In Dutra v. Batterton, No. 18-266, the Supreme Court of the United States, on June 24, 2019, determined that punitive damages are not allowed for injured vessel crew members seeking remedies for vessel unseaworthiness. In addressing a split between the Ninth Circuit on one hand and the First, Fifth, and Eleventh Circuits on the
Personal Jurisdiction Over a Foreign Ship Manager: A Claim-By-Claim Analysis
NOTE: This post was co-authored by William L. Pardue, a Loyola University New Orleans College of Law student who is spending part of his summer working at King & Jurgens.
Carmona v. Leo Ship Mgmt, Inc.; No. 18-20248, 2019 WL 2067296* (5th Cir. May 10, 2019).
This Fifth Circuit decision addressing a court’s personal
Delay at Your Peril
The Ninth Circuit in Warren Iopa v. Saltchuk-Young Brothers, et al, (9th Cir. No. 17-70415, March 4, 2019) affirmed the lower courts’ denial of the claimant’s petition for attorney fees under LHWCA as being made untimely. In this case, Mr. Iopa was successful in obtaining benefits before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) for
You Must Warn of Defect Even If You Did Not Make It
In Air & Liquid Systems Corp., et al. v Devries, et al., No. 17-1104 (March 19, 2019) the U.S. Supreme Court held that a product manufacturer, in a maritime tort context, has a duty to warn when its product requires incorporation of a part that the manufacturer knows or has reason to know that
It’s a Holiday Miracle — Ninth Circuit Follows the Country on Employer’s Defense
In Sira Cruz v. National Steel and Shipbuilding Company; Peterson Industrial Scaffolding, Inc., Civil Action No. 17-55441 (December 19, 2018) (9th Cir.), a case that may only be noteworthy for practitioners in the Ninth Circuit, the Court applied a borrowed employee defense to a longshoreman’s claim against a third party. The defendant,
The LHWCA’s §933(g) Requirement of Notification is to be Strictly Enforced
On September 11, 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in the matter of McGill C. Parfait v. Director, OWCP, Performance Energy Services LLC and Signal Mutual Indemnity Association Ltd., No. 16-60662, granted the respondents’ motion to dismiss Mr. McGill’s Petition for Review based upon the petitioner’s non-compliance with 33 USC
Fourth Circuit Reverses Benefits Review Board’s View of the Effect of Retirement
On January 3, 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Russell Moody v. Huntington Ingalls Incorporated, No. 16-1773 (4th Cir., 01/03/2018), reversed a ruling of the Benefit Review Board that had earlier overturned the finding of an Administrative Law Judge that granted benefits to a retired employee. Russell
Fifth Circuit Affirms Contractors Cannot Be Criminally Liable for OCSLA Violations
On September 27, 2017, the Fifth Circuit in U.S.A. v. Don Moss, Curtis Dantin, Grand Isle Shipyard, Incorporated, and Christopher Srubar, No. 16-30516 (5th Cir. September 27, 2017), issued a decision affirming the District Court’s dismissal of criminal charges against a number of oil field contractors resulting from a welding accident that occurred
“Last Employer Rule” in Occupational Disease Addressed by Fifth Circuit
On May 17, 2017, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit rendered a decision affirming an Administrative Law Judge’s decision in Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., et al. v. Director, OWCP, et al., No. 16-60370. This matter arose as a claim filed under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, 33 USC
Psychological Injuries and Medical Examiners Under the LHWCA
On January 27, 2017, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Ceres Marine Terminals, Inc. v. Director, OWCP, (Samuel Jackson), No. 15-1041, affirmed the decisions of an Administrative Law Judge and the Benefits Review Board holding that a defense founded upon the precept of “zone of danger” was not applicable under the LHWCA. It