City of Baltimore lawyers up to pursue Key Bridge damages

USCG Photo

Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced yesterday that the City of Baltimore is taking legal steps to “proactively and aggressively address the catastrophic impact the Key Bridge collapse has had on the City of Baltimore and its residents, including the families of the victims, business owners, and longshoremen and other port workers.

The City of Baltimore has engaged national complex issues and trial firm DiCello Levitt and Philadelphia law firm Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky Trial Lawyers to launch legal action on its behalf.

Partners in Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky include Jeffrey P. Goodman who led the law team that obtained a $1.2 billion settlement in s for the victims of the Champlain Towers South Condo Collapse in Surfside, Florida.

“This unthinkable tragedy has taken Marylanders from their loved ones, and risked the livelihoods of thousands of Baltimoreans who rely on the Port of Baltimore,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “We are continuing to do everything in our power to support everyone impacted here and will continue to recognize the human impact this event has had. Part of that work needs to be seeking recourse from those who may potentially be responsible, and with the ship’s owner filing a petition to limit its liability mere days after the incident, we need to act equally as quickly to protect the City’s interests.”

“It is time to hold the M/V Dali’s owner, charterer, manager/operator, manufacturer, and others accountable for the City’s substantial and ongoing economic losses arising from this tragedy, as well as for the unimaginable distress they have caused to the City’s residents, businesses, workers, and their families,” City Solicitor Ebony M. Thompson said.

“We will bring significant economic and environmental loss claims on behalf of the City of Baltimore and its residents against the M/V Dali’s owner, charterer, manager/operator, manufacturer and others, to hold them accountable for causing one of the largest inner-city maritime disasters in U.S. history,” said DiCello Levitt Co-Founder Adam Levitt. “We need to hold these entities accountable for the emotional toll and the substantial financial losses that the City of Baltimore and its residents are facing.”

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

A significant obstacle facing the City of Baltimore will be the limitation of liability action filed March 26,by the owner of the ship that struck the Key Bridge, the Dali, Grace Ocean Private Limited, and the manager, Synergy Marine Pvte. Ltd. That could limit their liability, if any, to somewhat under $43 million and would give parties with claims against Grace Ocean until September 24 to file notice in federal court.

GENERAL AVERAGE

A proportion of the costs of the vessel’s salvage will be borne by the owners of the cargo aboard the Dali as the owners have now reportedly declared General Average in the incident, according to a report by cargo claims specialist WK Webster and a customer advisory issued by MSC Shipping.

“Richards Hogg Lindley (RHL), London has been appointed as their General Adjuster and they notified us of their intention to keep all containers, including MSC’s containers, under their control until security arrangements have been made with the Average Adjusters, both for General Average and Salvage,” says the MSC advisory.

As it happens, Richards Hogg Lindley has written a widely regarded explanation of how General Average works, You can read that HERE