Port Of Bellingham v. State Of Alaska

¶1 The Port of Bellingham (Port) and the State of Alaska, through the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS), agreed to a lease in 2009 regarding AMHS ferries using the Port’s terminal. When an AMHS employee sued the Port for negligently causing injuries to her while working for AMHS, the Port impleaded Alaska based on provisions in the lease. But Alaska, by statute, retains sovereign immunity for any claim that arises out of an injury to a state-employed seaman.

¶2 Alaska argues that the Port’s claims fall within Alaska’s sovereign immunity, which AMHS officials did not have authority to…