§15906 Liability of Pipeline Carriers Under Receipts and Bills of Lading

Summary

Pipeline carriers must give a receipt or bill of lading when they take goods to move. Any carrier that carries or delivers the goods and is covered by these rules must pay the person entitled under that receipt or bill for the real loss or damage caused while the goods were on the carrier’s line in the United States or when moved from the U.S. to a neighboring foreign country under a single bill. Not giving a receipt does not remove the carrier’s duty to pay. A carrier that issued the bill or that delivered the goods can make the carrier whose line caused the loss pay back what it paid (shown by a receipt, court judgment, or record) and its reasonable legal defense costs. Lawsuits can be filed in federal or state court where the defendant carrier runs a line. Carriers cannot set claim deadlines shorter than 9 months or lawsuit deadlines shorter than 2 years. The 2-year period starts when the carrier gives written notice that it has denied part of the claim. An offer to settle or a note from an insurer does not count as a denial unless it is written, says the claim part is denied, gives reasons, and the insurer says it is acting for the carrier.