Golden Panagia Steamship, Inc. v. Panama Canal Commission

IRVING L. GOLDBERG, Circuit Judge:

It is sometimes said that “two ships passing in the night” is a bad thing. This case proves that the opposite result — two ships colliding in broad daylight — may not always be desirable either. When such a meeting of minds, men, and machinery occurs in the Panama Canal, the situation becomes even more complicated than usual. Appellant Golden Panagia sued the responsible American authorities in the U.S. District Court in Panama for $300,000 in damages to its ship — only to have its attorney “settle” the case for $195,000 and pocket the cash, never to be heard…