On August 20, a team of three Texan oilfield workers were removing a pump jack when one of its cables struck a power line overhead. The connection electrocuted Laban Robokoff, 24, and Harvey McKinney, 36, killing them both. CPR was performed, but they were pronounced dead enroute to the hospital. Steven McKinney, 32, Harvey McKinney’s […]
A federal judge in Pennsylvania who has overseen a sprawling, multidistrict litigation has made an important ruling on whether Jones Act plaintiffs can seek punitive damages. Merchant marine workers and their survivors are suing ship owners, alleging that exposure to ship-born asbestos scarred their lungs and/or contributed to their deaths. They are suing under the […]
The Jones Act grants maritime workers, including commercial fishermen and oil workers, the right to sue their employers if they are injured on the job. If you are a maritime worker, you may be wondering how the process works. First, you must report your injury to your employer. Federal law requires you to report any […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) maintains a list of U.S. employers with severe and/or repeated violations of safety regulations: the Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP). A major investigation by the Houston Chronicle revealed that several Texas oil companies with repeat violations and multiple fatal accidents in recent years have somehow avoided inclusion in […]
The Jones Act Prior to 1920, seamen were not permitted to sue their employers for injuries suffered on the job. The Jones Act was passed by Congress to allow workers to sue their employers, as well as ship owners and the owners of other offshore vessels such as jack-up and semi-submersible drilling rigs. A worker […]