Opinion ID: 764967
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Did Sana fall ill while in the service of his vessel?

Text: 15 Sana argues that he experienced symptoms of encephalitis while he was still working on the Navatek I. Assuming that the court properly excluded the Rutherford report, Sana's only evidence to support this proposition is Dr. Pearce's opinion that he was infected by March 9. The court rejected this testimony, and it accepted the view of Drs. Pien and Nicholson that the origin and onset of the infection were impossible to determine. This resolution of the medical testimony was not clearly erroneous. 16 If the Rutherford report is admissible, Sana has a much better case. Hudson's statement establishes that Sana felt ill as early as March 8. Kauhi's statement shows that Sana was behaving abnormally on March 10. Taken together, these statements bolster Dr. Pearce's testimony that Sana was infected by March 9. 17 In Stevens, 82 F.3d at 1353, the Sixth Circuit affirmed a grant of maintenance and cure on similar facts. Stevens suffered a blow to the head when he fell on the deck of a towboat. According to a co-worker, Stevens suffered headaches for months, and his personality changed. The shipowner eventually fired him for threatening the same co-worker. Five months later, Stevens was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Both the district court and the Sixth Circuit concluded that he became sick while in the ship's service. Therefore, he was entitled to maintenance and cure. 18 Like Stevens, Sana exhibited the first signs of a severe illness while at work. Unlike Stevens, Sana deteriorated very shortly thereafter. This proximity makes Sana's case even stronger. In light of the inconclusive medical testimony presented by Hawaiian Cruises and the traditional liberality of the maintenance and cure remedy, the court's exclusion of the Rutherford report materially affected Sana's case. 19