Opinion ID: 67691
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Applicable Convention

Text: On appeal, Muoneke claims that the district court erred by applying the Warsaw Convention’s liability cap, rather than that of the Montreal Convention. We agree. By its terms, the Montreal Convention supersedes the Warsaw Convention and governs Air France’s liability in this case.4 The United States Senate ratified the Montreal Convention on September 5, 2003, and the treaty 2 Grilletta v. Lexington Ins. Co., 558 F.3d 359, 364 (5th Cir. 2009) (per curiam) (internal quotation marks omitted). 3 See Lubke v. City of Arlington, 455 F.3d 489, 498 (5th Cir. 2006); Steel Coils, Inc. v. M/V Lake Marion, 331 F.3d 422, 435 (5th Cir. 2003) (COGSA limitation of liability); Hamman v. Sw. Gas Pipeline, Inc., 832 F.2d 55, 57 (5th Cir. 1987) (decided by a quorum) (per curiam) (availability of attorneys’ fees). 4 Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air art. 1, ¶ 1, May 28, 1999, ICAO Doc. 9740, reprinted in S. TREATY DOC . NO . 106-45, 1999 WL 33292734 (2000) [hereinafter Montreal Convention] (“This Convention applies to all international carriage of persons, baggage or cargo performed by aircraft for reward.”); id. art. 55 & ¶ 1 (“This Convention shall prevail over any rules which apply to international carriage by air: 1. between States Parties to this Convention by virtue of those States commonly being Party to (a) the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to International Carriage by Air Signed at Warsaw on 12 October 1929 (hereinafter called the Warsaw Convention) . . . .”). 4 No. 08-20227 entered into force on November 4, 2003.5 The damage to Muoneke’s baggage occurred sometime during the two-day period of November 30-December 1, 2004, more than a year after the Montreal Convention entered into force. That convention’s liability cap (1000 SDRs per passenger for baggage claims) therefore applies, not the Warsaw Convention’s cap (17 SDRs per kilogram of damaged baggage for checked luggage).6 Air France’s first counterargument — that the applicable contract of carriage limited Muoneke’s recovery to 17 SDRs per kilogram — is meritless. The contract of carriage in fact incorporated the Montreal Convention, Article 26 of which states that “[a]ny provision tending to relieve the carrier of liability or to fix a lower limit than that which is laid down in this Convention shall be null and void.” 7 Air France was therefore not entitled to cap its liability at 17 SDRs per kilogram when, as here, such a cap limits the carrier’s liability to less than 1000 SDRs per passenger. 5 Ehrlich v. Am. Airlines, Inc., 360 F.3d 366, 372 (2d Cir. 2004) (citing Press Statement, United States Department of State, Ratification of the 1999 Montreal Convention (Sept. 5, 2003); Media Note, United States Department of State, Entry Into Force of the 1999 Montreal Convention (Nov. 4, 2003)). 6 Compare Montreal Convention art. 22, ¶ 2 (“In the carriage of baggage, the liability of the carrier in the case of destruction, loss, damage or delay is limited to 1000 Special Drawing Rights for each passenger . . . .”), and id. art. 17, ¶ 4 (“Unless otherwise specified, in this Convention the term ‘baggage’ means both checked baggage and unchecked baggage.”), with Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to International Transportation by Air art. 22, ¶ 2 Oct. 12, 1929, 49 Stat. 3000, T.S. No. 876 (1934) [hereinafter Warsaw Convention] (“In the transportation of checked baggage and of goods, the liability of the carrier shall be limited to a sum of [17 SDRs] per kilogram.”), and id. ¶ 3 (“As regards objects of which the passenger takes charge himself the liability of the carrier shall be limited to [332 SDRs] per passenger.”). 7 Montreal Convention art. 26. 5 No. 08-20227 Air France’s second counterargument — that the applicable contract of carriage expressly disclaimed liability for the items at issue — is equally meritless. Article 17 of the Montreal Convention provides for strict liability in the case of damage to or loss of baggage.8 If Air France could contract out of liability under Article 27 of the Montreal Convention,9 as it claims it did in its contract of carriage with Muoneke, then Articles 17 and 26 would be meaningless. Under Air France’s proffered reading, a contract of carriage providing that “no items in checked baggage are covered” could effectively eliminate all carrier liability for damage to baggage. Air France provides no limiting principle that would harmonize an expansively construed Article 27 with Articles 17 and 26. Its reading is therefore unpersuasive, and we decline to adopt it.10 8 Id. art. 17, ¶ 2 (“The carrier is liable for damage sustained in case of destruction or loss of, or of damage to, checked baggage upon condition only that the event which caused the destruction, loss or damage took place on board the aircraft or during any period within which the checked baggage was in the charge of the carrier.”); see S. TREATY DOC . NO . 106-45, 1999 WL 33292734, at  (2000) (explanatory note) (“Paragraph 2 [of Article 17 of the Montreal Convention] makes the carrier liable for destruction, loss, or damage to checked baggage caused by an event taking place on board the aircraft or while the baggage was in the charge of the carrier. The carrier may avoid liability to the extent that it proves the damage resulted from the inherent defect, quality, or vice of the checked baggage. . . . Thus, for checked baggage, as under the Warsaw Convention and its related instruments, the carrier is strictly liable for damages, subject to limited specified defenses.”). 9 Montreal Convention art. 27 (“Nothing contained in this Convention shall prevent the carrier from refusing to enter into any contract of carriage, from waiving any defences available under the Convention, or from laying down conditions which do not conflict with the provisions of this Convention.”). 10 We do not address all limitation-of-liability questions under the Montreal Convention today, only those presented by the carriage relationship at issue 6 No. 08-20227 Having established that the Montreal Convention should have been applied,11 and using the district court’s SDRs-to-dollars exchange rate to which the parties do not object, 12 we cap Air France’s liability at $1580, which is in excess of the amount Muoneke claims she is entitled to recover. We therefore need not reach Muoneke’s other assertions of error. Given the simple calculations involved, we also see no need to waste judicial resources by remanding this case to the district court for correction of the judgment on this point. Instead, we do it ourselves. The district court’s judgment is reversed, and we render judgment in Muoneke’s favor and against Air France in the amount of $1,242.79.