

deposition testimony that she had suffered no physical injury as a result of the tarmac

delay. Because physical injury is a required element for a negligence claim under

Texas law, Verinakis v. Med. Profiles, Inc., 987 S.W.2d 90, 95 (Tex. App. 1998),

American argued that Ray's negligence claim also failed.

Although Ray's affidavit contained a lengthy list of facts sought to be

discovered, she failed to articulate how those facts were relevant "to rebut the

movant's showing of the absence of a genuine issue of fact." Humphreys, 990 F.2d

at 1081. The facts listed in Ray's affidavit related to American's actions generally with

respect to the December 29 delays, but they did not pertain to her individual claims

and to the undisputed facts presented in American's motion for summary judgment on

those claims. Such a showing is not sufficient under Rule 56(f). Id. 

Appellate Case: 09-2317 Page: 7 Date Filed: 07/02/2010 Entry ID: 3680220
-8-

Furthermore, the district court did not grant American's motion for summary

judgment until April 2009, three months after the motion was filed and two and a half

months after Ray filed her motion for a continuance. Discovery continued throughout

the intervening months. At the time the court granted summary judgment, the parties

had had more than five months of discovery. Ray did not submit any motion to

compel during the intervening period to suggest that she was not receiving the

discovery requested and she made no attempt to supplement her summary judgment

response. Based on this record, we conclude that the district court did not abuse its

discretion by concluding that Ray's claims were ripe for summary judgment.

Robinson, 439 F.3d at 466–67; Elnashar, 484 F.3d at 1054.

III. 

Ray argues that even if the district court's denial of her motion for a continuance

was not an abuse of discretion, genuine issues of material fact existed in respect to her

false imprisonment and negligence claims, making summary judgment inappropriate.

We review a grant of summary judgment de novo, affirming if the record shows that

there was no genuine issue of material fact and the prevailing party was entitled to

judgment as a matter of law. Pro Serv. Auto., LLC v. Lenan Corp., 469 F.3d 1210,

1213 (8th Cir. 2006).

We turn first to Ray's false imprisonment claim. Under Texas law, the elements

of a false imprisonment claim are: (1) willful detention, (2) without consent, and (3)

without authority of law. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Rodriguez, 92 S.W.3d 502, 506

(Tex. 2002). The district court granted summary judgment to American after

concluding that Ray could not prove that her detention on the plane was without

consent and without authority of law. Ray asserts that she presented sufficient

evidence to create issues of material fact on each of these elements. 

Appellate Case: 09-2317 Page: 8 Date Filed: 07/02/2010 Entry ID: 3680220
4

A DOT rule which provides for the imposition of significant fines for tarmac

delays exceeding three hours went into effect in April 2010. See 74 Fed. Reg. 68,983

(December 30, 2009). Ray has not provided the court with any similar or otherwise

relevant DOT rule in effect at the time of her delay, nor has this court discovered any.

-9-

Whether a plaintiff has consented to her detention is ordinarily a question of

fact for the jury unless she has failed to present sufficient evidence for a reasonable

jury to conclude that consent was lacking. See Grant v. Stop-N-Go Market of Texas,

Inc., 994 S.W.2d 867, 872 (Tex. App. 1999). Ray concedes that American offered

passengers two opportunities to leave the plane by bus during the first several hours

of the delay. She also concedes that she chose not to take either bus, and that at no

point during the delay did she notify the flight crew that she wished to leave the plane.

The district court concluded that these facts prevented Ray from satisfying the consent

element of her false imprisonment claim. 

On appeal Ray presents a number of arguments challenging the court's

conclusion in respect to consent. She asserts that her consent was procured through

deception, that she was not given a meaningful choice whether to deplane, that she

was not required to vocalize her lack of consent, and that American exceeded the

scope of her consent. We need not reach these arguments, however, because Ray has

failed to present sufficient evidence to show that her detention on American's plane

was "without authority of law." Rodriguez, 92 S.W.3d at 506.

Under Texas law the plaintiff bears the burden to "prove the absence of

authority" in order to satisfy the final element of a false imprisonment claim. WalMart Stores, Inc. v. Cockrell, 61 S.W.3d 774, 777 (Tex. App. 2001) (citing Sears,

Roebuck & Co. v. Castillo, 693 S.W.2d 374, 375 (Tex. 1985)). Ray has not presented

any statute or regulation, federal or state, in existence on December 29, 2006 that

placed a limit on the number of hours American was permitted to keep passengers

aboard one of its airplanes during a delay or that otherwise controlled the conduct Ray

alleges forms the basis of her false imprisonment claim.4

 Moreover, American

Appellate Case: 09-2317 Page: 9 Date Filed: 07/02/2010 Entry ID: 3680220
-10-

provided two opportunities to deplane, and the pilot informed the passengers that the

second was their last chance to leave the flight.

The only support Ray presents to show that American detained her without

authority of law is an appellate decision from the District of Columbia, Abourezk v.

New York Airlines, Inc., 895 F.2d 1456 (C.A.D.C. 1990). The plaintiff in Abourezk

brought a false imprisonment claim after being grounded in a plane for over three

hours. Id. at 1457. The District of Columbia appeals court affirmed the dismissal of

the claim after concluding that the plaintiff had failed to show that exigent

circumstances existed which necessitated his release from the plane and thus that the

airline lacked the legal authority to keep him on the plane. Id. at 1458. 

Relying on Abourezk, Ray asserts that an airline lacks legal authority to keep

a passenger on a plane if exigent circumstances require the passenger's release. Even

if such an "exigent circumstances" rule were established, Ray has failed to present

facts to show such circumstances existed in respect to her detention. Ray testified

during her deposition that the airplane became "stuffy" and "smelly" during the delay,

that passengers only received a few granola bars and sodas, and that one of the

lavatories stopped functioning. Ray did not complain of any of this to any member

of the flight crew, however. She did not ask for additional food or beverage, did not

attempt to see whether another lavatory was working, and did not at any point ask to

leave the plane. Moreover, she turned down two opportunities to deplane. In light of

such undisputed facts, we conclude that Ray has failed to present sufficient facts to

show that American acted "without legal authority" with respect to her detention.

Rodriguez, 92 S.W.3d at 506. The district court correctly granted summary judgment

to American on Ray's false imprisonment claim. 

Ray also challenges the adverse grant of summary judgment on her negligence

claim, arguing that she presented sufficient evidence to create a genuine issue of

material fact on whether American acted negligently by keeping passengers on the

Appellate Case: 09-2317 Page: 10 Date Filed: 07/02/2010 Entry ID: 3680220
-11-

plane for hours, failing to provide enough food and beverages, allowing the lavatories

to become dirty and in disrepair, and delivering passengers to the terminal after all

restaurants had closed. To establish a claim for negligence under Texas law, a

plaintiff must "establish a duty, a breach of that duty, and damages proximately caused

by that breach." Kroger Co. v. Elwood, 197 S.W.3d 793, 794 (Tex. 2006). 

If a defendant's conduct violates a contractual obligation rather than a duty

independently imposed by law, there can be no claim for negligence under Texas law.

DeWitt County Elec. Coop., Inc. v. Parks, 1 S.W.3d 96, 105 (Tex. 1999). A contract

between the parties may not supersede a claim for negligence, however, if there is a

special relationship between the parties. S.W. Bell Tel. Co. v. DeLanney, 809 S.W.2d

493, 494 n.1 (Tex. 1991).

The district court granted summary judgment to American after finding that the

airline's "Conditions of Carriage" controlled the company's duties in the event of a

lengthy onboard delay. The court thus concluded that Ray was limited to a breach of

contract claim against American. American's conditions of carriage provide that:

In the case of extraordinary events that result in very lengthy onboard

delays, American . . . will make every reasonable effort to ensure that

essential needs of food (snack bar such as a Nutri-Grain), water,

restroom facilities and basic medical assistance are met. We are not

responsible for any special, incidential or consequential damages if we

do not meet this commitment.

Ray asserts that the conditions of carriage document does not preclude a

negligence action because it does not sufficiently detail the rights between the parties.

This argument was not presented to the district court and "[o]rdinarily this court will

not consider arguments raised for the first time on appeal." Wiser v. Wayne Farms,

411 F.3d 923, 926 (8th Cir. 2005). Moreover, Texas courts have determined that far

less specific contracts preclude a negligence action. See, e.g., Abraxas Petroleum

Appellate Case: 09-2317 Page: 11 Date Filed: 07/02/2010 Entry ID: 3680220
-12-

Corp. v. Hornburg, 20 S.W.3d 741, 753 (Tex. App. 2000) (contract specified that

defendant must "conduct all such operations in a good and workmanlike manner").

American's conditions of carriage document spells out in sufficient detail the rights

between the airline and its passengers. 

Alternatively Ray argues that American as a common carrier owed her a duty

above and beyond the conditions of carriage. Under Texas law, a common carrier

owes its passengers "the high degree of care that a very cautious, prudent, and

competent person would use under the same or similar circumstances." Slentz v.

American Airlines, Inc., 817 S.W.2d 366, 369 (Tex. App. 1991). This duty would not

likely be applicable here, however, as Texas courts implicating the common carrier

duty have done so in the context of protecting passengers from physical injury, see,

e.g., Garrett v. American Airlines, Inc., 332 F.2d 939, 943 (5th Cir. 1964); City of

Dallas v. Jackson, 450 S.W.2d 62, 63 (Tex. 1970), and Ray has presented little to no

evidence that she suffered physical injury because of American's actions. 

This absence of physical injury evidence precludes Ray from prevailing on her

negligence claim. Under Texas law, a plaintiff in an ordinary negligence claim must

show that she suffered physical injury as a result of the defendant's negligent actions.

Verinakis, 987 S.W.2d at 95. During her deposition, Ray testified that she had felt

mild claustrophobia while on the plane, but that moving to the window seat alleviated

those feelings. She also testified that on the day following the delay she had an upset

stomach which she attributed to not being able to wash her hands after going to the

bathroom on the plane. She did not alert the flight crew of either situation and did not

seek any medical treatment.

Citing an Oklahoma state appellate case, Ray asserts that sleep deprivation or

"even the pain of hunger" should reach the level of damages required in a negligence

action. See Richardson v. J.C. Penney Co., Inc., 649 P.2d 565, 566 (Okla. Civ. App.

1982). The Richardson case is contrary to Texas law. See Verinakis, 987 S.W.2d at

Appellate Case: 09-2317 Page: 12 Date Filed: 07/02/2010 Entry ID: 3680220
-13-

95–96 (holding plaintiff's alleged injuries insufficient where he suffered an isolated

incident of becoming physically ill, and generally described having "pain"); Johnson

v. Methodist Hosp., 226 S.W.3d 525, 530 (Tex. App. 2006) (same). Ray's allegations

of an upset stomach and mild claustrophobia do not rise to the level necessary to

support a negligence claim under Texas law. The district court properly granted

summary judgment to American on Ray's claim for negligence. 

Finally, Ray appeals the district court's denial of her motion to amend her

pleadings to join two new plaintiffs. We review an order denying leave to amend a

complaint and to join parties for abuse of discretion. Bell v. Allstate Life Ins. Co., 160

F.3d 452, 454 (8th Cir. 1998). When a district court has already filed a final

scheduling order, a party seeking to amend her pleadings after the deadline specified

in the order must show good cause. Fed. R. Civ. P. 16(b); In re Milk Prods. Antitrust

Litig., 195 F.3d 430, 437–38 (8th Cir. 1999). Ray filed her motion to amend two

months after the deadline set in the final scheduling order without attempting to show

good cause, and she has not developed an argument on appeal concerning good cause.

We conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying Ray's

untimely motion to amend and to join parties.

 IV.

American has filed a cross appeal, challenging the district court's partial denial

of its motion to dismiss. It argues that Ray's false imprisonment and negligence

claims are preempted by the ADA and the FAA, and it requests that we affirm the

dismissal of Ray's claims on the basis of preemption. 

We have not ruled on the scope of the preemptive effect of these statutes as they

relate to the provision of airline services to airline passengers, and we note that the

circuits which have addressed the issue have come to different conclusions. See, e.g.,

Air Transport Ass'n of Am., Inc. v. Cuomo, 520 F.3d 218, 223 (2d Cir. 2008)

Appellate Case: 09-2317 Page: 13 Date Filed: 07/02/2010 Entry ID: 3680220
-14-

(defining the ADA broadly to preempt claims relating to an airline's provision of food,

water, electricity, and restrooms during lengthy delays); Charas v. Trans World

Airlines, Inc., 160 F.3d 1259, 1261 (9th Cir. 1998) (defining the ADA's preemption

provision narrowly to exclude "the provision of in-flight beverages, personal

assistance to passengers, the handling of luggage, and similar amenities"); Taj Majal

Travel, Inc. v. Delta Airlines, Inc., 164 F.3d 186, 194 (3d Cir. 1998) (concluding that

it was unlikely Congress intended to preempt personal injury or tort claims through

the ADA). American invites us to address this complex question, but we decline to

reach it since it is unnecessary to decide this case.

For the reasons stated we affirm the judgment of the district court. 

__________________________

Appellate Case: 09-2317 Page: 14 Date Filed: 07/02/2010 Entry ID: 3680220