High-stakes legal battle looms in California boat fire that killed 34
by Maura Dolan and Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times
Sep 09, 2019
4 minutes
LOS ANGELES - Owners of boats in which people are hurt or killed succeed about half the time in winning court rulings that protect them from huge damage awards, according to a maritime legal expert.
Tulane University maritime law professor Martin J. Davies said the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851 could shield the owners of the California diving boat Conception in which 34 people perished from significant damages.
"It might," Davies said. "It might."
In a petition filed Thursday, attorneys for the owners of Truth Aquatics Inc., Glen Fritzler and his wife, Dana, cited the 1851 law in asking a judge to eliminate their financial liability or lower it to an amount equal to the post-fire value
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