Opinion ID: 2787623
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: In general.—In a case in which, if a vessel were

Text: privately owned or operated, or if cargo were privately owned or possessed, or if a private person or property were involved, a civil action in admiralty could be maintained, a civil action in admiralty in personam may be brought against the United States or a federally-owned corporation. In a civil action in admiralty brought by the United States or a federally-owned corporation, an admiralty claim in personam may be filed or a setoff claimed against the United States or corporation. 8 ALI V. ROGERS an admiralty remedy is available. Dearborn, 113 F.3d at 996 n.1. The SIAA has a two-year statute of limitations. 46 U.S.C. § 30905. Further, any remedy available under the SIAA is exclusive of any other remedy “arising out of the same subject matter” that the plaintiff might bring against the individual who actually caused the harm at issue. 46 U.S.C. § 30904.2 That is, “where a remedy lies against the United States, a suit against an agent of the United States ‘by reason of the same subject matter’ is precluded.” Dearborn, 113 F.3d at 997. As the Fifth Circuit has explained, “a remedy is provided” within the meaning of the SIAA when, “one, the underlying maritime law would permit the seaman to state the same claim against a private party, and two, the United States has waived its sovereign immunity with respect to that claim.” Martin v. Miller, 65 F.3d 434, 442 (5th Cir. 1995). Moreover, the remedy available against the United States need not be the same as that available against a private party for this provision to apply. See id. at n.4. After an extensive review of the legislative history and case law surrounding the SIAA, the Fourth Circuit explained that the exclusivity provision’s language was intended to enshrine a Supreme Court case holding that the SIAA “furnish[es] the exclusive remedy in admiralty against the United States . . . on all maritime causes of action arising out of the possession or operation” of vessels. Manuel v. United States, 50 F.3d 1253, 2 46 U.S.C. § 30904 provides in full: If a remedy is provided by this chapter, it shall be exclusive of any other action arising out of the same subject matter against the officer, employee, or agent of the United States or the federally-owned corporation whose act or omission gave rise to the claim. ALI V. ROGERS 9 1257 (4th Cir. 1995) (quoting Johnson v. U.S. Shipping Bd. Emergency Fleet Corp., 280 U.S. 320, 327 (1930), overruled in part on other grounds by Brady v. Roosevelt Steamship Co., 317 U.S. 575, 578 (1943)). The Fourth Circuit acknowledged that this may lead to a “harsh result” in some cases, because of the resulting lack of certain remedies for seamen, but explained that the exclusivity language “clearly dictates this result.” Id. at 1260. Also relevant to this case is another statutory waiver of federal sovereign immunity in the admiralty context, the Public Vessels Act (“PVA”). 46 U.S.C. §§ 31101 et seq. The PVA applies to “civil action[s] in personam in admiralty . . . for damages caused by a public vessel of the United States.” 46 U.S.C. § 31102(a)(1). Claims under the PVA have certain limitations that SIAA claims do not, but none that are relevant here. More importantly, the PVA makes all claims subject to the SIAA, including its statute of limitations and its exclusivity provision, except to the extent to which the two are inconsistent. 46 U.S.C. § 31103; see also Dearborn, 113 F.3d at 996–97 (noting that the SIAA’s exclusivity rule is incorporated by reference into the PVA). Though some circuits interpret the term “damages” caused by a public vessel narrowly (i.e., as encompassing only physical injuries), we recently reaffirmed that the PVA includes claims arising out of the conduct of employees on a public vessel, not merely direct physical damages. See Tobar v. United States, 639 F.3d 1191, 1198 (9th Cir. 2011). And despite expansive revisions to the SIAA, the Supreme Court continues to rule that any suit for damages caused by a public vessel falls under the PVA; under Tobar and predecessor cases, those damages will include contract damages. Id. Any other admiralty claim against a federally-owned vessel will fall 10 ALI V. ROGERS under the SIAA. United States v. United Cont’l Tuna Corp., 425 U.S. 164, 181 (1976).3