American seamen have three avenues of recovery against a shipowner in respect of injuries sustained on board a ship: maintenance and cure; the Jones Act; a claim of unseaworthiness.
Punitive damages are available for the first of these, but not the second. The position as regards unseaworthiness was, until recently, unclear with a Circuit split on the issue. This has now been resolved by the Supreme Court’s decision in Dutra Group v Batterton ,588- U.S.. ____ Uniqus Car Auto Universal Tube Air Filter Adjustable Cold Air Injection Intake System Pipe Without Air Filter(bluee)Uniqus Car Cleaning Brush, Size 63 x 10cm, Random color Delivery(2019) , to the effect that punitive damages are not recoverable. The overwhelming historical evidence was against such damages being available in an action for unseaworthiness. A novel remedy could not be sanctioned unless it is required to maintain uniformity with Congress’s clearly expressed policies, Uniqus Car Key Blank Flip Floding Remote Key Blade for Hyundai Elantra Tucson Accent Kia Forte Remote Key (NO 33 36 50 86 )Uniqus Car Roof Ceiling Decoration 5V Red Green LED Star Night Lights Projector Atmosphere Galaxy Lampparticularly those in the Merchant Marine Act of 1920 (Jones Act), under which only compensatory damages were recoverable.Uniqus Car Travel Inflatable Mattress Air Bed Camping Universal SUV Back Seat Couch(Grey)Uniqus Caution Wet Floor Sign Cleaning Slippery Warning Both Side Safety Hazard Warning Frame.
To allow punitive damages on unseaworthiness claims would create bizarre disparities in the law. First, a mariner could make a claim for punitive damages if he was injured onboard a ship, but his estate would lose the right to seek punitivedamages in a wrongful death action if he died from his injuries. Uniqus D19 Necklace Style Mini Realtime GPS Tracker, LBS + WiFi + GPS, SOS, Voice Monitor, Two Way Audio (Red)Uniqus DC 24V to 12V Car Power Step-Down Transformer, Rated Output Current 45ASecond, because unseaworthiness claims run against the owner of the vessel, the owner could be liable for punitive damages while the ship’s master or operator—who could be more culpable—would not be liable for such damages under the Jones Act. Uniqus DC12V 35W 2X H1 Slim HID Xenon Light, High Intensity Discharge Lamp, color Temperature 8000KUniqus Dual-Purpose Rebound Memory Foam Car Headrest Pillow Breathable Waist Back Cushion(Purple)Third, allowing punitive damages would place American shippers at a significant competitive disadvantage and discourage foreign-owned vessels from employing American seamen