Jones Act, Maritime Law Don’t Help Seamen Obtain Punitive Damages From Oil Rig Owner

One seaman was killed and three others were injured on an oil rig in a Louisiana bayou, but none of them are entitled to punitive damages from the rig’s owner, the en banc U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held Sept. 25 (McBride v. Estis Well Service LLC, 2014 BL 266979, 5th Cir. (en banc), 12-30714, 9/25/14).

Relying on the U.S. Supreme Court’s holding in Miles v. Apex Marine Corp., 498 U.S. 19 (1990), the opinion by Judge W. Eugene Davis said that neither the representative of the deceased seaman, nor the injured seamen can ...