NEW ORLEANS — A workman is suing the owners of a vessel, alleging negligence for failing to provide a safe work environment, which he says caused him to fall and severely injure himself.
James Brown filed a lawsuit March 18 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against Gulf Island Fabrication Inc., PSV Venture No. 2 LLC, and the Cape Cod, citing negligence and/or gross negligence.
According to the complaint, PSV owned and operated the Cape Cod, a vessel on which Brown was working at all times relevant to the lawsuit. Gulf Island Fabrication Inc. was also working on the fabrication of the vessel and her appurtenances.
On March 30, 2015, the suit says, Brown was walking on the vessel when an angle iron broke, causing him to fall approximately 3 feet below, causing severe and disabling injuries. The lawsuit states the plaintiff's injuries were a direct result of the defendant’s negligence and the unseaworthiness of the vessel.
Brown seeks actual damages, pre and post-judgment interest, punitive damages, attorney fees, cost of the suit and a trial by jury. He is represented by attorneys Walter Naquin Jr. in Thibodaux, Louisiana, and Marcus R. Spagnoletti, in Houston.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana Case number 2:16-cv-02336-LMA-SS