Opinion ID: 453252
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: appellees' other contentions

Text: 14 We are not impressed by appellees' argument that the state court proceeding deprives it of the use of Rule 14(c) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. If claimants have a substantive right to pursue their cause of action under the saving to suitors clause, it can hardly be abrogated by a federal procedural rule. 2 Apparently, appellees are claiming that by impleading Paul Luster and Richard Stiles, the pleasure boat survivors, under 14(c), and assigning fault to them, the towboat owner would be absolved of that proportion of fault. Appellees misapprehend the law. Any judgment in favor of claimants in the limitation proceeding would be joint and several. As the Supreme Court recently pointed out, the maritime rule is in accord with the common law, which allows an injured party to sue a tortfeasor for the full amount of damages for an indivisible injury that the tortfeasor's negligence was a substantial factor in causing, even if the concurrent negligence of others contributed to the incident. Edmonds v. Compagnie Generale Transatlantique, 443 U.S. 256, 260, 99 S.Ct. 2753, 2756, 61 L.Ed.2d 521 (1979). The towboat owner would only have the right of contribution from Stiles and Luster for any fault assigned to them. The towboat owner has the same rights under Missouri state law. It can implead Stiles and Luster and have the jury apportion fault for the purpose of contribution. Missouri P.R. Co. v. Whitehead & Kales Co., 566 S.W.2d 466 (Mo.1978). The liability, however, in both forums is joint and several. That Stiles was defaulted in the limitation proceeding on January 31, 1985, cannot affect this proceeding which is an appeal from an order entered on December 20, 1984, with the notice of appeal filed on January 9, 1985. At any rate, we fail to see how claimant could lose a valuable statutory substantive right through the default of a third-party defendant. 15 The case is remanded to the district court with directions to dissolve the injunction and permit claimants to proceed with their action in the St. Louis state court. Pursuant to the stipulation, which we hold is binding on all the claimants, the district court shall retain its exclusive jurisdiction over the issues of (1) appellees' right to limit liability, (2) the proper value of the limitation fund, and (3) all matters affecting the right of appellees to limit liability.