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Torts Keyed to Goldberg
United States v. Reliable Transfer Co.
Facts
Reliable Transfer Co., Plaintiff, owned a tank that became stranded on a sandbar. Plaintiff brought suit against the United States on the basis that the United States Coast Guard negligently failed to maintain a flashing light because the flashing light would have allowed the tanker’s captain to circumvent the sandbar. A federal district court held that Plaintiff was 75 percent at fault and the Coast Guard was 25 percent at fault. Also, the court noted that the tanker’s captain had multiple other devices for navigating past the sandbar, but chose to use none. Pursuant to the divided-damages rule in admiralty law, the court held that each party was liable for half of the damages to the tanker. Thereafter, the United States petitioned the Supreme Court for certiorari.
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