Pitts v. United States
Pitts v. United States
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
This is a civil action which was originally filed as an action for breach of a contract for wages with an ad damnum of $877.78. Subsequently, plaintiff amended the complaint to increase the ad damnum in the contract claim to $1,800, and, a few months thereafter, plaintiff again amended the complaint to add a second count in tort for libel with an ad damnum of $100,000. The case was tried to the court without a jury, and, after trial, I find and rule as follows:
Plaintiff is a resident of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and defendants are the United States of America and the Military Sealift Command Atlantic. The Military Sealift Command Atlantic is a subdivision of the United States Navy and as such is not a separately suable entity. Accordingly, sua sponte the complaint is dismissed as to the Military Sealift Command Atlantic.
At the trial plaintiff called two witnesses — himself and a representative of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association of the Port of Boston. The government called no witnesses and filed a motion for dismissal under Rule 41 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure at the conclusion of plaintiff’s case. During the presentation of plaintiff’s case, plaintiff introduced 19 documentary exhibits and the government introduced 8 documentary exhibits.
Plaintiff testified that he graduated from the Massachusetts Marine Academy in June of 1972, did some work in the maritime industry as a third assistant engineer after
In his memorandum of law plaintiff claims a plethora of rights as a merchant seaman, while denying that his status was that of a civilian federal employee. I rule that at all times material to this case plaintiff’s status, as he well knew, was that of a civilian employee of the Military Sealift Command Atlantic of the Department of the Navy; that his rights and duties are not the same as those of a merchant seaman working for a private employer but are rather those described in the Civilian Marine Personnel Instructions introduced into evidence by the government. See, e. g., Amell v. United States, 384 U.S. 158, 86 S.Ct. 1384, 16 L.Ed.2d 445 (1966). More specifically, I rule that Pitts had no right whatever to abandon the HAYES in a foreign port without first obtaining approval of the commander of the home port. The master of the HAYES did request such authorization to accept plaintiff’s resignation when tendered to him at Halifax but that authorization was refused by the home port commander, and Pitts was so notified. I find and rule that, when plaintiff departed the HAYES in Halifax, Nova Scotia, he did so without legal authority and with the intention of not returning. I find that the subsequent administrative ruling that he deserted the HAYES and in so doing violated CMPI 750.5-4(a)(b) is a proper and legally valid finding, and I find that the administrative ruling that plaintiff deserted the HAYES and as such was liable to forfeiture for all wages due to him from the voyage is likewise warranted and supported by the record. I further rule that plaintiff was given an adequate opportunity by the Department of Navy to rebut the charges and failed to do so. Accordingly, I rule that plaintiff is not entitled to prevail on his wage claim, and I further rule that, because plaintiff did, in fact, desert the HAYES, he
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Edmund R. PITTS v. UNITED STATES of America and Military Sealift Command Atlantic
- Status
- Published