George Hines v. J.A. Laporte, Inc.

The central issue in this case is whether a seaman may be awarded punitive damages in addition to reasonable attorney’s fees for the arbitrary and willful withholding of maintenance and cure benefits. Other circuits have reached different results on the issue, considered in light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Vaughan v. Atkinson, 369 U.S. 527, 82 S.Ct. 997, 8 L.Ed.2d 88 (1962). We follow Complaint of Merry Shipping, Inc., 650 F.2d 622 (5th Cir. Unit B 1981), and a more recently decided case in the Fifth Circuit and affirm the district court’s award of both punitive damages and reasonable…