Bunting v. Sun Co.

BECK, Judge:

This appeal involves a claim for personal injuries arising under the general maritime law and the Jones Act (46 U.S.C. § 688). The issue we decide, inter alia, is whether, under a comparative negligence scheme, the plaintiffs contributory negligence must be a substantial or featherweight factor in causing his own injuries in order to reduce his recovery. We hold that the plaintiffs contributory negligence need be only a feather-weight causative factor. Because the trial court’s charge to the jury on the question of comparative negligence was prejudi-cially erroneous, we grant a…