Pursuant to 5 T H C IR . R. 47.5 , the court has determined that this opinionshould not * be publishe d an d is not precedent except under the limited circu mstance s set forth in 5 T H C IR . R. 47.5 .4. 

### INTHE UNI TED S TATESCOU RT OFAPPEALS

FORTHE FIFTH CIRCU IT

N o. 09- 40561 Su m m ar y Cal endar

J A M E S E R V IN ; D O N A L D E R V IN , P la in tiffs –A p p e lla n ts , v. M A S T E R S R E S O U R C E S L L C , D efen da n t–A pp el l ee .

A p p ea lf

rom the U n i ted S tates D i stri ct C ou rt f or t h e Sou t h ern D i st ri ctof T exas U SD C N o. 3: 07- C V

- 233

B ef ore G A R Z A , C L E M E N T , an d O W E N , C i rcui tJu dg es . P E R C U R I A M: * Jam es a nd Dona l d Er vi n a ppe ala j ur y ve r di c ti n fav o ro f M as t e rs R e s o u r c e s , L L C (M a s te r s ) o n th e ircla im u n d e rg e n e r a l m a r itim e la w . W e a f f i r m. I Th i s c as e a r i se s outof a boat i ng ac c i denti n G alves t on B ay. I n Jul y 2006 , Jam es and D on al d E rvi n setout on D on al d’ s boat f or a day of

f i shi n g. A f

t er United States Court of App eals

Fifth Circuit 

### F I L E D December

10, 2009 Cha rl es R. F ulb ru g e II I ClerkN o. 09- 40561

Cou gh lin v. Capitol C

ementC o. , 5 7 1 F .2 d 2 9 0 , 2 9 7( 5 thC ir

. 1 9 7 8). 1 Flowers v. S. Re

g’l Ph ysicianServs. I

nc. , 2 4 7F .3 d 2 2 9 , 2 3 8( 5 thC ir

. 2 0 0 1 ); C ou gh li n , 2 571 F .2d at 2 97. Flowers , 2 4 7F .3 d at 2 3 8
. 3 Id

. 4 2 f i s hi ng at Bar t ’ s Pas s , t he Erv i ns nav i ga t e d t o w ar ds Ear ne s t Ree f atabo ut t w e nt y m i l e s pe rho ur . As t h e y ap pr o ac he d, t he i rv e s s e la l l i de d wi t h a sub m erged obj ect , w h i ch the E rvi n s c l ai m w a s a pipe w i t h a f ou r- t o si x- i n ch di am e t e r . Dona l d was t hr o w n o ve rboard , a n d Ja m e s w as t hr o w n a ga i ns tt he vessel ’ s bow

. B ot h l ostconsci ou sness bri ef l y an d w ere t reat ed at t h e em ergency
r o o m fo rth e irinju r ie s . The Erv i n s su ed M as t e r s a nd a l l e ge d t hati to w ne d o rc o nt r o l l e d t he pi pel i n e st ruck by t h ei r vessel

. A j u ry, h ow ever, rend ered a verdi ctf or M aster s, f i ndi ng t hati tdi d no to w n, c o nt r o l , m ai nt ai n, o r put i n pl ac e t he pi pe t he Er vi ns s t r uc k. The di s t r i c tc o ur te nt e red j u dg m ento n t he v e r di c ta nd d e ni e d t he E r v in s ’m o tio n fo ra n e w tr ia l. T h is a p p e a l fo llo w e d

. II The Erv i ns a r gue t hatt he j ur y ve r di c tw as a ga i ns tt he g r e atw e i ghto f t he
e vi de nc e . Butfe de r alc o ur t s “ do n ot d i rect l y r e vi e w j ur y ve r di c t s . ” Si nc e t he 1 Erv i ns di d no tm o ve f o rj udg m e n ta s a m at t e ro f l aw on t he s uf

f i c i e nc y o f

t he
ev i d en ce, th eyd id n o t p r op erly p rese rv e th a t arg u m en t i n the distri ct cou rt. 2 I s s u e s r a i s e df

o rt h e f i r s tt i me o n a p p e a la r e r e v i e we do n l yfo rp l a i n e r r o r . O n 3 pl ai n err or r evi ew , t h e q u est i on “i s not w h et h er t h ere w as substan t i alevi den ce t o s upp o r tt he j ur y ve r di c t , b utw he t he rt he r e w as any e vi de nc e t o s upp o r tt he ju r yv e r d ic t.” 4N o. 09- 40561

C ou gh li n , 5 7 1 F .2 d at 2 9 7
. 5 Id

. at29 8. 6 Id

. (intern al quot ationmark s o mitt ed). 7 Crep pel v. Shell Oil C

o. , 7 3 8F .2 d 6 9 9 , 7 0 1 ( 5 thC ir

. 1 9 8 4). 8 See id. at70 2. 9 3 Al t ho ugh t he Er vi ns r ai s e d t he i ssue i n am o t i o n f o ra ne w t r i al , s uc h a
m ot i on “ w i l lnot r eopen t h e qu est i on f orecl osed by pl ai n t i f

fs’fai l u re t o m ove f

or a dir ect ed verdic t
. ” Aden i alof a m ot i on f

or new t ri ali s r evi ew ed f or abu se of 5 di s c r e t i o n. As s uc h, w e do no trevi e w t he “ s uf f i c i e nc y” o f

t he e vi de nc e , b ut 6
r a t h e r“w h e t h e rth e r e w a s a n a b s o lu t e a b s e n c e o f e v id e n c e t o s u p p o r tt h e ju r y ’s
v e r d ic t.” 7 B ecau se t h e a ll e ged t ortocc u rred i n na vi gab l e w ater s, t h e case i s governed by ad m i ral t y l aw . T o establ i sh l i abil i t y, the E rvi n s h ad t o show t h at M aster s 8

“ ow ned, m ai nt ai ned, pl ac ed, o r c ont r ol l ed” t he s ubm er ged obs t r uct i on t hat d a m a g e dth e irv e s s e l. T h e E r v in s a r g u e th a t t h e e v id e n c e co n c lu s iv e ly 9
es t abl i she d t hat M as t er s ow ned, m ai nt ai ned, pl ac ed, or c ont r ol l ed t he o bj ec tat i s s ue a nd t hatno r e as o nab l e j ur o rc o ul d ha ve f o und o t he r w i s e . Sp e c i f i c al l y, t he Erv i ns po i ntt o t he t e s t i m on y as t o w he r e t he a c c i de nto c c ur r e d a nd t he t es t i m ony o f

M as t er s’ s c or por at e re pre se nt at ive, John B ar t on, w hi c h t hey al l ege esta b l i sh es th a t M a sters co n troll ed an d m a i n tain ed a l lpip eli n es in th e v i ci n i ty
o f th e a c c id e n t. W e co nc l ude t hatt he r e i s s o m e e vi de nc e t o s upp o r tt he j ur y ve r di c t
. The onl y e vi denc e t hatt he E r vi ns s t r uck a pi pe w as t hei rt es t i m on y t hat i m m edi at el y af

t ert he ac c i dent , w hi c h knocke d them bot h uncons c i ous , t hey s aw a f ou r- t o si x- i n ch rusty p i pe j u stb el ow the surface of t h e w ater
. B u tw h en t h ey
r e t ur ne d t o t he al l e ge d l o c at i o n o f t he a l l i s i o n, t he y c o ul d no tl o c at e t he pi pe a nd t her ef or e c oul d of

fer no di r ec t pro of t hat M as t er s ow ned t he obj ec t th a t w asN o. 09- 40561

4 st r uck. Al t hough th e Ervi ns o f fer ed c i r c um st ant i alev i denc e s ugges t i ng t hat M as ters ow n ed m os tof t he pi pes i n t he ar ea, t hi s evi denc e w as c ount er ed by t est i m on y f

rom M aster s’ s w i t n esses t h at t w o ot h e r com pa n i es had pi pes i n or
n e a rth e a c c id e n t lo c a tio n . M o r e o v e r , th e E r v in s in s is te dth a t t h e p ip e a lle g e d ly stru ck h a da d i a m eter o f fou r to si x in ch es, a n d M a s te rs’ s corp ora te representat ive t est i f i ed that i tdi d n otow n an y pi pel i n es t h at si ze i n t h e area of th e accide n t. A ccord i n gly, w e can n ot con cl u d e t h a t th ere i s a n “a b s o lu te abs enc e” of

ev i denc e s upport i ng t he j ury ver di c t
. G iven t h e hi ghl y de fer ent i al stan d a rd of rev i ew , w e m u st aff i rm the j u d gm en t. * * * F o rt h e f

o r e g o i n gr e a s o n s , t h e d i s t r i c tc o u r t ’ s j u d g me n ti s A F F I RMED.