Diamond Offshore Drilling Wins New Trial in Personal Injury Suit

Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. will receive a new trial in a lawsuit arising from an employee’s injury, after a Texas appeals court Tuesday reversed a $2.2 million award because the jury erroneously apportioned part of the blame to an affiliate.

William Black, a UK citizen, was working as a mechanic on board a mobile offshore drilling unit docked in Spain. Black suffered third-degree burns to his right buttock after he sat on a bucket containing a caustic cleaning chemical that wasn’t completely sealed. Black sued, and after a trial the jury found Diamond Drilling 52% responsible for Black’s injury. They ...