FILED U.S. COURT OF A P P E A LS E LE V EN T HC IR C U IT MARCH 11, 2008 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H]

I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 07- 13237 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D. C. Do c k e tNo . 0 6 - 6 1 0 9 9 - CV- J EM C A P E A N N T O W I N G , P la in tif f - A p p e lla n t, v ersu s M /Y " U N I V E R S A L L A D Y " , in r e m , B P E N T E R P R I S E S O F F L O R I D A , L L C , D e f e n d a n ts - A p p e lle e s .

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe S outhe r n D i s tr i c tof F l or i da

_________________________ ( M ar c h 11, 2008) B efo re B IR C H , D U B IN A an d B A R K E T T , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M:Sa lvag eawa rd s h avebe e n a

wa rd e d a s a matter o f p ub licpo lic y

to enc ourag ese ame n to 1 render aid in emerg ency

situations and arenot limi ted to qu an tum meru it compensation but rather takeinto consideration several factors first a rticulated by

the Supreme Court in The Bla ckwall, 77 U.S. 1, 14 (1869), including thevalue of the property

saved, thetime and skill of the re scuer s and degreeof dang er involved. At trial, the par

ties did not disput e that the a ctions of Cape Ann Towingwere voluntary 2 and su c c e ssf ul, but rather o nly

dis a gre e d whe ther M/YUnivers a l L a dy wa s su bje c t to a mari tim e peril. 2 C ape A nn T ow i ng sued M ot or Y ac htU ni vers al L ady ( “ M /Y U ni vers al L ady” ) i n rem c l a i m i ng i tw a s e nt i t l e d t o a s a l va ge a w a r d i n the a m ountof $ 4 8 7 , 5 0 0 fo r reco v ery an d t o w i n g serv i ces p ro v i d ed t o M /Y U n i v ersal L ad y. 1 F ol l ow i ng a non-

j ur y tr i a l , the di s tr i c tc our tf ound tha tC a pe A nn T ow i ng ha d not e s t a bl i s he d the r e qui s i t e e xi s t e nc e of a m a r i t i m e pe r i l t o M /Y U ni ve r s a l L a dy nece ss ary t o a sa l vage aw ar d and there by concl ud ed thatC ape A nn T ow i ng w as note nt i t l e d t o a s a l va ge a w a r d. I ns t e a d, the di s tr i c tc our te nt e r e d a f i na l j udgm e nt a w a r di ng c om pe ns a t i on t o C a pe A nn T ow i ng i n the a m ountof $2706. 37 on the basi s of q u a n tu m m e r u it f o rm a r in e to w in g s e r v ic e s . In o rd er t o est ab l i sh a cl ai m fo r a sal v ag e aw ard , a p o t en t i al sal v o r m u st d e m o n s tr a te ( 1 ) th e e x is te n c e o f a m a r itim e p e r il f

r o m w h ic h th e p r o p e r ty c o u ld no thave been saved w i tho utthe sa l vo r’ s a ss i st ance ; (2) a vo l un t ary a cton the part of the s a l vor ; a nd ( 3) the s a l vor ’ s s uc c e s s i n s a vi ng the pr ope r ty . K l e i n v. 2 U n id e n tif

ie d W r e c k e d & A b a n d o n e d S a ilin g V e s s e l, 7 5 8 F .2 d 1 5 1 1 , 1 5 1 5 ( 1 1 thIn Bonner v. City of Prichard, 661 F.2d 1206, 1209 ( 11th Cir. 1981) (en ba nc), the 3 El e venth Circ uit a dopte d a s b indingpre c e dent all F if th C irc uit de c isi on s h and e d d own p ri or to the close of

business on September 30, 1981. 3 C i r . 1985) ; s e e a l s o F or tM y e r s S he l l & D r e dgi ng C o. v. B a r ge N B C 512, 404 F . 2d 137, 139 ( 5th C i r . 1968) ( e xpl a i ni ng tha tthe m a r i t i m e pe r i l ne e d notbe i m m i ne nt 3 b u t r a th e rr e a s o n a b ly a p p r e h e n d e d ) . O n a p p e a l, C a p e A n n T o w in g a r g u e s th a t th e d is tr ic t c o u r t e r r e d in its d e te r m in a tio n th a t th e M /Y U n iv e r s a l L a d y w a s n o t in a s itu a tio n o f r e a s o n a b le a p p r e h e n s io n o f

m a r itim e p e r il a t th e tim e C a p e A n n T o w in g r e n d e r e d its s e r v ic e s . A ddi t i ona l l y , C a pe A nn T ow i ng a r gue s tha tthe di s tr i c tc our te r r e d i n c a l c ul a t i ng the c om pe ns a t i on ow e d t o C a pe A nn T ow i ng ba s e d on the s t a nda r d hour l y r a t e f or m a r i ne t ow i ng r a the rtha n on the pe rf ootof ve s s e l c ha r ge w hi c h i s c us t om a r y i n a s a lv a g e a w a r d . W e a r e notpe r m i t t e d t o s e ta s i de the j udgm e ntof a tr i a l c our t , s i t t i ng w i thouta j ur y i n a n a dm i r a l ty c a s e , unl e s s i ti s c l e a r l y e r r one ous . M c A l l i s t e rv. U ni t ed S t at es , 34 8 U . S . 19 , 20 (195 4); H arbo r T ug & B ar ge, Inc. v. B el cher T ow i ng C o. , 733 F . 2d 823, 825 ( 11th C i r . 1984) . T he di s tr i c tc our t ’ s f i ndi ngs of fa ctar e a l so re vi ew ed for c l ea r e rr or. S ee F l agshi p M ar i ne S er vs. , Inc. v. B el cher T o w in g C o ., 9 6 6 F .2 d 6 0 2 , 6 0 4 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 9 2 ) , r e i ns tat e d by 2 3 F .3 d 3 4 1 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 9 4 ) .4

U pon r e vi e w of

the di s tr i c tc our t ’ s de t a i l e d f a c tua l f i ndi ngs of

the ci rc um st ance s und erw hi ch C ape A nn T ow i ng re nd er ed se rvi ce s t o M /Y U ni vers al L a dy , w e f

i nd tha tthe di s tr i c tc our tdi d notc l e a r l y e r ri n i t s de t e r m i na t i on tha tthe M /Y U n iv e r s a l L a d y w a s n o t in a s itu a tio n w h e r e th e r e w a s a r e a s o n a b le a ppr e he ns i on of

m a r i t i m e pe r i l , the r e by pr e c l udi ng C a pe A nn T ow i ng f r om e nt i t l e m e ntt o a s a l va ge a w a r d. N otw i ths t a ndi ng C a pe A nn T ow i ng’ s a s s e r t i ons th a t th e w e a th e rw a s s till p e r ilo u s a n d M /Y U n iv e r s a l L a d y w a s p o s itio n e d n e x t to a nd a bove br oke n c onc r e t e pi l i ngs , upon r e vi e w of the e vi de nc e pr e s e nt e d a tthe n o n - ju r y tr ia l, th e d is tr ic t c o u r t f o u n d th a t ( 1 ) th e w e a th e rh a d d r a m a tic a lly i m prov ed fr om the ea rl i erhu rr i ca ne cond i t i on s; (2) the M /Y U ni vers al L ady w as l oc a t e d i n a m a r i na , a f

l oa t , a nd s e c ur e d by a r ope t o a nothe rboa t , a nd ( 3) C a pe A nn T ow i ng had p re se nt ed no cr edi bl e e vi dence thatthe concret e pi l i ng s had d a m a g e d o rp o s e d f

u r th e rr is k o f

d a m a g e to M /Y U n iv e r s a l L a d y ’s h u ll. T he di stri ctcourt ’ s f

ac tual fi nd i ng s c anno tbe re vers ed un l es s they a re c l e a r l y e r r one ous s uc h tha t“ a l though the r e i s e vi de nc e t o s uppor t[ the m ] , the r e vi e w i ng c our ton the e nt i r e e vi de nc e i s l e f tw i th a de f

i ni t e a nd f

i r m c onvi c t i on tha ta m i s t a ke ha s be e n c om m i t t e d. ” M c A l l i s t e r , 348 U . S . a t20. W e do notf i nd a ny s uc h m i s t a ke he r e . W hi l e w e r e c ogni z e tha tthe r e w e r e s tr ong w i nd c ondi t i ons atthe t i m e C ape A nn T ow i ng ca m e upo n t he M /Y U ni vers al L ady, the evi denceWe also note that unlike other maritime salvag e ca ses where cour ts have found the 4 presence of

a maritime peril, M/Y Universal L ady had not been driven aground, wa s not on fire, was not leaking w ith the possibil ity of sinking, nor

was she at the merc y

of the sea

due to a collision or loss of power. SeeFine v. Roc kwood, 895 F. Supp 306, 309 (S.D. F la. 1995) (listing numerous ca ses where cour ts historically

have f ound the exist enceof a ma ritime peril for purposes of a

salvag e aw ard) . 5 pr e s e nt e d a l s o s how e d tha tthe c e nt e rof the hur r i c a ne ha d a l r e a dy pa s s e d thr ough the a r e a a nd w a s m ovi ng t o the nor the a s t . T hus , i tw a s notc l e a r l y e r r one ous f or th e d is tr ic t c o u r t to c o n c lu d e th a t th e w e a th e rc o n d itio n s d id n o t s u p p o r t a r e a s ona bl e a ppr e he ns i on of m a r i t i m e pe r i l w he r e the a dve r s e w e a the rc ondi t i ons h a d b e g u n to d is s ip a te a n d w o u ld c o n tin u e to d o s o a s th e h u r r ic a n e m o v e d o n its no rtheas t ern t ra ck. F urtherm ore, al tho ug h M /Y U ni vers al L ady w as nextt o sever al brok en concret e pi l i ng s, the t es t i m on i al evi dence and ph ot og raph s dem on stra t e that s he w a s a f

l oa ti n the m a r i na , s e c ur e d by r ope t o a nothe ry a c hta nd w i thouta ny ap p aren td am ag e th atw o u l d h av e p u th er atri sk o f si n k i n g . G i v en th ese c ir c u m s ta n c e s , c o u p le d w ith th e im p r o v in g w e a th e rc o n d itio n s , w e c a n n o t s ta te tha tthe di s tr i c tc our tc l e a r l y e r r e d i n c onc l udi ng tha tthe br oke n c onc r e t e pi l i ngs d i d n o tp o se a reaso n ab l e ap p reh en si o n o f m ari t i m e p eri l t o M /Y U n i v ersal L ad y. 4 A ddi t i ona l l y , w e f

i nd no m e r i tt o C a pe A nn T ow i ng’ s a r gum e nttha tthe di stri ctcourtshou l d h ave a w ar ded com pensat i on for the re nd er ed se rvi ce s on a per footof vess el char ge typi ca l l y use d i n sal vage si tuat i on s a s the di stri ctcourt c o n c lu d e d th a t C a p e A n n T o w in g h a d n o t e s ta b lis h e d th a t it a c te d a s a s a lv o rto6

M /Y U n iv e r s a l L a d y . A F F I R M E D .