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 Logistics, LLC, et al., 2020-00092 (M.D. La.)

In Griffin v. REC Marine Logistics, LLC, et al., the plaintiff claimed that he sustained serious injuries to his shoulder, neck, back, and legs when the vessel captain allowed the vessel to move suddenly during a man-lift operation. Notably, the jury awarded $1.5 million in punitive damages stemming from the employer’s willful, wanton, and arbitrary failure to provide maintenance and cure.

The pre-trial order filed in the case is not publicly available so there is little detail at this time as to the circumstances that justified the punitive damages award. An update will follow when more information is available.

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