Memorandum Opinion and Order
Plaintiffs are four individuals who purchased airline tickets for travel between the United States and Europe and for at least part of their trip traveled on aircraft operated by Iberia Líneas Aéreas de Es-paña (“Iberia”). See R. 156. Plaintiffs’ flights were delayed, and they bring a putative class action alleging breach of contract (Count I) and violation of a European Union regulation that requires compensation for airline delays under certain cirсumstances (Count II). Id. Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(c), Iberia moves for judgment on the pleadings on the claim that seeks relief for violation of the EU regulation (Count II).
Background
European Union Regulation No. 261/2004 (“EU 261”) requires airlines to compensate airline passengers for certain delayed and canceled flights departing from or arriving at airports in the European Union. See R. 156-1 (EU 261 Arts. 3, 5-7). The Preamble states:
Member States should ensure and suрervise general compliance by their air carriers with this Regulation and designate an appropriate body to carry out such enforcement tasks. The supervision should not affect the rights of passengers and air carriers to seek legal redress from courts under procedures of national law.
Id. ¶ 22. Article 15 of the regulation also states:
the passenger shall ... be entitled to take the necessary proceedings before the competent courts or bodies.
Id. Art. 15(2). And Article 12 states that “[t]his Regulation shall apply without prejudice to a passenger’s rights to further compensation.” Id. Art. 12(1). Further, Article 16 provides:
(1) Each Member State shall designate a body responsible for the enforcement of this Regulation....
(2) Without prejudice to Article 12, each passenger may complain to any body designated under paragraph 1, or to any other competent body designated by a Member State.
Id. Art. 16(1), (2). In addition to modifying the word “law” in the Preamble, the word “national” is usеd in Article 14 to modify the phrase “designated body referred to in Article 16.” Id. Art. 14(2).
Legal Standard
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(c) permits a party to move for judgment after the parties have filed the complaint and answer. Buchanan-Moore v. Cnty. of Milwaukee,
Analysis
A. Private Right of Action in United States Courts
The fact that EU 261 is a foreign law does not prohibit the Court from enforcing it. Courts in the United States often have occasion to apply and enforce foreign law. Most commonly, this occurs when a court sitting in diversity addresses a “private law” claim such as a tort or contract claim.
Nevertheless, for the Court to have the power to enforce EU 261, and for Plaintiffs to have a cause of action in the United States under EU 261, the legislative body that enacted the regulation — the European Commission — must have granted U.S. courts the power to enforce EU 261, or at least the European Commission must not have prohibited U.S. courts from doing so. That a legislature may рrescribe which courts may enforce the laws the legislature enacts is a principle familiar to U.S. courts. See Palmore v. United States,
The parties agree that EU 261 creates a private right of action for individuals. R. 172 at 5; R. 185 at 6 (citing cases). Iberia argues, however, that EU 261 does not permit the courts of the United States or any other non-EU Member State to enforce EU 261. R. 172 at 5. Iberia points to Article 16, paragraph 1, which requires “[e]aeh Member State [to] designate a body responsible for the enforcement of this Regulation,” and which states further in paragraph 2 that “each passenger may complain to any body designated under paragraph 1, or to any other competent body designated by a Member State.” R. 172 at 4-5. Iberia contends that this language requires EU 261 to be enforced by bodies designated by EU Member States.
Plaintiffs argue, to the contrary, that the European Commission did not prohibit enforcement of EU 261 by U.S. courts, because EU 261 permits passengers “to seek legal redress from courts under proсedures of national law,” and “to take the necessary proceedings before the competent courts or bodies.” R. 185 at 7. Based on this language, Plaintiffs contend that there is nothing in EU 261 showing that the European Commission intended “to limit the forums exclusively to those in EU-member countries.” Id. Plaintiffs argue that there is further support for their argument in Article 16 — the same provision Iberia relies on — which states that its procedures for passengers to complain to dеsignated bodies are “[wjithout prejudice to Article 12,” which states that “[t]his Regulation shall apply without prejudice to a passenger’s rights to further compensation.” And as Plaintiffs point out, the Preamble contemplates that “the supervision” of the Member States embodied in establishing designated complaint bodies “should not affect the rights of passengers
The diffiсulty with Plaintiffs’ argument is that “national” does not have the world-wide connotation Plaintiffs hope it does. Article 14 uses the word “national” to modify the phrase “designated body referred to in Article 16.” And as the Court discussed above, EU Member States are the only nations that can “designate” enforcement bodies under EU 261. This shows that the word “national,” as used in EU 261, refers to not just any nation, but specifically the EU Member States. Thus, when the EU 261 Preamble mentions “courts under procedurеs of national law,” it is referring to courts of EU Member States, and not the courts of the United States or any other non-EU nation. Notably, two courts in this district have recently endorsed similar reasoning and held that EU 261 does not provide a private right of action in U.S. courts. See Volodarskiy v. Delta Air Lines, Inc.,
In support of their claims, Plaintiffs cite the Court’s earlier ruling (Lefkow, J.) that “[although Iberia claims that European enforcеment was intended to be exclusive, it provides no support for this contention, nor has the court been able to find any.” Giannopoulos v. Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España,
Plaintiffs’ argument that “this is simply a choice of law issue” is illogical. R. 185 at 8. A choice of law issue arises when a plaintiff brings a сlaim based on certain alleged facts and the court is required to decide what jurisdiction’s laws apply to decide whether the plaintiff is entitled to relief. Here, Plaintiffs have already chosen the law in bringing a claim for relief premised on the allegation that Iberia violated EU 261. Thus, there cannot be a choice of law question here.
Plaintiffs also argue that McKesson v. Islamic Republic of Iran,
B. Preemption
EU 261 does not create a cause of action in U.S. courts, and the Court’s holding on this issue is sufficient to grant Iberia’s motion to dismiss. Nevertheless, for purposes of completeness, the Court will address Iberia’s argument that the Airline Deregulation Act (“ADA”), 49 U.S.C. § 41713, preempts EU 261. R. 172 at 12.
ADA § 41713(b) provides that “a State, political subdivision of a State, or political authority of at least 2 States may not enact or enforce a law, regulation, or other provision having the force and effect of law related to a price, route, or service of an air carrier that may provide air transportation.” The statute also provides that “ ‘State’ means a State, the District of Columbia, and a territory or possession of the United States.” Id. § 41713(a). Plaintiffs of course argue that the express language of the statute limits its preemptive scope to “State” law and not foreign law like EU 261.
Despitе the fact that the express language of § 41713(b) prohibits States, and not foreign nations, from “enactfing] or enforcefing]” laws or regulations that fall within the statute’s substantive scope, Iberia argues that § 41713(b) prohibits States from “enforcing” foreign regulations because the language “law, regulation, or other provision” is not modified by the word “State.” R. 190 at 10. Iberia grants that the statute applies only to enforcement by “States,” but contends that States are prohibited from enforcing any regulation “related to a price, route, or service of an air carrier that may provide air transportation,” whether enacted by States or otherwise. Iberia argues, further, that the statute’s prohibition on “State” enforcement of regulations constrains the Court in this case because the Court is sitting in diversity. R. 190 at 11-12.
Other courts have rejected the argument Iberia puts forward here. Recently in this district, Delta Air Lines moved to dismiss the exact сlaim under EU 261 that is at issue here by making the same argument as Iberia. Judge Chang reasoned:
*750 While it is true that “a law, regulation, or other provision” is not directly modified by the word “State,” when the provision is read as a whole, it is clear that a State is the political body that would be enacting or enforcing its own laws and regulations. In other words, for preemption to be triggered, the law in question must be of a State, which the statute clearly defines. Other sub-sections of the рrovision support this interpretation. See, e.g., § 41713(b)(3) (recognizing that the preemption provision does not limit a State from “carrying out its proprietary powers and rights”). Read this way, the word “enforce” in the provision still has meaning outside of entertaining lawsuits brought under foreign law: “enforce” extends the scope of the preemption provision to state common-law claims. See United Airlines, Inc. v. Mesa Airlines, Inc.,219 F.3d 605 , 607 (7th Cir.2000) (recognizing that suits based on state common law are included for purposes of preemption analysis).
Volodarskiy v. Delta Air Lines, Inc., at 792-93,
Express preemption, however, is not thе only form of preemption. Despite Iberia’s failure to raise it in its brief, the Court is compelled to discuss implied preemption to fully address this issue.
Implied preemption comes in two types:
(1) field preemption, which arises when the federal regulatory scheme is so pervasive or the federal interest so dominant that it may be inferred that Congress intended to occupy the entire legislative field and (2) conflict preemption, which arises when state law conflicts with federal law to the extent that “compliance with both federal and state regulations is a physical impossibility,” or the state law “stands as an obstacle to the accomplishment and exe*751 cution of the Ml purposes and objectives of Congress.”
Planned Parenthood of Ind. v. Comm’r of Ind. State Dept. of Health,
Here, there can be no question that “the federal regulatory scheme is so pervasive ... that it may bе inferred that Congress intended to occupy the entire legislative field,” Planned Parenthood,
Furthermore, it is apparent that the delay-compensation scheme EU 261 creates is “related to” the “service” of the “air carrier.” The Supreme Court has described the ADA’s preemption provision as “broad[],” and held that it preempts a state consumer fraud statute. Am. Airlines, Inc. v. Wolens,
The question is whether Congress intended this field to extend to foreign laws and regulations. As the Court noted previously, the Court is aware of three cases that addressed the question of whether an express preemption provision that mentions only state law should also preempt foreign law. See LaSala v. Bordier et Cie,
Additionally, EU 261 applies to flights departing from the U.S. only when the flight is operated by an EU air carrier. See R. 156-1 (EU 261 Art. 3(l)(b)).
Therefore, even if the European Commission intended that U.S. courts be permitted tо enforce its provisions — which the Court has held it did not — the Court would dismiss Plaintiffs’ claim on implied preemption grounds because it is contrary to Congress’s purpose in enacting the ADA.
Conclusion
Therefore, Iberia’s motion, R. 170, is granted, and Count II of the complaint is dismissed as to all Plaintiffs.
Notes
. A separate decision on Iberia’s motion for summary judgment on the Varsamises Plaintiffs’ breach of contract claim in Count I is being issued concurrently with this Opinion and Order.
. Courts and legal scholars have long distinguishеd between private law — e.g., tort or contract law — and public law — e.g., criminal, tax, antitrust or securities law. See William S. Dodge, Breaking the Public Law Taboo, 43 Harv. Int’l L.J. 161, 161-62 (2002); see also Garner v. Teamsters, Chauffeurs and Helpers Local Union No. 776 (A.F.L.),
. See footnote 1, supra.
. Iberia also argues that if the Court were to find that U.S. courts may enforce EU 261, Plaintiffs' class allegation must be dismissed because the European Union does not permit such a procedure. R. 172 at 10. Although it is not necessary for the Court to reach this argument, the Court notes briefly that the Court would not prevent Plaintiffs from proceeding under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23 if they had a cognizable claim under EU 261. Iberia relies on the Supreme Court’s decision in Shady Grove Orthopedic Associates, P.A. v. Allstate Insurance Co.,
. The presence of an express preemption clause does not preclude the possibility that a statute is preempted because Congress intends to occupy a certain field. See Patriotic Veterans, Inc. v. Indiana,
. "Air carrier” includes "foreign air carrier.” See In re Air Cargo Shipping Servs. Antitrust Litig.,
. Although the facts of Volodarskiy v. Delta Air Lines, Inc., cannot be similarly distinguished, that case did not address the possibility of implied prevention either.
. Article 3(l)(b) provides, "This Regulation shall apply to passengers departing from an airport located in a third country to an airport situated in the territory of a Member State to which the treaty applies ... if the operating air carrier of the flight concerned is a Community carrier.” R. 156-1. Additionally, " 'Community carrier’ means an air carrier with a valid operating license granted by a Member State....” Id. Art. 2(c).
