Sabine Towing & Transportation Co. v. United States

Plaintiffs action is brought under 33 U.S.C. § 1321(i)(l) (1976) for recovery from the Government of plaintiffs costs in cleaning up an oil spill from one of its vessels. Specifically, plaintiff claims that the spill was caused "solely by an act of God” within the meaning of subsection (A) of that section, entitling plaintiff to such recovery. By order of April 27, 1978, 216 Ct. Cl. 480, this court denied plaintiff s motion for summary judgment because findings were needed on the circumstances of the spill. Defendant’s cross-motion was also denied for the reason that common-law precedents, if…