Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. v. Regal-Beloit Corp.

Summary

The Court held that the Carmack Amendment does not apply to shipments originating overseas under a single through bill of lading, so the forum-selection clause governing suits in Tokyo is binding. The Court relied on statutory text requiring a receiving rail carrier to issue a bill of lading for domestic transport, concluding the ocean carrier was not such a carrier. Justice Sotomayor, dissenting, would have held that Carmack applies to domestic rail transportation regardless of origin.