NEW ORLEANS — A Terrebonne Parish maritime worker is suing the owners of a shipping vessel, alleging negligence for causing him to fall and severely injure himself.
James Brown filed a lawsuit March 18 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against Gulf Island Fabrication Inc., PSV Venture No. 2 LLC, and the Cape Cod, alleging 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 fabrication of the vessel and its appurtenances.
On March 30, 2015, the suit says, the plaintiff was walking on the vessel when an angle iron broke, causing him to fall approximately 3 feet below, causing severe and disabling injuries. The plaintiff alleges his 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’s fees, cost of the suit and a trial by jury. He is represented by attorneys Walter Naquin Jr. of Thibodaux, and Marcus R. Spagnoletti of Houston.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana Case number 2:16-cv-02336-LMA-SS