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Admiralty Law Keyed to Maraist
Jerome B. Grubart, Inc. v. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co.
Citation:
513 U.S. 527, 115 S.Ct. 1043, 130 L.Ed.2d 1024, 1995 AMC 913 (1995)Facts
In 1990, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company contracted with the City of Chicago to replace wooden pilings (called dolphins) clustered around bridge piers spanning the Chicago River, a navigable waterway. Great Lakes performed this work using two barges towed by a tug – one carrying pilings and the other carrying a crane. In August and September 1991, while replacing pilings around the Kinzie Street Bridge, Great Lakes secured its crane-carrying barge to the riverbed with spuds (metal legs extending from the barge) and used the crane to remove old pilings and drive new ones. Approximately seven months later, on April 13, 1992, the walls or ceiling of a freight tunnel running under the river collapsed, allowing river water to flow into the tunnel and flood buildings in Chicago’s downtown Loop area. After flood victims filed state court actions against Great Lakes and the City of Chicago, Great Lakes brought an action in federal court invoking admiralty jurisdiction and seeking protection under the Limitation of Vessel Owner’s Liability Act, which would potentially limit its liability to the value of the vessels involved.
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