[PUBLISH]
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
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No. 98-5913
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D.C. Docket No. 98-02140-CV-FAM
TAMMY STEVENS,
Plaintiff-Appellant,
versus
PREMIER CRUISES, INC.,
a Canadian corporation,
Defendant-Appellee.
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Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Southern
District of Florida
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(March 1, 2002)
Before EDMONDSON and BARKETT, Circuit Judges,
and COHILL*, District Judge.
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*Honorable Maurice B. Cohill, Jr., U.S. District
Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania, sitting by designation.
B Y T H E C O U R T:
This matter is before the
Court on a motion for rehearing and on a suggestion for rehearing en banc.
They both are
DENIED.
The panel, however, does now clarify footnote
8 in its original opinion.
This case came before us on a 12(b)(6) motion
to dismiss. We determined that the district court erred in its conclusion
that Title III of the ADA -- as a matter of law -- can have no application
to cruise ships in United States waters which sail under a foreign flag
and are owned by a foreign corporation. Appellee, in its original brief
to the court, did contend that allowing the ADA to apply, even in principle,
to a foreign flag vessel would violate certain treaties and conventions
and, thus, that the ADA was not intended by Congress to cover such vessels
at all. Appellee did not point out a definite and specific conflict between
the concrete requirements of Title III in application and international
laws and conventions in governing how a ship could be constructed or operated:
for example, what conflict arises from a U.S. rule against discriminatory
fares.
We noted in our original opinion that we left
open whether treaty obligations of the United States might in some instances
preclude or limit application of Title III. In the meantime, we have looked
at supplemental briefs. But we will not address further the connection
between the application of Title III and United States treaty obligations
and international law and conventions. To decide this appeal from a 12(b)(6)
dismissal, we need not foresee and decide the result for every potential
conflict with every possible treaty, convention or article of international
law. We continue to believe that it is not beyond doubt that plaintiff
in this case can prove a set of facts in support of her claim which would
entitle her to relief.
MOTION FOR REHEARING DENIED.
SUGGESTION FOR REHEARING EN BANC DENIED. |