NEW ORLEANS – Eleven crew members aboard the Surf Ranger are suing over allegations that they worked for three months without pay.
Artur Ambrozewicz, Gendrala Emanuel, Julius Gloria, Lukasz Kowalski, Mateusz Krawczyk, Sebastian Kulak, Thomasz Lagoda, Marcin Perchel, Edward Plazinski, Robert Piotr Rotkiewicz and Jacek Szoplinski filed a lawsuit on March 11 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against the vessel Surf Ranger her engines, tackle, apparel, boilers, equipment and appurtenances; and Surf Ranger LTD, citing breach of contract.
According to the complaint, the plaintiffs are all employed as crew members aboard the Surf Ranger, a vessel from the Marshall Islands. The plaintiffs claim that the owners and managers of the ship have failed to pay for their wages and benefits in excess of three months, collectively owing more than $247,794. The plaintiffs aver that the failure to pay constitutes a breach of contract and violation of their rights.
The plaintiffs seeks damages for their unpaid wages, prejudgment interest, expenses of repatriation, termination pay, travel pay, subsistence allowance, attorney’s fees and costs. They are represented by Michael A. Colomb and Richard J. Dodson of Dodson & Hooks APLC in Baton Rouge.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana Case number 2:16-cv-02066-CJB-SS