Every year, hundreds of scuba divers and snorkelers are injured or killed in scuba diving accidents. There are several reasons that these types of accidents happen, many of which have nothing to do with the negligence of the divers themselves. When another party’s...
Admiralty Law
Liftboat Crew Does Not Qualify for Seaman Exemption Under Fair Labor Standards Act
This case arose out of a collective action filed by a crane operator on behalf of himself and the crew of a liftboat that serviced oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. All Coast, the Defendant, argued that both the crane operators and the cooks onboard the...
California Court Issues Bellwether Ruling on COVID-19 and DOHSA
Maa v. Carnival Corp. & PLC, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 172621 Factual Background In Maa v. Carnival Corp. & PLC, the United States District Court for the Central District of California held that personal injury claims arising from deaths caused by COVID-19...
Fifth Circuit Rejects Chevron’s Interpretation of Valladolid and Herb’s Welding in Recent Case
In Mays v. Chevron Pipe Line Co., the U.S. Fifth Circuit upheld a $3 million verdict to the wife and estate of a deceased employee of a subcontractor working on a platform in Louisiana territorial waters. The jury found that the employee’s death was attributed to...
What Is Admiralty Law?
Admiralty law, which is also known as maritime law, is a body of law covering all torts, offenses, contracts, and injuries that occur on navigable waters, including lakes and rivers. Admiralty law cases often address issues involving the duties owed by ship captains...