Millspaugh v. Port of Portland
Millspaugh v. Port of Portland
Opinion of the Court
Plaintiff appeals a summary judgment for defendant on a personal injury claim. The court found that plaintiffs injury occurred on defendant’s dock and not on navigable waters of the United States. It ruled that “[t]he claim is not within federal maritime tort jurisdiction * * * but rather is controlled by the law of the State of Oregon” and that, because plaintiff received workers’ compensation, defendant is immune from tort liability under ORS 30.265(3)(a):
“(3) Every public body and its officers, employes and agents * * * are immune from liability for:
“(a) Any claim for injury to or death of any person covered by any workers’ compensation law.”
To obtain a summary judgment, the moving party must show that there is no genuine issue of material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. ORCP 47C. Our function on appeal is to examine the record to determine if there are triable issues of fact that would preclude summary judgment. Forest Grove Brick v. Strickland, 277 Or 81, 84-85, 559 P2d 502 (1977). The record here for summary judgment purposes includes the pleadings, two affidavits, four photos and the deposition of plaintiff, all submitted by defendant. Plaintiff did not submit counter affidavits or offer any other evidence in opposition to the motion.
The record reveals the following uncontradicted facts. On the date of his injury, plaintiff was employed as a longshoreman by Jones Oregon Stevedoring Company. He was working as a safety boatman in a 12-foot skiff on the outside of a log raft from which logs were being loaded on an ocean-going vessel, the “Green Spanker.” He decided to go ashore by way of a dock located at defendant’s Terminal No. 2. He tied the skiff to the dock and climbed up a vertical ladder that was permanently affixed to the dock. His injury occurred when he was at the top of the ladder. The injury was covered by the Longshoremen’s and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA), 33 USC § 901, et seq, and he received worker’s compensation benefits under that act.
Plaintiff first contends that the trial court erred in ruling that his claim is not within federal maritime jurisdiction but was controlled by the law of Oregon. In considering
The essence of plaintiffs argument is that the dock ladder on which he sustained his injury was a piece of equipment necessary to perform work on the ocean-going “Green Spanker” and therefore, by analogy to a gangplank, should be considered an appurtenance of the ship and invoke maritime jurisdiction. We find this argument unpersuasive, and the cases relied upon by plaintiff, which hold that injuries occurring on gangplanks or catwalks connecting a vessel with the shore are within maritime jurisdiction, to be inapplicable. The ladder in question, unlike a gangplank, does not provide a means of ingress and egress directly from the ship to the shore. The mere fact that the ladder is used as a means of access from the skiff to the shore does not convert it into an appurtenance of the “Green Spanker.” None of the elements relevant to the locality rule of Victory Carriers, are present. The ladder here is not part of the ship’s usual equipment, rather, it is permanently affixed to the dock and is in no way attached to the ship. The ladder is an integral part of the dock and cannot be considered as an appurtenance of the ship. All the evidence supports the trial court’s conclusion that plaintiffs injury occurred on defendant’s dock and not on navigable waters of the United States. Because the injury occurred on a land structure, it is not within admiralty jurisdiction.
Plaintiff also argues that the fact that he received worker’s compensation benefits under the LHWCA, as amended in 1972 to include land areas, is determinative of federal jurisdiction for purposes of this action.
Plaintiff next challenges defendant’s defense of statutory immunity under ORS 30.265(3)(a):
“(3) Every public body and its officers, employes and agents acting within the scope of their employment or duties, or while operating a motor vehicle in a ridesharing arrangement authorized under ORS 276.598, are immune from liability for:
“(a) Any claim for injury to or death of any person covered by any workers’ compensation law.”
Plaintiff argues that, if ORS 30.265(3) (a) applies, defendant waived immunity by procuring liability insurance or, in the alternative, that the statute violates constitutional guarantees of equal protection under Article I, section 20, of the Oregon Constitution and the 14th Amendment of the federal Constitution. We find no merit to either argument.
Assuming that, if defendant had procured liability insurance, it would have waived its immunity, plaintiffs
The record reveals no material question of fact, and we hold that the trial court did not err in granting summary judgment to defendant.
Affirmed.
33 USC § 903 provides, in pertinent part:
“(a) Compensation shall be payable under this Act in respect of disability or death of an employee, but only if the disability or death results from an injury*393 occurring upon the navigable waters of the United States (including any adjoining pier, wharf, dry dock, terminal, building way, marine railway, or other adjoining area customarily used by an employee in loading, unloading, repairing, or building a vessel).” (Emphasis supplied.)
The 1972 Amendments substituted the italicized language for “including any dry-dock.”
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting.
The majority says (65 Or App at 392):
«* * * ia¿¿er js an integral part of the dock and cannot be considered as an appurtenance of the ship.* * *”
With respect, I disagree. The ladder is as much an appurtenance of the ship as is any other gangway, whether that gangway is affixed to the shore and extended to the ship, or affixed to the ship and extended to the shore. Despite its verticality and its rigorous attachment to the dock, this ladder is just another gangway. I would find the accident on this ladder, as is true of an accident on any other gangway, to be within admiralty jurisdiction.
I respectfully dissent.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- MILLSPAUGH, Appellant, v. PORT OF PORTLAND, Respondent
- Cited By
- 6 cases
- Status
- Published