BUSINESS LAW
United States District Court for the District of Alaska (2025)
Adam Yaggy
In Rosauer v. Alaska Diesel Electric, Inc., 771 F. Supp. 3d 1092 (D. Alaska 2025), the United States District Court for the District of Alaska rejected a marine engine repair service’s motion for summary judgment, finding genuine issues of material fact. (Id. at 1094–95). In this case, a fishing vessel owner sued a repair service, alleging that the repair failed to fix the problem and caused more damage. (Id. at 1097–98). During several weeks, the repair service attempted to fix the engine, but it continued to malfunction despite many repairs and removals of the fuel pump. (Id. at 1095). Following attempts to fix the fuel pump, the transmission also failed. (Id. at 1096). The vessel owner sued under multiple causes of action: breach of contract, breach of warranty of workmanlike performance, negligence, unfair trade practices and Consumer Protection Act (Id. at 1097–1100). The judge found that genuine disputes of material fact existed about whether the attempted repairs disturbed the transmission cooling lines, the timing of engine leaks, and the adequacy of the repairman’s qualification, training, and supervision. (Id. at 1096–97). Therefore, when the repair service filed for summary judgment, the United States District Court for the District of Alaska denied motion. (Id. at 1101–02).
