Recent Developments in Admiralty and Maritime Law

• Pages: 147-174
• Date: 01 July 2023
• Published date: 01 July 2023
• Author: Jeanne L. Amy,Michael T. Amy,Jason W. Drouyor,Chase Alexandra Jansson,Sara B. Kuebel,Ilsa H. Luther,Jeanne E. Noonan,Holli Packer,Abigail Weiland
• Subject Matter: Administrative & Public Law

147

Jeanne L. Amy ( Jeanne.L.Amy@usdoj.gov) is a Trial Attorney in Aviation, Space & Admi-

ralty Litigation, Torts Branch, Civil Division, U.S. Department of Justice in Washing-

ton, D.C.; Michael T. Amy (michael_amy@laed.uscourts.gov) is a judicial law clerk at the

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans, LA; Jason

W. Drouyor (jason.drouyor@hlag.com) is the Director of Regulatory Affairs at Hapag-

Lloyd (America) LLC, in Atlanta, GA; Chase Alexandra Jansson (chase@CJCLaw.com)

is a senior associate at Campbell Johnston Clark in Miami, FL; Sara B. Kuebel (skue

bel@joneswalker.com) is an associate at Jones Walker LLP in New Orleans, LA; Ilsa H.

Luther (iluther@joneswalker.com) is an associate at Jones Walker LLP in New Orleans,

LA; Jeanne E. Noonan (jnoonan@mcguirewoods.com) is an associate at McGuireWoods

in Norfolk, VA; Holli Packer (holli.packer@blankrome.com) is an associate at Blank Rome

LLP in Philadelphia, PA; Abigail Weiland (aweiland@joneswalker.com) is an associate at

Jones Walker LLP in New Orleans, LA.

RECENT DEV ELOPMENTS IN A DMIRA LTY AND

MARITIME LAW

Jeanne L. Amy, Michael T. Amy, Jason W. Drouyor,

Chase Alexandra Jansson, Sara B. Kuebel, Ilsa H. Luther,

Jeanne E. Noonan, Holli Packer, and Abigail Weiland

I. Introduction .................................................................................148

II. Seaman’s Claims ...........................................................................148

A. Jones Act and Unseaworthiness ........................................... 148

B. Maintenance and Cure ......................................................... 149

C. Other Issues Affecting Jones Act Seamen.............................150

III. Longshoremen Claims ................................................................. 153

IV. Passenger Claims ......................................................................... 154

V. Contract .......................................................................................156

VI. Marine Insurance ........................................................................ 157

VII. Maritime Liens.............................................................................160

VIII. Limitation of Liability ................................................................. 162

IX. Admiralty Jurisdiction .................................................................165

X. Salvage .......................................................................................... 168

XI. Practice, Procedure, and Uniformity .........................................169

Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Law Journal, Summer 2023 (58:2)148

I. INT RODUCTIO N

This article discusses noteworthy admiralty and maritime decisions involv-

ing seamen, longshoremen, passengers, maritime liens, salvage, marine

insurance, marine contracts, limitation of liability, jurisdiction, and other

issues that arise in the practice of maritime law. The survey period includes

opinions issued by federal and state courts in the United States between

October 1, 2021, and September 30, 2022.

II. SEA MAN’S CLA IMS

A. Jones Act and Unseaworthiness

In In re Adriatic Marine, LLC, 2022 A.M.C. 158 (E.D. La. 2022), the court

granted a motion for partial summary judgment dismissing a Jones Act

seaman’s claims for certain non-pecuniary damages as unrecoverable as a

matter of law.1 In this case, the seaman, a deckhand, allegedly suffered inju-

ries while in the process of loading or unloading equipment and supplies

being transferred from a vessel to a nearby platform. Following the inci-

dent, the vessel owner/Jones Act employer filed a limitation action in the

Eastern District of Louisiana. The plaintiff-seaman then filed a claim into

the limitation action alleging causes of action for Jones Act negligence, and

unseaworthiness and maintenance and cure under the general maritime

law. In connection with his claim, the plaintiff-seaman alleged he was “seri-

ously injured” and entitled to recover the following categories of damages:

actual damages, exemplary damages as allowed by law, maintenance and

cure benefits, past and future impairment, past and future disfigurement,

past and future loss of enjoyment of life, past and future pain and suffer-

ing and mental anguish, past and future lost earnings, etc. The Jones Act

employer moved for summary judgment to dismiss the seaman’s claims to

certain non-pecuniary damages, such as past and future loss of enjoyment

of life and past and future mental anguish, as such damages were unrecov-

erable as a matter of law in accordance with Miles v. Apex Marine, Corp., 498

U.S. 19 (1990). The district court granted the motion for partial summary

judgment and dismissed the plaintiff-seaman’s claims for loss of enjoyment

of life and mental anguish.

The United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky

considered whether a state’s COVID-19 statute could work as a defense

to a claim of negligence under the Jones Act where a seaman contracted,

and subsequently died from, COVID-19.2 Defendants’ affirmative defense

cited a Kentucky State statute that provided “immunity or limit[ed] liability

1. In re Adriatic Marine, LLC, 2022 A.M.C. 158 (E.D. La. 2022).

2. Sims v. Inland Marine Servs., 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 148047 (W.D. Ky. Aug. 18, 2022).