N O T FO R PUB L ICAT IO N UNITED STATES C OUR T OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH C IR C UIT
AM E R IC AN SEAFOODS C OM PANY LLC , Plaintiff - Appe lle e , v. AHOKAYA V. LANU NAUFAHU, De fe nda

nt - Appe lla

nt. No. 14-35354

D.C . No. 2:13-c v-01235-JC C

M EM O R ANDUM *

Appe a l from

the Unite d

Sta t e s Distric t C ourt for the W e ste rn Distric t of W a shington John C . C oughe nour, Se nior Distric t Judge , Pre siding

Subm itte d August 31, 2016 ** Se a ttle , W a s hington B e fore : HAW KINS, M c KEOW N, a nd DAVIS, *** C irc uit Judge s. 

# FIL ED
OCT 06 2016 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U

. S

. CO URT O F APPEALS

* This disposition is not a ppropria te for public a t ion a

nd is not pre c e de nt e xc e pt a s provide d

by 9th C ir. R . 36-3. ** The Pane l una

nim ously c onc l ude s this c a se is suita ble for de c ision without ora l a

rgum e nt. Se e Fe d. R . App. P. 34(a )(2). *** The Honora

ble Andre M . Dav is, Se nior C irc uit Judgefor the Unite d Sta t e s C ourt of Appe a ls for the Fourth C irc uit, sitting by de signa tion.Appe lla nt Ahoka va Lanu Na

ufahu 1 c h a lle nge s the sum m ary judgm e nt in fa vor of Appe lle e Am e ric an Se a foods C om pa ny LLC (“ Am e ric an Se a foods” ) that Na ufahu is not e ntitle d to m a inte na nc e an d c ure , c om

p e nsat ion a

va ila ble unde r ge ne ra l m aritim e la

w to a se a m an who fa lls ill or be c om e s injure d while in the
se rvic e of a

ship, se e Lipsc o mb v . Foss Maritime C o. , 83 F.3d 1106, 1109 (9th C i r. 1996), from

his form e r e m

ploy e r. For the re a sons se t forth be low, we a ffirm . The pa rtie s are fa m ilia

r with thefa c tua l ba c kground, so wedo not re c ite it he re . Am e ric an Se a foods m o ve d for sum m a ry judgm e nt on the grounds tha t Na ufahu wa s not e n title d

to m a inte na

n c e and c ure be c a

use his pulm o na

ry
c onditions did not a

rise or m a nife st while he wa s working in servic e of the ve sse l
and be c a u se , e ve n if the y

did, Na ufahu ha s re a c he d m a x im um m e dic a l im prove m e nt for his c onditions. Am e ric an Se a foods a lso a

rgue d tha t , in a ny e ve nt, Na ufahu’ s willful fa ilure to disc lose his m e dic a l c onditions in 2010 whe n spe c ific a lly

a ske d a b out the m pre c lude d him

from se e k ing re lie f. The distric t c ourt found tha t the re we re ge nuine dispute s of m a te ria l fa c t re ga rding whe the r Na ufahu’ s pulm ona

ry c onditions “ oc c urre d, [we re ] a ggrava te d, or m anife ste d” while he worke d for Am e ric an Se a foods a n d whe t he r Na ufahu ha d re a c he d

1 Na ufahu’ s first na

m e wa s a ppa re ntly m isspe lle d in the c a

ption of this c a se . 2m a xim

um m e dic a l im

prove m e nt sta

tus. B ut it gra

nte d sum m a ry judgm e nt to Am e ric an Se a foods on thela st ground, known a s the willful c onc e a lm e nt de fe nse . W e re vie w de novo a distric t c ourt’ s de c ision gra nting sum m ary judgm e nt. Tre main v . Be ll Indus., Inc

. , 196 F.3d 970, 975 (9th C ir. 1999). This c a se doe s not pre se nt a ge nuine issue of m a te ria l fa c t. R a the r, the prim ary que stion is whe t

he r Am e ric an Se a foods sa tisfie d the m a te ria lity prong of the w illful c o nc e a l m e nt de fe nse . R e ga rding the m a t e ria lity

issue , we hold, for the sa m e re a sons a s in the
c om pa nion c a se , C

oastal Village

s Polloc k , LLC v . N aufahu , No. 14-35353, tha t Am e ric an Se a foods sa

t isfie d the m a te ria l ity

prong of the willful c onc e a lm e nt de fe nse a s a

m atte r of la

w . He re , Am e ric an Se a foods a ske d a bout spe c ific he a lth
c onditions re l e va

nt to the work tha

t Na u fa hu would pe rform a

boa rd the N orthe rn Haw k on a

pre e m ploy m e nt que stionna ire an d a

n upda te d he a lth a sse ssm e nt, doc um e nts tha

t it use d to m a ke hiring de c i sions, a nd a n Am e ric an Se a foods
re pre se ntative te stifie d tha t the c om pa ny would ha ve c o nduc te d furthe r inquiry and
m ay not ha ve hire d Na

ufahu ha d the se a m an disc lose d his pulm ona ry c o nditions. Thus, the c om

pa ny satisfie d the m a te ria lity re quire m e nt of the willful c onc e a lm e nt de fe nse . Se e Burk

e rt v . W e y e rhae use r S.S. C

o. , 350 F.2d 826, 829 n.4 (9th C ir. 1965).
3Furthe r, we re je c t Na ufahu’ s a lte rna tive a sse rtion tha t he is e ntitle d to
m a inte na nc e and c ure notwithsta

nding his willful c onc e a lm e n t be c a use his he a lth proble m s a

rose and the obliga

tion to provide

c om pe n s a tion ve ste d a t som e point be fore the willful omission. Na ufahu ha s pre se nte d a

nd this C o urt is a

ware of no le ga l a u thority supporting suc h a

n a rgum e nt. AFFIRM E D.

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