Task: songer_typeiss

What follows is an opinion from a United States Court of Appeals.
Your task is to determine the general category of issues discussed in the opinion of the court. Choose among the following categories. Criminal and prisioner petitions- includes appeals of conviction, petitions for post conviction relief, habeas corpus petitions, and other prisoner petitions which challenge the validity of the conviction or the sentence or the validity of continued confinement. Civil - Government - these will include appeals from administrative agencies (e.g., OSHA,FDA), the decisions of administrative law judges, or the decisions of independent regulatory agencies (e.g., NLRB, FCC,SEC). The focus in administrative law is usually on procedural principles that apply to administrative agencies as they affect private interests, primarily through rulemaking and adjudication. Tort actions against the government, including petitions by prisoners which challenge the conditions of their confinement or which seek damages for torts committed by prion officials or by police fit in this category. In addition, this category will include suits over taxes and claims for benefits from government. Diversity of Citizenship - civil cases involving disputes between citizens of different states (remember that businesses have state citizenship). These cases will always involve the application of state or local law. If the case is centrally concerned with the application or interpretation of federal law then it is not a diversity case. Civil Disputes - Private - includes all civil cases that do not fit in any of the above categories. The opposing litigants will be individuals, businesses or groups.

PER CURIAM:
P. D. Marchessini & Co. (New York), Inc., a steamship operator, appeals from a judgment of the District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissing a libel against H. W. Robinson & Co., Inc., a freight forwarder. The libel sought damages of $201,500 for breach of a contract for the shipment of 260 locomotive trucks, weighing 1057 long tons and occupying 156,000 cubic feet of space, from New York to Yokohama. The contract was evidenced by a “booking note” executed on behalf of Robinson by Edward C. Boyens, who was listed in a standard trade publication under Robinson’s name and advertisement opposite the rubric “Export Department.”
We need not determine whether, despite the absence of any statement in the booking note that Robinson was acting only as agent for an undisclosed shipper, the dealings between the parties did not make this sufficiently plain to Marchessini as to preclude its recovering against Robinson as a principal. See ALI, Restatement 2d, Agency, § 322, § 336, comment d (1958); 2 Williston, Contracts, § 283-85 (3d ed. 1959). Assuming this point in Marehessini’s favor, it still had the burden of establishing Boy-ens’ authority to bind Robinson. The absence of actual authority is clear, and the judge was warranted in concluding that Marchessini had not established apparent authority. Although Marches-sini’s policy was to attempt to obtain signed booking contracts from freight forwarders, Robinson’s policy was to avoid such signature. Boyens denied having signed any previous booking notes with Marchessini except on a single occasion when he had specific authority from the shipper and signed in a manner making plain that Robinson was acting solely as agent for a named principal. There was no evidence that he had apparent authority to commit his employer, for a small commission, to a contract that would entail large liabilities to the steamship operator in the event of default by a client whose conduct was beyond its control.
Affirmed.

Question: What is the general category of issues discussed in the opinion of the court?
A. criminal and prisoner petitions
B. civil - government
C. diversity of citizenship
D. civil - private
E. other, not applicable
F. not ascertained
Answer:

Answer: D