Veberes v. Knappton Corporation

This personal injury action was brought under the Jones Act, 46 USC § 688, by a seaman against the owner of the tug CHAMPION on which he was working at the time he was injured, alleging that defendant was negligent and that the CHAMPION was unseaworthy. The jury returned a verdict for plaintiff, finding both that defendant was negligent and that the CHAMPION was unseaworthy. Two of the 12 jurors dissented from the finding of negligence, and two different jurors disagreed with the finding of unseaworthiness. As explained below, the jury found that plaintiff was 49 percent responsible for his…