UNITED STATES SUGAR CORP.
v.
ATLANTIC COAST LINE R. CO.
AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.
An order striking one of several defenses, leaving others undisposed of and granting leave to amend, is not a final decision and therefore not appealable under 28 U.S.C.A. § 1291.
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company sued Sugar Company for alleged undercharges on intrastate sugar cane shipments. The dispute centers on the minimu…
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.
Explore caselaw by topic → Browse 28 U.S.C. § 1292 cases and more on FLexlaw
STRUM, Circuit Judge.
This appeal is from an order striking certain defenses of the Sugar Company in an action against it by Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company to recover alleged undercharges on intrastate shipments of sugar cane over the lines of plaintiff Railroad Company in Florida.
The Sugar Company paid freight charges based on carload minimum weights of 36,-000 and 38,000 pounds, depending upon the season when the shipments were made. The Railroad Company claims it is entitled to payment on a basis of 40,000 and 44,000 pounds. This suit is to recover the difference. No judgment quod recuperet has been entered. The appeal is from the order striking what appellant considers its basic defense, which is that the Railroad Company is not entitled to recover because the shipments are intrastate and the Florida Railroad Commission, the State’s rate making authority, has held the tariffs relied on by plaintiff to be unjust and unreasonable. Other defenses, though perhaps secondary in nature, remain undisposed of in the record. The order appealed from grants defendant Sugar Company leave to amend its answer, and also grants leave to both partic. "s to amend their pleadings generally.
The appellate jurisdiction of the court is defined by statute. Under 28 U.SC.A. § 1291, only “final decisions” are re viewable.1 A judgment is “final” for purposes of appeal only when it terminates the litigation on the -merits, leaving nothing to be done but to enforce the judgment. Lewis v. E. I. DuPont De Nemours & Co., 5 Cir., 183 F. 2d 29, 21 A.L.R.2d 757.
An order merely striking one of several defenses, leaving others on the record, and granting leave to amend, is not a “final” decision within the meaning of 28 U.S.C.A. § 1291. Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass Co. v. Sylvania Industrial Corp., 2 Cir., 154 F. 2d 814; Shultz v. Manufacturers & Traders Trust Co., 2 Cir., 103 F. 2d 771.
Appellant points out that the order appealed from constitutes a determination of the basic question here involved. But the views of the district judge implicit in the order have not yet assumed finality. Until final judgment, he is at liberty to alter them.
The order appealed from does not terminate the litigation, but allows defendant to plead further. It grants no relief to the plaintiff, nor any against the defendant. There are other issues of fact in the case, yet to be determined, before final judgment can be entered. The order is clearly interlocutory, not a final decision, and is therefore not appealable. Compare Crummer Co. v. DuPont, 5 Cir., 196 F. 2d 468, and cases therein cited.
Dismissed.
. There is of course no contention that the order here in question is within 28 U.S.C.A. § 1292, authorizing appeals from certain interlocutory orders therein enumerated.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
-
King v. The Cal. Co., 224 F.2d 193 (5th Cir. 1955)
-
Austracan v. M/V Lemoncore, 500 F.2d 237 (5th Cir. 1974)
-
Flynn & Emrich Co. v. Greenwood, 242 F.2d 737 (4th Cir. 1957)
Previewing 3 of 10 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass Co. v. Sylvania Indus. Corp., 154 F.2d 814 (2d Cir. 1946)
- Lewis v. E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc., 183 F.2d 29 (5th Cir. 1950)
- Shultz v. Mfrs. & Traders Tr. Co., 103 F.2d 771 (2d Cir. 1939)
- Crummer Co. v. DU Pont, 196 F.2d 468 (5th Cir. 1952)