Opinion ID: 3001600
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: C.H. Robinson’s Prima Facie Case Under the

Text: Carmack Amendment If C.H. Robinson makes out its prima facie case, it both defeats REI Transport’s breach-of-contract claim and entitles it to recover the additional $4197.34 it is owed for what it paid Circuit City. The prima facie case under the Carmack Amendment is straightforward: a plaintiff must show “(1) delivery in good condition; (2) arrival in damaged condition; and (3) the amount of damages.” Am. Nat’l Fire Ins. Co. v. Yellow Freight Sys., 325 F.3d 924, 929 (7th Cir. 2003). If the plaintiff establishes the prima facie case, the burden shifts to the defendant “to show both that it was free from negligence and that the damage to the cargo was due to one of the excepted causes relieving the carrier of liability,” a showing REI Transport does not attempt to make. Id. The district court held that C.H. Robinson had made its case and granted its motion for summary judgment. We review this decision de novo and, for the following reasons, we affirm. REI Transport doesn’t dispute that the goods arrived in a compromised condition, conceding the second and third element of C.H. Robinson’s prima facie case. But it does dispute that C.H. Robinson proved that the shipment was delivered to Patriot in good condition. This argument is in considerable tension with REI Transport’s concession that Union Pacific was in possession of the cargo when the loss occurred. Regardless, C.H. Robinson clearly established that the cargo was in good condition when Circuit City loaded it in Walnut, California. In the first place, the bill of lading for the entire shipment of 4633 items issued by Patriot to Circuit City did not contain any exceptions. This provides “some evidence that the shipment was received in good condition.” Am. Nat’l Fire Ins. Co., 325 F.3d at 929. In addition, the “pick sheet” 12 No. 07-2710 itemizing the contents of the shipment clearly showed the Stock Keeping Unit (“SKU”) numbers for the two kinds of DVD players that were ultimately stolen and listed their quantity as 428 cartons with 858 units of one and 54 cartons with 270 units of the other kind of DVD player. And the affidavits of two Circuit City employees established the general procedures for loading and unloading shipments at Circuit City facilities. Circuit City employee John Abarca stated in his (unrebutted) deposition and affidavit that these procedures were followed when loading the shipment in Walnut, California. This testimony established that Patriot would have loaded all of Circuit City’s cargo identified in the pick sheet and listed in the bill of lading. Such circumstantial evidence is sufficient for C.H. Robinson to establish its prima facie case. See Pharma Bio, Inc. v. TNT Holland Motor Exp., Inc., 102 F.3d 914, 917 (7th Cir. 1996) (crediting affidavit stating that company “followed certain procedures for hundreds of shipments . . ., including the shipment in question”). Thus, the district court did not err in finding that C.H. Robinson had made out its prima facie case under the Carmack Amendment. As a result, C.H. Robinson had a “valid excuse” for withholding payment to REI Transport for the lost DVD players. As a “person entitled to recover” under the Carmack Amendment, it was similarly entitled to withhold payment from REI Transport to cover the “actual loss or injury to the property.” This result obtains notwithstanding the provision in the carrier agreement purporting to limit REI Transport’s liability, a provision invalidated by the Carmack Amendment. Accordingly, C.H. Robinson did not breach its contract with REI Transport when it refused to pay all that it owed. In addition, because the amount that it withheld was less than the No. 07-2710 13 “actual loss or injury to the property,” C.H. Robinson is entitled to recover an additional $4197.34 for its successful Carmack Amendment claim.