TiEnergy, LLC v. Wisconsin Central Ltd.

For a consignee to be liable for demurrage it must agree to be a consignee for the goods being shipped as the liability for such charges is based in contract. In this case the District Court granted the Plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment and found that the Defendant was liable for demurrage charges even though it never agreed to be a consignee and was designated by the shipper as a consignee without its knowledge or consent. The Seventh Circuit affirmed. The question presented is whether a party who has not agreed to be a consignee can nevertheless be liable for demurrage charges as a matter of law.