Court Opinion

ID: 9447011
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-03 22:23:18.349384+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:30:52.101635
License: Public Domain

HUTCHESON, Circuit Judge
(dissenting) .
As appears from the opinion of the majority and that of the district judge,1 this case is in the briefest compass. Submitted on a stipulation which the judge made his findings of fact, it presents the single issue of law, whether under the undisputed facts the suit was time-barred by the one year limitation period contained in the Carriage of Goods By Sea Act, 46 U.S.C.A. Sec. 1303(6). The district judge, holding that, under settled law, the statutory one year period for bringing suit may be waived and that it was waived, concluded that, on the stipulated facts, the libel was timely filed.
I agree with the district judge, and, therefore dissent from the opinion of the majority reversing his judgment.
It seems clear to me that the law on which the district judge acted is settled in favor of his action by the authorities he cited, to which may be added a reference to 34 Am.Jur., “Limitation of Actions”, Subdiv. 15, “Waiver and Estop-pel”, Secs. 405 to 413, pp. 318-325. 46 U.S.C.A. § 1303(6) “Carriage of Goods By Sea Act” fixes one year as the time limitation for suit and under settled law no shorter period can be contracted for. The Argentino, D.C., 28 F.Supp. 440.
Here the parties waived the statute so that it was no longer operative as a bar and attempted to substitute therefor an ineffective contract period of two months, with the result that, while the waiver of the statute is valid and effective, the attempt to impose a two month limitation on libellant’s right to bring the suit was invalid and ineffective. In short, when the respondent stipulated that it had waived the statutory bar of limitation, it stipulated its limitation defense completely out of court and whether or not, as appellee seems to think the court held, the stipulated facts estopped the defendant from pleading the bar is immaterial for the agreement to waive the statute had made the defense of limitation completely unavailable to respondent.
I think the judgment was right and should be affirmed.

. J. A. Folger & Co. v. United Fruit Co., 170 F.Supp. 933.