November 19, 2020: Written by: Joseph G. Harraka, Jr., Esq. Co-Practice Leader, Trucking and Logistics
On November 18, 2020, an Administrative Law Judge with the Federal Maritime Commission (“FMC”) denied a motion to dismiss filed by the Ocean Carriers Equipment Management Association (“OCEMA”) with respect to an action filed against it by the Intermodal Motor Carriers Conference of the American Trucking Association, Inc. (“IMCC”). In the action, the IMCC alleges that the OCEMA and eleven other international ocean carriers violated the Shipping Act of 1984 by, among other things, inflating prices and overcharging truckers for the use of intermodal chassis at dozens of ports throughout the United States. The IMCC Complaint further alleges that the defendants’ actions have cost the trucking industry over $1.8 billion in damages.