Jury Awards $1.5 Million in Punitive Damages to Jones Act Seaman
A jury in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana recently awarded a Jones Act seaman approximately $3.2 million in damages. Griffin v. REC Marine... More
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Sixth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Jones Act and General Maritime Law Claims in Vessel in Navigation Case
On June 6, 2022, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit handed down its decision in Jarvis v. Hines Furlong Line, Inc. The Court reviewed a... More
Jones Act and Medical Evidence: Courts Are Not Required to Weigh Conflicting Evidence in Favor of Seamen
In a recent opinion as unequivocal as it was terse, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit struck down a seaman’s limited interpretation of a trial court’s... More
Jones Act Status Limited – Land-Based Welder Not a Seaman
Since Congress never defined the term “seaman,” the definition of and distinction between employees entitled to benefits under the Longshore and Harbor Worker’s Compensation Act (“LHWCA”) as opposed to... More
U.S. Fifth Circuit Clarifies Seaman’s Standard of Care Under the Jones Act
In a recent opinion regarding a seaman’s comparative fault for his personal injury claim, the U.S. Fifth Circuit clarified a longstanding area of contention under the Jones Act. Moreover,... More
U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana Declines to Hold Jones Act Employer Liable and Vessel Unseaworthy
[A] seaman’s burden to prove causation between his employer’s negligence and his injury is “very light.” O’Neill v. Seariver Mar., Inc., 246 F. App’x 278, 280 (5th Cir. 2007)... More
COVID-19 Fuels Debate Over Waiver of Jones Act’s Coastwise Trade Restrictions
The COVID-19 virus has significantly impacted the United States economy. The maritime industry, as part of the global supply chain, is certainly no exception. Opponents of the Jones Act’s... More
Ruling in Jones Act Case Covers Seafarer Injured Mixing Business and Pleasure
In a recent Jones Act case, Sara Herrera v. 7R Charter Limited, No. 19-10605 (11th Cir. 2019), the court makes clear that a seafaring employee need not necessarily forgo... More
Supreme Court Hears Oral Argument in Jones Act Case, Dutra Group v. Batterton
On Monday, March 25, 2019, the United States Supreme Court held oral argument on Dutra Group v. Batterton in an attempt to resolve a circuit split. The Jones Act case... More
Jones Act Case: No Automatic Liability for Employer for Medical Providers’ Negligence
In a recent Jones Act case, Randle v. Crosby Tugs, L.L.C., 911 F.3d 280 (5th Cir. 2018), the United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, ruled that the employer/vessel... More