James M. Foret v. J. Ray McDermott

While working on a drilling rig located on a platform in the Gulf of Mexico, Foret was injured when a railing attached to the rig broke and caused him to fall 90 feet into the Gulf. Alleging that he was a seaman, Foret sued his employer and rig owner Reading and Bates Offshore Drilling Co., the plat,form owner Atlantic Richfield, and the railing manufacturer J. Ray McDermott, Inc. for damages and maintenance under the Jones Act, general maritime law, and Louisiana tort law. The District Court entered an order granting summary judgment for Reading and Bates on the ground that Foret was not a…