Source: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/374/16/
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 14:11:07+00:00

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Justia › US Law › US Case Law › US Supreme Court › Volume 374 › Fitzgerald v. United States Lines Co.
Claiming that he had twisted and strained his back while working for respondent on its ship, a seaman sued respondent for damages based on the negligence of respondent and the unseaworthiness of the ship and for a smaller amount based on respondent's failure to provide him with medical attention, maintenance and cure and wages. He demanded a jury trial on all the claims. The trial judge granted a jury trial on the Jones Act and unseaworthiness claims, but he held the question of recovery under maintenance and cure in abeyance to try himself after jury trial of the other issues. The jury returned a verdict for respondent on the negligence and unseaworthiness claims. After hearing testimony in addition to that presented to the jury, the judge awarded the seaman a small amount for maintenance and cure. Sitting en banc, the Court of Appeals affirmed by a divided vote.
Held: a maintenance and cure claim joined with a Jones Act claim must be submitted to the jury when both arise out of one set of facts. In this case, the seaman is entitled to a jury trial as of right on his maintenance and cure claim, even though the Jones Act claim was decided against him and this Court declined to review that claim on certiorari. Pp. 374 U. S. 16-22.
Andres San Martin, a seaman, brought this action in the District Court for the Southern District of New York against the respondent United States Lines Company.
exactly what the jury did. [Footnote 8] And even if the judge can find out what elements of damage the jury's verdict actually represented, he must still try to solve the puzzling problem of the bearing the jury's verdict should have on recovery under the different standards of the maintenance and cure claim. In the absence of some statutory or constitutional obstacle, an end should be put to such an unfortunate, outdated, and wasteful manner of trying these cases. [Footnote 9] Fortunately, there is no such obstacle.
do so. [Footnote 12] Where, as here, a particular mode of trial being used by many judges is so cumbersome, confusing, and time consuming that it places completely unnecessary obstacles in the paths of litigants seeking justice in our courts, we should not and do not hesitate to take action to correct the situation. Only one trier of fact should be used for the trial of what is essentially one lawsuit to settle one claim split conceptually into separate parts because of historical developments. And since Congress, in the Jones Act, has declared that the negligence part of the claim shall be tried by a jury, we would not be free, even if we wished, to require submission of all the claims to the judge alone. Therefore, the jury, a time-honored institution in our jurisprudence, is the only tribunal competent under the present congressional enactment to try all the claims. Accordingly, we hold that a maintenance and cure claim joined with a Jones Act claim must be submitted to the jury when both arise out of one set of facts. The seaman in this case was therefore entitled to a jury trial as of right on his maintenance and cure claim.
the seaman of the jury trial he demanded, and he is entitled to relief from this error by having the kind of trial he would have had in the absence of error.
Martin died while his appeal was pending, and a public administrator was substituted for him.
See notes 4 and | 4 and S. 16fn5|>5, infra.
Because of our limited grant of certiorari, we do not consider petitioner's argument that the complaint and trial record show diversity of citizenship jurisdiction and that, therefore, plaintiff was entitled to a jury trial. See Atlantic & Gulf Stevedores, Inc., v. Ellerman Lines, 369 U. S. 355, 369 U. S. 360 (1962). Nor do we find it necessary to reach petitioner's argument that we should reconsider that part of the holding of Romero v. International Terminal Operating Co., 358 U. S. 354 (1959), which concluded that claims based upon general maritime law cannot be brought in federal courts under the federal question jurisdiction of 28 U.S.C. § 1331.
See, e.g., Jesonis v. Oliver J. Olson & Co., 238 F.2d 307 (C.A.9th Cir. 1956); Stenduze v. The Boat Neptune, Inc., 135 F.Supp. 801 (D.C.Mass.1955); cf. Jordine v. Walling, 185 F.2d 662 (C.A.3d Cir. 1950).
See, e.g., Nolan v. General Seafoods Corp., 112 F.2d 515 (C.A.1st Cir. 1940); Lykes Bros. S.S. Co. v. Grubaugh, 128 F.2d 387, modified on rehearing, 130 F.2d 25 (C.A.5th Cir. 1942); Bay State Dredging & Contracting Co. v. Porter, 153 F.2d 827 (C.A.1st Cir. 1946); Gonzales v. United Fruit Co., 193 F.2d 479 (C.A.2d Cir. 1951); Rosenquist v. Isthmian S.S. Co., 205 F.2d 486 (C.A.2d Cir. 1953); Mitchell v. Trawler Racer, Inc., 265 F.2d 426 (C.A.1st Cir. 1959), rev'd on other grounds, 362 U. S. 362 U.S. 539 (1960); McDonald v. Cape Code Trawling Corp., 71 F.Supp. 888, 891 (D.C.Mass.1947); Gilmore and Black, The Law of Admiralty (1957) 262.
For an illuminating discussion of the practical problems, see Jenkins v. Roderick, 156 F.Supp. 299, 304-306 (D.C.Mass.1957) (Wyzanski, J.).
This Court has held that recovery of maintenance and cure does not bar a subsequent action under the Jones Act, Pacific S.S. Co. v. Peterson, 278 U. S. 130 (1928), but, of course, where such closely related claims are submitted to different triers of fact, questions of res judicata and collateral estoppel necessarily arise, particularly in connection with efforts to avoid duplication of damages.
Maintenance and cure allows recovery for wages only to the end of the voyage on which a seaman is injured or becomes ill. The Osceola, 189 U. S. 158, 189 U. S. 175 (1903). Medical expenses need not be provided beyond the point at which a seaman becomes incurable. Farrell v. United States, 336 U. S. 511 (1949).
See, e.g., Bartholomew v. Universe Tankships, Inc., 279 F.2d 911, 915-916 (C.A.2d Cir. 1960); Stendze v. The Boat Neptune, Inc., 135 F.Supp. 801 (D.C.Mass.1955). For another example of some of the difficulties involved in separate trials, compare Claudio v. Sinclair Ref. Co., 160 F.Supp. 3 (D.C.E.D.N.Y.1958), with Lazarowitz v. American Export Lines, 87 F.Supp. 197 (D.C.E.D.Pa.1949).
See generally Currie, The Silver Oar and All That: A Study of the Romero Case, 27 U. of Chi.L.Rev. 1 (1959); Kurland, The Romero Case and Some Problems of Federal Jurisdiction, 73 Harv.L.Rev. 817, 850 (1960); Note, 73 Harv.L.Rev. 138 (1959).
Waring v. Clarke, 5 How. 441 (1847).
The Genesee Chief v. Fitzhugh, 12 How. 443, 53 U. S. 459-460 (Dec. Term, 1851) (upholding constitutionality of jury trial provision in Great Lakes Act).
See, e.g., The John G. Stevens, 170 U. S. 113 (1898); Swift & Co. Packers v. Compania Colombiana Del Caribe, S.A., 339 U. S. 684, 339 U. S. 690-691 (1950); Warren v. United States, 340 U. S. 523, 340 U. S. 527 (1951); Wilburn Boat Co. v. Fireman's Fund Ins. Co., 348 U. S. 310, 348 U. S. 314 (1955); Romero v. International Terminal Operating Co., 358 U. S. 354, 358 U. S. 360-361 (1959); The Tungus v. Skovgaard, 358 U. S. 588, 358 U. S. 597, 358 U. S. 611 (1959) (opinion of BRENNAN, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part); Mitchell v. Trawler Racer, Inc., 362 U. S. 539 (1960).
I am wholly in sympathy with the result reached by the Court. It is, I believe, a result that is consistent with sound judicial administration and that will greatly simplify the conduct of suits in which a claim for maintenance and cure is joined with a Jones Act claim arising out of the same set of facts.
"shall not take effect until they have been reported to Congress by the Chief Justice at or after the beginning of a regular session thereof . . . and until the expiration of ninety days after they have been thus reported."
Believing that we are governed by this provision, and that the method there prescribed for the declaration of procedural rules, which are to be applicable in all Federal District Courts, is exclusive, I am unable to subscribe to the opinion of the Court. * I think the appropriate way to achieve what in this instance is obviously a desirable procedural reform is to deal with the matter through the Judicial Conference of the United States. Cf. Miner v. Atlass, 363 U. S. 641. Meanwhile, substantially for the reasons given in Judge Friendly's opinion, I consider that the judgment below must be affirmed.
* The course taken by the Court is not, in my view, supported by any of the cases cited in note 12 of the Court's opinion None of them involved a procedural rule.

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