Admiralty & Maritime
President Trump Waives Jones Act in Response to Relief Efforts in Puerto Rico
The Merchant Marine Act of 1920, more commonly known as the Jones Act, was passed to promote and maintain the American merchant marine by,... More
New Version of Nautical Rules of the Road Published
The United States Coast Guard has published a new amalgamated version of the nautical Rules of the Road to improve the readability and understanding... More
NINTH CIRCUIT HOLDS DEFENSE BASE ACT’S ZONE OF SPECIAL DANGER APPLICABLE TO LOCAL NATIONALS
Claimant, a citizen of the Marshall Islands, was employed as a civilian defense contractor based in the Kwajalein Atoll, which houses the U.S. Army... More
Federal Policy Remains that Arbitration Agreements and their Broad Construction are Favored
Plaintiff filed a seaman’s complaint alleging that he incurred injury while working as a crew member on one of the defendant’s vessels because the... More
Fifth Circuit Vacates Summary Judgment and Allows Consideration of Plaintiff’s Expert
The plaintiff allegedly sustained injuries when he fell on a vessel owned by his employer. He filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court... More
White House Budget Proposal Could Result in Huge Financial Loss for Gulf Coast Region
On May 23, 2017, at a time when oil prices have started to rise and energy companies have regained optimism about the prospect of... More
U.S. Fifth Circuit reverses district court’s grant of summary judgment, finding that ROV Technician was not a seaman as a matter of law
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held that a district court erred in finding that a plaintiff, who was a... More
Federal District Court Once Again Addresses Discoverability of Surveillance
The Eastern District of Louisiana recently issued another opinion interpreting Chiasson v. Zapata Gulf Marine Corp., the benchmark Fifth Circuit case that guides the... More
Louisiana law applies over maritime law where accident occurred on continental shelf off coast of Louisiana
On March 10, 2017 the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana held that Louisiana substantive law, not maritime law, applied... More
BENEFITS REVIEW BOARD HOLDS STATE WORKERS’ COMPENSATION SETTLEMENT TOLLS STATUTORY BAR
In the 1970s, Claimant worked for a LHWCA-covered employer as a welder. Subsequently, he worked for non-covered employers until he retired voluntarily. During the... More