Washington State Department of Transporation v. Sea Coast Towing Inc.

MEMORANDUM *

In this admiralty case, Plaintiff-Appellant Washington State Department of Transportation appeals the district court’s judgment, following a bench trial, limiting the liability of Defendant-Appellee Sea Coast Towing, Inc. to $105,000, the value of its tugboat CHINOOK. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291. We review the district court’s legal conclusions de novo, see Lentini v. Cal. Ctr. for the Arts, Escondido, 370 F.3d 837, 843 (9th Cir.2004), and we reverse.

The question we must decide is whether the district court erred in its application of the burden-shifting framework…