Berkshire Fashions, Inc. v. The M.V. Hakusan II

OPINION OF THE COURT

BECKER, Circuit Judge.

This appeal primarily involves questions about the breadth of the federal courts’ admiralty jurisdiction. It arises out of a dispute about the loss of a shipment of umbrellas in transport between a Taiwanese manufacturer and an American retailer. The retailer, New York-based plaintiff Berkshire Fashions, Inc. (“Berkshire”), purchased seven hundred and fifty cartons of umbrellas from defendant Jiung Chia Umbrella Enterprises, Inc. (“Jiung Chia”), a Taiwanese manufacturer. Pursuant to the purchase agreement, Jiung Chia obtained a Bill of Lading (“the…