Navigating A Course To Justice
If you are unfamiliar with this story, here is a brief recounting of the facts. 13 are missing or dead, and several more suffered life-threatening trauma after a SEACOR vessel capsized in rough waters. The owners of the vessel insisted on sailing in dangerous waters because they wanted to get a specific job done quickly. The families of the missing…
A company responsible for rescuing victims of the SEACOR boat collapse has been sued by one of the victims’ families. The family claims that the underwater rescue company did not act “fast enough”. His body was found still inside the SEACOR vessel. His attorneys contend that he survived long enough inside the SEACOR vessel to be rescued by crews, but…
A seaman who was injured after following his captain’s orders filed a lawsuit against the company he worked for seeking damages for his injury. In this case, the plaintiff sustained an injury to his ankle after the captain ordered him and another seaman to change a worn-out stern line. According to the plaintiff, they were ordered to change the stern…
The law is complex, and among the most complex facets of the law lies jurisdiction. Which court has the standing to hear a case? As it turns out, this question is quite important because it establishes what rules the court will use to decide the case. For incidents that occur on the high seas, the matter is complicated by jurisdictional…
One of the games lawyers play in law school is to dredge up fictional accounts or historical incidents and try them in a mock trial before an acting judge. The SS Edmund Fitzgerald is among the most famous shipwrecks in American history immortalized in lyrics and song by the great Gordon Lightfoot. So what if I was a lawyer representing…
Two crew members suffered serious injuries while performing a drill in Vancouver’s English Bay. The crew members were aboard the lifeboat when it became unlatched from the ship and plunged into the water. The lifeboat was nearly sunk by the time rescue crews arrived. The Coast Guard rescued the crew members and described their injuries as “serious and significant”. Both…
The widow of a former sea captain who succumbed to the coronavirus settled a lawsuit against the ship’s operator under The Jones Act. It is among the first of its kind to reach a settlement. There is a decided lack of clarity when it comes to coronavirus litigation after several states passed legislation shielding companies from immunity. Today, those who…
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that he will file a lawsuit against the CDC to allow the cruise industry to once again operate. The cruise industry has been sidelined ever since the advent of COVID in early March of 2020. The Governor is hoping to get cruise lines treated like airlines and does not believe that the federal government has…
Florida and Alaska have joined forces to file a lawsuit against the CDC over cruise restrictions that remain in place even as the Covid vaccine is being rolled out. However, the measure was blocked by Washington Senator Patty Murray eight days after it was introduced. The CRUISE (Careful Resumption Under Improved Safety Enhancements) Act would ostensibly lift restrictions on the…
A former engineer for a Transocean drillship has filed a Maritime lawsuit against his company alleging that they put profits ahead of the safety of their workers. As Hurricane Zeta was bearing down on the ship, the workers failed to disconnect it from a deepwater well in time. The case was filed under The Jones Act. At the time of…