Opinion ID: 561821
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Federal Admiralty and General Maritime Jurisdiction

Text: 14 The judicial power of the United States extends to all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction. U.S. Const. Art. III, Sec. 2. Congress effectuated this judicial grant in 28 U.S.C. Sec. 1331 which provides: The district court shall have original jurisdiction, exclusive of the courts of the States, of ... [a]ny civil case of admiralty or maritime jurisdiction. Maritime and admiralty jurisdiction of the federal courts traditionally depended upon the locality of the wrong, which required that the incident occur in navigable waters. See Victory Carriers, Inc. v. Law, 404 U.S. 202, 92 S.Ct. 418, 30 L.Ed.2d 383 (1971). In 1972, however, the Supreme Court retreated from its purely mechanical application of the locality test and stated that the locality test alone did not suffice as a predicate for admiralty jurisdiction. Executive Jet Aviation, Inc. v. City of Cleveland, 409 U.S. 249, 261, 93 S.Ct. 493, 501, 34 L.Ed.2d 454 (1972). The Court in Executive Jet did not replace the traditional locality test, but instead added a second prong, the nexus test, requiring a significant relationship between the incident and traditional maritime activity. Executive Jet, 409 U.S. at 268, 93 S.Ct. at 504. 15 Following the Supreme Court's pronouncement, the Fifth Circuit held that admiralty and general maritime jurisdiction required a showing of both location in navigable waters as well as a nexus to traditional maritime activity. Kelly v. Smith, 485 F.2d 520, 524 (5th Cir.1973). 2 In Kelly, the Fifth Circuit enunciated the following four significant factors in analyzing whether a nexus existed between the activity and traditional maritime jurisdiction: (1) the functions and roles of the parties; (2) the types of vehicle and instrumentalities involved; (3) the causation and type of injury; and, most importantly, (4) the traditional concepts of the role of admiralty law. Kelly v. Smith, 485 F.2d at 525. The Supreme Court approved the Fifth Circuit's construction of admiralty jurisdiction in Foremost Insurance Co. v. Richardson, 457 U.S. 668, 102 S.Ct. 2654, 73 L.Ed.2d 300 (1982). Thus, this circuit's current inquiry for admiralty tort jurisdiction includes the traditional navigable waters locality test supplemented by the nexus test. Harville v. Johns-Manville Products Co., 731 F.2d 775, 781 (11th Cir.1984). 16 In Harville, employees of the Alabama Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company who worked as insulators, pipe fitters, welders, boilermakers, machinists, foremen, and general laborers in the shipyard brought suit against several manufacturers and distributors of asbestos-containing insulation products. The plaintiffs alleged that they suffered a variety of pulmonary diseases as a result of their exposure to asbestos. The court found that the plaintiffs met the locality test for at least that part of their claims which occurred on navigable waters. Harville, 731 F.2d at 783. In analyzing the four elements of the nexus test, however, the court found that the plaintiffs failed to prove a sufficient nexus between the activity and maritime jurisdiction because they were land-based workers and the asbestos products involved were not designed and marketed solely for maritime use. Harville, 731 F.2d at 785. Specifically, the court noted: 17 'The primary purpose of admiralty jurisdiction is unquestionably the protection of maritime commerce.' Foremost Insurance, 457 U.S. at 674, 102 S.Ct. at 2658. Our precedent indicates that '[a]dmiralty jurisdiction in the federal courts was predicated upon the need for a uniform development of the law governing maritime industries.' Peytavin v. Government Employees Insurance Co., 453 F.2d 1121, 1127 (5th Cir.1972). Disputes not involving these interests are not within the admiralty jurisdiction of the federal courts. 18 Like the plaintiffs in Harville, Cochran clearly satisfies the locality test. Cochran's alleged injuries occurred during his tenure as a sailor aboard the USS Independence while the ship was docked in navigable waters in Norfolk and while the ship was at sea. Thus, this court need only consider whether Cochran satisfied the four elements of the nexus test. The Nexus Test 19 In determining whether Cochran's alleged injury bears a significant relationship to traditional maritime activity, this court considers the four factors set out in Kelly v. Smith, placing particular emphasis on the fourth factor, traditional concepts of the role of maritime law. Lewis Charters, Inc. v. Huckins Yacht Corp., 871 F.2d 1046, 1051 (11th Cir.1989). 20
21 In Harville, the court stated that the proper question in examining the function and role of the parties is whether the actual tasks the workers perform bear any inherent relationship to maritime activity, that is, whether the plaintiff's jobs are identical to those undertaken by land-based workers and are connected to maritime affairs merely because performed aboard a ship. Harville, at 784. The court in Harville found that the plaintiff's role and functions, although related to maritime commerce, did not call for the application of maritime jurisdiction. Unlike the plaintiffs in Harville, however, Cochran's job involved tasks that are traditionally performed by seamen. Cochran was a full-time sailor with many duties, one of which was maintaining the ship's deck which allowed storage of aircraft during voyages. Consequently, Cochran's maintenance work allowed the ship to perform as an aircraft carrier. 22 Additionally, the district court found that at least one of the companies, American Abrasive, designed, marketed, and advertised its products specifically for naval use aboard aircraft carriers. Although this factor is not dispositive of the function and roles of the parties' inquiry, it buttresses Cochran's argument for admiralty jurisdiction. 23
24 The vehicle involved, the USS Independence, is a navigable vehicle whose function is transportation across navigable waters, a traditional role of water craft. Like the plaintiffs in Harville, performing work aboard a ship does not in itself subject personal injury and products liability claims to admiralty jurisdiction, particularly if the instrumentalities involved are not used specifically for maritime purposes. The instrumentality in the instant case, the nonskid floor covering, has several land-based uses including covering locker room floors, steps, cafeterias, lobbies, and other slippery surfaces. Consequently, Cochran's underlying claims would be no different if he had been working with the nonskid floor covering in a building on land. Thus, the involvement of a navigable vessel is at most tangential and does not directly affect the character of Cochran's claims. Harville v. Johns-Manville, 731 F.2d at 785. 25
26 The record shows that Cochran performed his deck maintenance duties three to five times per week while the ship was docked in Norfolk, Virginia, and twice a week while the ship was at sea. Thus, like the plaintiffs in Harville, Cochran's alleged exposure to the toxic dust occurred mostly while the ship was in port and not engaged in navigation or its function as an aircraft carrier. See Lewis Charters, Inc. v. Huckins Yacht Corp., 871 F.2d at 1051. Furthermore, Cochran suffers from an injury that now afflicts thousands of land-based workers, which militates strongly against application of maritime jurisdiction. 27
In Executive Jet, the Supreme Court noted: 28 Through long experience, the law of the sea knows how to determine whether a particular ship is seaworthy, and it knows the nature of maintenance and cure. It is concerned with maritime liens, the general average, captures and prizes, limitation of liability, cargo damage, and claims for salvage. 29 Executive Jet, 409 U.S. at 270, 93 S.Ct. at 505. Although admiralty law provides special protection for seamen, primarily in the context of rights to maintenance and cure, admiralty jurisdiction is predicated upon the need for a uniform development of laws governing maritime industries. Executive Jet, 409 U.S. at 260, 93 S.Ct. at 500-01. See also Foremost Insurance Co. v. Richardson, 457 U.S. 668, 677, 102 S.Ct. 2654, 2659, 73 L.Ed.2d 300 (1982). We fail to see how resolution of this case under admiralty and maritime law will have any potential impact on maritime commerce. Cochran cannot show a discernible relationship between his exposure to asbestos and the traditional maritime activities involving navigation or commerce on navigable waters. Lewis Charter v. Huckins Yacht Corp., 871 F.2d 1046, 1052 (11th Cir.1989). Consequently, we decline to extend admiralty jurisdiction to cover Cochran's claims. 3