Court Opinion

ID: 9396759
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-05-23 18:00:36.42127+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:19:19.535676
License: Public Domain

Case: 22-40654    Document: 00516760285         Page: 1    Date Filed: 05/23/2023

          United States Court of Appeals
               for the Fifth Circuit                                United States Court of Appeals
                                                                             Fifth Circuit

                              ____________                                 FILED
                                                                       May 23, 2023
                               No. 22-40654                           Lyle W. Cayce
                              ____________                                 Clerk

   Mario A. Velazquez,

                                                                       Plaintiff,

   Benteler Automotive Corporation; Benteler
   Automotive-Mexico,

                                             Third Party Plaintiffs—Appellants,

                                    versus

   Ruben De La Rose Martinez, Juan Alfonso Alvarado
   Amador

                                                                   Defendants,

   Allied Plastics, Incorporated; Forming Technologies,
   L.L.C.; Packaging Concepts & Design, L.L.C.,

                                  Third Party Defendants—Appellees.
                 ______________________________

                 Appeal from the United States District Court
                     for the Southern District of Texas
                           USDC No. 5:16-CV-238
                 ______________________________

   Before Elrod, Ho, and Wilson, Circuit Judges.
Case: 22-40654         Document: 00516760285             Page: 2      Date Filed: 05/23/2023

                                          No. 22-40654

   Per Curiam: *
          This case arises from an injury caused by a falling shipping container.
   Third-party plaintiffs/appellants Benteler Mexico and Benteler Automotive,
   who were contracting to transport the shipping container at the time of the
   injury, sought indemnification under the Texas Products Liability Act from
   Allied Plastics and the other third-party defendants/appellees, who
   manufactured the shipping container. The district court held that the
   Benteler appellants were not “sellers” of the shipping container, as required
   for Texas Products Liability Act indemnification. Tex. Civ. Prac. &
   Rem. § 82.002(a); Centerpoint Builders, LLC v. Trussway, Ltd., 496 S.W.3d
   33, 35-36 (Tex. 2016). Accordingly, the district court granted summary
   judgment to Allied Plastics and the other third-party defendants.                  We
   AFFIRM.
          We review a district court’s grant of summary judgment de novo.
   Green v. Life Ins. Co. of N. Am., 754 F.3d 324, 329 (5th Cir. 2014). Summary
   judgment is appropriate only when there is no genuine dispute of any material
   fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R. Civ.
   P. 56(a). “The sole question is whether a ‘reasonable jury drawing all
   inferences in favor of the nonmoving party could arrive at a verdict in that
   party’s favor.’” Guzman v. Allstate Assurance Co., 18 F.4th 157, 160 (5th Cir.
   2021) (quoting Int’l Shortstop, Inc. v. Rally’s, Inc., 939 F.2d 1257, 1263 (5th
   Cir. 1991)).
          The district court correctly granted Allied Plastics’ and the other
   third-party defendants’ motions for summary judgment. The district court
   held that the Benteler appellants are not sellers under the Texas Products
   Liability Act because they are not “in the business” of distributing or placing
          _____________________
          *
              This opinion is not designated for publication. See 5th Cir. R. 47.5.

                                                    2
Case: 22-40654     Document: 00516760285          Page: 3    Date Filed: 05/23/2023

                                   No. 22-40654

   the shipping containers into the stream of commerce. Centerpoint Builders,
   496 S.W.3d at 41-42; Armstrong Rubber Co. v. Urquidez, 570 S.W.2d 374, 376
   (Tex. 1978). It followed that there is no genuine issue of material fact as to
   whether the Benteler appellants are entitled to indemnification from Allied
   Plastics. We agree for substantially the same reasons as detailed by the
   district court and AFFIRM the district court’s grant of summary judgment.

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