Gregory v. Mucho K, Inc.
Gregory v. Mucho K, Inc.
Opinion of the Court
ON PETITION FOR PERMISSION TO APPEAL
This is a petition for permission to appeal pursuant to 28 U.S.C.A. § 1292(b).
This action arose from the death of Captain Ira Gregory on the ship Mucho K on September 3,1976. The cause of death is in dispute, respondents alleging heart attack, petitioners — Gregory’s wife and children— claiming electrocution due to unseaworthy conditions. On April 26, 1977, Mucho K, Inc. filed a complaint for exoneration from or a limitation of liability under 46 U.S.C.A. § 183 et seq. and on May 23,1977, obtained the traditional restraining order enjoining any legal proceedings against Mucho K pending determination of the limitation action. Although the Gregorys received notice of the limitation action on June 17, 1977, they did not learn of the injunction until August 5, 1977. During the interim they filed suit against the owners and operators of Mucho K, alleging violations of the Jones Act and state wrongful death act and negligence under common law and admiralty.
We think that our opinion in Pershing Auto Rentals, supra, disposes of this matter. In that case we held that when multiple claims exceed the value of the ship and cargo, the admiralty court ought not modify an injunction it has entered in a limitation action to allow some of the claimants to try the issue of liability in a separate proceeding. We, however, distinguished single claim cases:
Langnes v. Green, [1931, 282 U.S. 531, 51 S.Ct. 243, 75 L.Ed. 520,] permits the claimant in a single claim situation after appropriate protective stipulation to proceed elsewhere reserving exclusive final determination of the right to limitation (and amount of the fund) to the admiralty court.
Pershing at 550.
This being a single claim action, the District Judge was required to allow plaintiffs to file and pursue, subject only to the Pershing Auto Rentals limitation, the actions filed on the law side of the Court. The shipowner suffers no injury
REVERSED and REMANDED.
. It is appropriate to dispose of this case summarily. See Groendyke Transportation, Inc. v. Davis, 5 Cir., 1969, 406 F.2d 1158.
. Much is made by appellee about whether the orders in the admiralty court in 77-1398 are before us. The caption of the application shows both that case and the non-admiralty case 77-2207 Civ-NCR, and the Judge’s order of May 17, 1978, denying the motion to amend or modify the original injunction, was entered in 77-1398.
. At the same time, the Gregorys filed a formal claim for damages in the limitation action as required by the District Judge’s order.
. The dismissal was something less than one under F.R.Civ.P. 41(b). The Judge recognized that on varying happenings in the limitation proceeding the Court would allow the refiling of the same case. Just where this would leave the beneficiaries if by then the statute of limitations had run, no one knows.
. The District Court actually purported to grant the motion:
The motion for reconsideration is granted, and the matter is reconsidered and denied.
. The shipowners’ limitation complaint alleged in detail the death of Captain Gregory and the receipt of written notice of the claim made by their present counsel in behalf of the surviving widow and children.
. We make no judgment on the finding of contempt or the postponed award of costs, fees, etc.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Complaint of MUCHO K, INC., for exoneration from the limitation of liability as the owner of the MOTOR VESSEL, MUCHO K. Peggy GREGORY, Individually, and as Personal Representative of the Estate of Ira Gregory, Susan Gregory and Gordon Gregory v. MUCHO K, INC.
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- 6 cases
- Status
- Published