Hatt 65, LLC v. Kreitzberg

The plaintiffs, Hatt 65, LLC and the Frank W. Boykin, II, Family Trust (“the Trust”), brought this action against the defendants Terry Kreitzberg and the S/V ESCAPE for damages sustained by the fishing yacht, the WEJ, during Hurricane Dennis. 1 After a four-day bench trial, the district court entered judgment for the defendants, and the plaintiffs timely appealed. 2

I

BACKGROUND

A

The district court rested its judgment on the following factual findings. “On July 8, 2005, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued a hurricane watch that included all areas along the coastline of the Gulf of…