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Price v. Connolly-Pacific Co. (Cal. Ct. App. - May 13, 2008)

By Shaun Martin

What?! An admiralty claim filed in state court?! What in the Wild Wild World of Sports is going on here?!

But Justice Woods is correct that you are indeed allowed to have admiralty claims in state court in limited circumstances under the savings to suitors clause. So, though unusual, the case is rightly here.

There's other none-too-common aspects of the opinion as well. For example, the fact that the case involves a seaman whose lawsuit is entirely about getting bitten by a mosquito and hence contracting West Nile virus. As well as the fact that the plaintiff here lived in San Diego (La Mesa, actually) but worked in Long Beach and spent the week camping in the company's parking lot so he didn't have to commute back and forth. The opinion also contains a little description of the difference between "blue water" seamen and "brown water" seamen that I found interesting. And, no, "blue" and "brown" water seamen have nothing whatsoever to do with whatever disgusting thought just entered your head.

A neat little case.

Full post as published by California Appellate Report on May 13, 2008 (boomark / email).