Louisville Nashville Railroad Company v. Maxwell

• Decision Date: 05 April 1915
• Docket Number: No. 181,181
• Citation: 35 S.Ct. 494,237 U.S. 94,59 L.Ed. 853
• Parties: LOUISVILLE & NASHVILLE RAILROAD COMPANY, Plff. in Err., v. G. A. MAXWELL
• Court: U.S. Supreme Court

237 U.S. 94

35 S.Ct. 494

59 L.Ed. 853

LOUISVILLE & NASHVILLE RAILROAD COMPANY, Plff. in Err.,

v G. A. MAXWELL.

No. 181.

Submitted March 8, 1915.

Decided April 5, 1915.

Messrs. John B. Keeble and Ed. T. Seav for plaintiff in error.

Messrs. John A. Pitts and K. T. McConnico for defendant in error.

Mr. Justice Hughes delivered the opinion of the court:

This action was brought, before a justice of the peace in Tennessee, by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company, to recover $58.30 as the amount of an alleged undercharge on the sale of railroad tickets. Judgment for the defendant was affirmed by the court of civil appeals and by the supreme court of the state. The case comes here on error.

The facts, which were said to be undisputed, were found by the state court to be as follows:

Defendant in error, G. A. Maxwell, after repeated interviews and correspondence with the representatives of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company in regard to rates on round trip tickets to Salt Lake City, pur- chased on or about the 1st day of June, 1910, 'two passenger tickets from Nashville, Tennessee, to Salt Lake City, by way of Chicago, Illinois, Denver, Colorado, and routed to return by Denver, Colorado, Amarillo and Fort Worth, Texas, and Memphis, Tennessee, and paid for each ticket the sum of $49. 50.

'There were at the time, published rates under the provision of the interstate commerce act by which fares over the route actually traveled, going and coming, aggregated $78.65 each, or $29.15 each more than was charged and collected therefor, making a difference of $58.30 between the amount paid by Mr. Maxwell for the tickets in question, and the amount that should have been charged and collected.

'Mr. Maxwell was informed when he first made inquiry about the tickets in January, that there were no special rate tickets at that time, but likely would be by May or June 1st. He then, and on several occasions thereafter, made known his desire to go to Salt Lake City by one route, and return by the other, and was told that he could not be furnished reduced rates except by going and coming over the same route; but after repeated inquiries, and the correspondence referred to, he was informed that he could make the trip on reduced rates one way, and return another; and when he went finally to purchase the two tickets, he stated to the agent that he wanted to go by way of Chicago and Denver, and return by way of Stamford, Texas, and was given the tickets routed as hereinbefore noted, at the rates mentioned. At the time, he in fact could have gone to Salt Lake City at the rate which he paid, but over other routes, going and returning through Chicago and Denver, or through St. Louis and Denver, or through Memphis and Denver, or going through St. Louis and Denver and returning through Denver, Amarillo, and Memphis.

'Mr. Maxwell was in no way at fault in the matter. He did no more than tell the agent the points to which he wished to go, and make it known that he did not wish to go and return by the same route. The agent fixed the routing in the tickets and named the fare, and Maxwell paid without further question.'

Under the interstate commerce act, the rate of the carrier duly filed is the only lawful charge. Deviation from it is not permitted upon any pretext. Shippers and travelers are charged with notice, of it, and they as well as the carrier must abide by it, unless it is found by the Commission to be unreasonable. Ignorance or misquotation of rates is not an excuse for paying or charging either less or more than the rate filed. This rule is undeniably strict, and it obviously may work hardship in some cases, but it embodies the policy which has been adopted by Congress in the regulation of interstate commerce in order to prevent unjust discrimination. The act (§ 6) provides:

'Nor shall any carrier charge or demand or collect or receive a greater or less or different compensation for such transportation of passengers or property, or for any service in connection therewith, between the points named in such tariffs than the rates, fares, and charges which are specified in the tariff filed and in effect at the time; nor shall any carrier refund or remit in any manner or by any device any portion of the rates, fares, and charges so specified, nor extend to any shipper or person any privileges or facilities in the transportation of passengers or property, except such as are specified in such tariffs.' [34 Stat. at L. 587, chap. 3591, Comp. Stat. 1913, § 8597.]

The scope and effect of the provisions of the statute as to filing tariffs (both in their present form and as they stood prior to the amendments of 1906) have been set forth in numerous decisions. Gulf, C. & S. F. R. Co. v. Hefley, 158 U. S. 98, 39 L. ed. 910, 15 Sup. Ct. Rep. 802; Texas & P. R. Co. v. Mugg, 202 U. S. 242, 50 L. ed. 1011, 26 Sup. Ct. Rep. 628; Texas & P. R. Co. v. Abilene Cotton Oil Co. 204 U. S. 426, 445, 51 L. ed. 553, 560, 27 Sup. Ct. Rep. 350, 9 Ann. Cas. 1075; Armour Packing Co. v. United States, 209 U. S 56, 81, 52 L. ed. 681, 694, 28 Sup. Ct. Rep. 428; New York C. & H. R. R. Co. v. United States, 212 U. S. 500, 504, 53 L. ed. 624, 627, 29 Sup. Ct. Rep. 309; Chicago & A. R. Co. v. Kirby, 225 U. S. 155, 166, 56 L. ed. 1033, 1038, 32 Sup. Ct. Rep. 648, Ann. Cas. 1914A, 501; Illinois C. R. Co. v. Henderson Elevator Co. 226 U. S. 441, 57 L. ed. 290, 33 Sup. Ct. Rep. 176; Kansas City Southern R. Co. v. Carl, 227 U. S. 639, 653, 57 L....