Lake City Stevedores, Inc. v. S.S. Lumber Queen

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

NOEL, District Judge.

The issue is whether a plaintiff has a right to a change of venue and what standards should govern the exercise of that right. This relatively simple question emerges from a maze of claim and counterclaim mixing questions of admiralty, .contract, and antitrust law. The original plaintiff (Lake City) filed a complaint in Galveston on March 9, 1972, alleging breach of a maritime stevedoring contract by defendant (Freighters) in the failure to pay for services rendered by plaintiff in Lake Charles, Louisiana. At the same time, and to insure a recovery,…