In Re: 1993 Exxon
In Re: 1993 Exxon
Opinion
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
No. 02-30702 Summary Calendar
STACY SIBLEY, ET. AL.,
Plaintiffs,
versus
EXXON MOBIL CORPORATION, also known as Exxon Company, USA,
Defendant-Third Party Plaintiff-Appellant,
versus
TUBE TURNS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.,
Third Party Defendant-Appellee. _________________________________________________________________
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana (94-CV-1128) _________________________________________________________________ January 15, 2003
Before BARKSDALE, DEMOSS and BENAVIDES, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:*
Pursuant to a Rule 54(b) judgment, ExxonMobil appeals the
summary judgment awarded third-party defendant Tube Turns
Technologies, Inc., claiming a genuine issue of material fact
exists concerning the unreasonable dangerousness of a steel pipe
manufactured by Tube Turns. On the other hand, ExxonMobil did not
* Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.4. present any evidence that Tube Turns knew that the pipe in question
was supposed to meet specifications provided to a third party by
ExxonMobil.
A summary judgment is reviewed de novo. E.g., Caboni v.
General Motorist Corp.,
278 F.3d 448, 451(5th Cir. 2002).
“Summary judgment is proper only ‘if the pleadings, depositions,
answers to interrogatories and admissions on file, together with
the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to
any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to [a]
judgment as a matter of law’.”
Id.(quoting Turner v. Houma Mun.
Fire & Police Civil Serv. Bd.,
229 F.3d 478, 482(5th Cir. 2000)
(quoting FED. R. CIV. P. 56(c))). “We resolve factual controversies
in favor of the nonmoving party, but only when there is an actual
controversy, that is, when both parties have submitted evidence of
contradictory facts. We do not, however, in the absence of any
proof, assume that the nonmoving party could or would prove the
necessary facts.” Little v. Liquid Air Corp.,
37 F.3d 1069, 1075(5th Cir. 1994) (emphasis in original).
ExxonMobil contends Tube Turns' manufacturing of a carbon
steel pipe, as opposed to the chromium steel pipe it ordered from
a third party intermediary, was unreasonably dangerous both in
construction and composition and because it did not comply with an
express warranty. The crux of ExxonMobil’s claim is not that the
pipe was unreasonably dangerous per se, but, rather, that the
2 carbon steel pipe was unreasonably dangerous with regard to the
manner in which Tube Turns knew, by virtue of the chromium steel
specifications in the purchase order, it would eventually be used
by ExxonMobil. But, ExxonMobil has offered no evidence that Tube
Turns received an order specifying chromium steel in the pipe. All
that ExxonMobil has offered is evidence that a third-party
intermediary was given an order for a chromium steel pipe.
AFFIRMED
3
Reference
- Status
- Unpublished