The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which hears federal cases out of states including Louisiana, recently issued a ruling regarding damages available to employees who are injured at sea. The employee in this case suffered a back injury while...
Jones Act
Supreme Court declines to hear Jones Act case
Several months ago on this blog we discussed a federal appeals court decision that helped clarify the meaning of "in the course of employment" for Jones Act claims. The Fifth Circuit, based in New Orleans, held that a man who accidentally shot a coworker onboard a...
Supreme Court rules floating home isn’t a “vessel”
The Supreme Court of the United States issues a ruling earlier this month that could affect what cases are tried under maritime law. At the heart of the case was a Florida man's floating home, a two-story, 60-foot-long houseboat. When he towed his boat to a Florida...
Louisiana’s refineries see high number of accidents
Last month we discussed Louisiana's impressive performance in the Occupational Health & Safety Administration's annual Survey of Occupational Illnesses and Injuries. In 2011, Louisiana had the lowest rate private industry work-related injuries and illnesses in the...
BSEE fails to audit offshore operators
Over a year ago, in the wake of the 2010 BP oil disaster, a federal agency was given authority to audit offshore oil and gas operators. Those operators were also required to put new safety systems into place to help ensure that another catastrophic disaster would not...
We Win Cases They Now Teach in Law Schools
