The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held that a district court erred in finding that a plaintiff, who was a technician who navigated and controlled remotely operated vehicles (“ROVs”) for offshore applications, qualified as a “seaman” as a matter of law. ROVs are unoccupied mechanical devices used to service and repair offshore, underwater drilling rigs. Technicians navigate and control ROVs aboard an ROV Support Vessel, to which the ROVs remain tethered while in use. Technicians work inside a windowless shipping container converted into an ROV command center located on the support vessel. In the context of his claim under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) to recover unpaid wages for overtime worked during his employment, the district court granted summary judgment against the plaintiff, finding that he qualified as a seaman under the FLSA and was exempt from the Act’s overtime provisions.

The Fifth Circuit reversed the district court’s ruling, finding that the jurisprudence upon which the district court relied was distinguishable. It focused on the fact that ROV Technicians had a completely separate command structure than that of the tankerman considered in the Coffin case relied upon by the district court. Thus, the Fifth Circuit held that the district court erred in granting the defendant’s motion for summary judgment because it had not been established as a matter of law that the seaman exemption applied. The matter was remanded to the district court for further proceedings.

Halle et. Al. v. Galliano Marine Service, LLC