Reckless Conduct & Aggravated Boating: MA Woman Charged with Felony

Last week a Massachusetts woman was arraigned in Hillsboro Superior Court on charges of felony reckless conduct and aggravated boating while intoxicated. This past summer, it is alleged that Pena was on Long Pond in Pelham, New Hampshire operating a vessel with another passenger when she sped into another boat, that was floating causing three…

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Fisherman Wins $2.6 Million in Case Against Fishing Companies

Being a commercial fisherman can be a demanding, physical job. Fishermen face difficulties that people who work on the land might not even consider. Rough seas, heavy equipment and unpredictable fish can make the job a challenge. However, despite all the unique situations fishermen deal with on a daily basis, faulty equipment should never be…

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Our Lawyers Help Fisherman Secure $925,000 Settlement

In the wake of an incident that left a fisherman with severe injuries, our firm was able to help him recover a $925,000 settlement. Prior to suffering the injuries, the man was working on a boat owned and operated by the Dona Martita Fishing Co. LLC, which is based out of Massachusetts. The incident that…

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Negligence Unseaworthiness Traumatic Amputation

Second Mate’s Leg Caught in Mooring Lines During Manual Release: Negligence: Unseaworthiness: Traumatic Amputation: Settlement ATLA Law Reporter August 2006 Benson v. United States U.S. Dist. Ct., D.Me., No. 1:04-cv-00195, Nov. 2005. Benson, 52, was a second mate onboard a roll-on/roll-off cargo ship owned by the United States. He began to release the mooring lines…

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Carolyn Latti Navigates Maritime Law

Massachusetts lawyer navigates maritime law’s rocky shoals to aid injured sailors By Nora Lockwood Tooher Staff writer Boston- Growing up, there were two things Carolyn M. Latti loved doing: sailing and working at her father’s law firm. From the time she was a young girl until she was 18, Latti spent several weeks each summer…

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Pain and Suffering Hard to Prove

Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly By Barbara Rabinovitz They are known as merchant seamen — the mates, engineers, captains and others who labor on the large commercial vessels that ply the world’s high seas. Rarely is there a female among them, but in the summer of 2005 there was a “woman merchant seaman,” as a Boston plaintiffs’…

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Allocation of Settlements in Personal Injury Cases

Allocation of settlements in personal injury cases – a word to the wise Published in the Massachusetts Bar Association, Section Review, Vol. 6, No. 2, 2004 You are about to settle a personal injury case, but there is a workers’ compensation lien on the recovery, a not uncommon situation. Because your responsibility is to maximize…

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Seaman Falls Through Open Hatch

Negligence: Paraplegia: Verdict ATLA Law Reporter September 2006 Falconer v. Penn Maritime, Inc., U.S. Dist. Ct., D.Me., No. 05-42-B-W, Nov. 22, 2005. Falconer, 43, was employed as a seaman on a tugboat operated by Penn Maritime. While carrying an engine part, he fell 14 feet through an open hatch in the engine room, striking a…

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Discoverability of Witness Statements

Published in the Massachusetts Bar Association, Section Review, Vol. 7, No. 2, 2005 Witness statements are customarily considered to be protected attorney work product. However, there is an important exception to this doctrine. Mass.R.Civ.P. 26(b)(3) provides that documents prepared in anticipation of litigation are discoverable “upon a showing that the party seeking discovery has substantial…

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Worker Scalped by 20 Ton Block on Scallop Boat

By Alyssa Cutler Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly June 27, 2005 Related Articles: October 21, 2004 Plaintiff successfully sought vessel as security; was auctioned off for $1.7 million $2 million settlement On Nov. 25, 2003, the plaintiff was working on deck of the defendant scallop vessel. The crew was in the process of hauling back and unloading…

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Scalloper Sold at Auction

By Becky W. Evans The Standard-Times October 21, 2004 Related Articles: June 27, 2005 FAIRHAVEN – Fishermen gathered around the rusty-sided Georgie J yesterday at the Fairhaven Shipyard & Marina to cast bids during an auction for the 38-year-old scalloping boat. Bidding, which began at $1 million, escalated quickly as four men fought for ownership…

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Men Perish on Boat Rare Suffering Damages

Men Perish on Boat; Rare Suffering Damages Awarded Such Cases Usually Focus on Economic Support By Tony Wright Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly April 5, 2004 Related Articles: March 11, 2004 November 2, 2002 January 10, 2002 January 3, 2002 August 4, 1999 (Families) August 4, 1999 (Raised) July 28, 1999 May 7, 1999 May 6, 1999…

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Victims’ Families Win Suit Against Cape Fear Owner

Victims’ families win suit against Cape Fear owner By Curt Brown and David Kibbe The Standard-Times March 11, 2004 Related Articles: November 2, 2002 January 10, 2002 January 3, 2002 August 4, 1999 (Families) August 4, 1999 (Raised) July 28, 1999 May 7, 1999 May 6, 1999 BOSTON – A U.S. District Court jury yesterday…

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Boating Mishaps Harder to Investigate

By Ray Carbone Foster’s Sunday Citizen June 8, 2003 Investigators who probe boating accidents – such as the one that killed John Hartman on Lake Winnipesaukee last summer, for which a Meredith man is now being tried in Belknap Superior Court – face some special challenges. They can include everything from a paucity of physical…

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Starbound Families Settle Civil Suit

Starbound Families Settle Civil Lawsuit With Owner Reach Agreement For Undisclosed Amount By Dexter Van Zile National Fisherman December 2002 Related Articles: September 28, 2002 October 12, 2001 August 25, 2001 August 21, 2001 (The Boston Globe) August 21, 2001 (Boston Herald) August 21, 2001 (Portland Press Herald) August 18, 2001 August 7, 2001 Fishermen…

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Top Jury Verdicts of 2001 Injury Aboard Ship

The Top Jury Verdicts of 2001, #6: Injury Aboard Ship Leads To Admiralty Verdict Case Turned On Critical Internal Company E-Mail By Marissa Yaremich Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly January 14, 2002 Related Articles: May 28, 2001 May 19, 2001 Life at sea is considered one of the most physically grueling and dangerous occupations on earth. The…

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Court Nixes Cap on Cape Fear Damages

By David Kibbe The Standard-Times Related Articles: April 5, 2004 March 11, 2004 January 10, 2002 January 3, 2002 August 4, 1999 (Families) August 4, 1999 (Raised) July 28, 1999 May 7, 1999 May 6, 1999 BOSTON – A federal appeals court yesterday upheld the U.S. District Court ruling that the Cape Fear was overloaded…

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Final Settlement Reached in Tanker’s Sinking of Boat

Final Settlement Reached In Tanker’s Sinking Of Boat By Jules Crittenden Boston Herald Related Articles: December 2002 October 12, 2001 August 25, 2001 August 21, 2001 (The Boston Globe) August 21, 2001 (Boston Herald) August 21, 2001 (Portland Press Herald) August 18, 2001 August 7, 2001 The final part of a complex $7.5 million settlement…

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Judge Says Cape Fear Wasn’t Seaworthy

Judge: Cape Fear Wasn’t Seaworthy Jury Will Decide Monetary Damages By David Kibbe The Standard-Times Related Articles: April 5, 2004 March 11, 2004 November 2, 2002 January 10, 2002 August 4, 1999 (Families) August 4, 1999 (Raised) July 28, 1999 May 7, 1999 May 6, 1999 BOSTON – A federal judge ruled yesterday that, because…

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Carolyn M. Latti Lawyer of the Year 2001

Carolyn M. Latti Lawyer of the Year 2001 Lawyers Of The Year 2001 – Carolyn M. Latti By Marissa Yaremich Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Carolyn M. Latti loves to use her lawyering skills to shake up the old school mentality that “life on the water” is a men’s-only club. As the only female attorney in Massachusetts…

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Legal Stage Set for Portland Judge to Decide Fault in Starbound

Legal Stage Is Set For Portland Judge To Decide Fault In Starbound Sinking The Tanker Virgo’s Owners File Documents Blaming The Fishing Boat For A Collision That Killed Three Of Its Crew By John Richardson Portland Press Herald Related Articles: December 2002 September 28, 2002 August 25, 2001 August 21, 2001 (The Boston Globe) August…

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Boating Case has Major Significance for Maritime Law

Boating Case has Major Significance for Maritime Law Boating Case Has Major Significance For Maritime Law By Elizabeth Johnson Massachusetts Bar Association, Lawyers Journal October 2001 When a group of Massachusetts eight graders became involved in a serious boating accident on a New Hampshire lake – the young driver of the boat ran over his…

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Tanker Firm Posts $13 Million for Lawsuits

By Jules Crittenden Boston Herald Related Articles: December 2002 September 28, 2002 October 12, 2001 August 21, 2001 (The Boston Globe) August 21, 2001 (Boston Herald) August 21, 2001 (Portland Press Herald) August 18, 2001 August 7, 2001 Suspected killer tanker Virgo will be free to leave Canada Monday after posting a $13 million bond…

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Seaman Gets $2.5 Million Jones Act Verdict

Seaman Gets $2.5M Jones Act Verdict By Paul D. Boynton Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly May 28, 2001 An ship engineer who suffered debilitating leg injuries on board a vessel recently obtained a $2.5 million jury verdict under the federal Jones Act, according to his attorney, Carolyn Latti of Boston. The Jones Act lets ship employees injured…

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Mariner Awarded $2.8 Million in Suit

Mariner Awarded $2.8 Million In Suit By John Doherty The Standard-Times May 19, 2001 WAREHAM – A Wareham mariner has won a $2.8 million award from an Exxon subsidiary after a federal jury ruled yesterday the company was negligent in an accident that broke the sailor’s leg. Carlos Castro had worked 24 years for Seariver…

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Maritime Attorney Wins Million Dollar Verdicts

By Nancy Drucker The Standard-Times 1985 NEW BEDFORD – He is a tough, aggressive lawyer who recently won a $1.7 million award from Hathaway Machinery. The result: The 75-year-old New Bedford company has filed for bankruptcy. Twenty years ago, that same lawyer was just as aggressive.  A company that insured 100 New Bedford fishing boats…

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Seaman’s Minor Injury Results in Big Time Award

Compensation Made For ‘Anguish’ Of Lost Career By Eric T. Berkman Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly February 16, 1998 Loss of limb. Permanent paralysis. Brain damage. Death. Those are the images generally conjured up by news of a multi-million-dollar verdict. But mental anguish? That may not be the kind of thing typically associated with a huge recovery.…

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Jury Awards Maine Tanker Captain $2 Million

Jury Awards Maine Tanker Captain $2M By Patricia Nealon The Boston Globe February 22, 1997 A former oil tanker captain from Maine has won a $2 million verdict against the owner of a tanker for a shoulder injury that will prevent him from ever captaining a ship again. Eric Wilson, 36, of Falmouth, Maine, was…

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Boat Line Worker Wins Lawsuit

Boat Line Worker Wins Lawsuit Boat Line Worker Wins Lawsuit, Jury Awards Steamship Authority Employee More Than $700,000 for Injuries By Julia St. George Cape Cod Times November 8, 1996 BOSTON – A Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority employee injured on the job two years ago was awarded more than $700,000 by…

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Pilot Enters Apology as Part of Settlement

John G. ‘Sean’ Rafter Admits He Should Have Landed His AirMed Helicopter Before It Ran Out Of Fuel And Crashed In Casco Bay, Killing Three. By Jason Wolfe Portland Press Herald January 30, 1996 The pilot of a rescue helicopter that crashed into Casco Bay more than two years ago admitted Monday that his mistakes…

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Helicopter Crash Lawsuit Settled

Helicopter Crash Lawsuit Settled By Staff The Boston Globe January 30, 1996 PORTLAND, Maine – The family of a burn victim who was killed in the crash of an air ambulance in Casco Bay more than two years ago reached a settlement with the pilot yesterday. The settlement was announced as jury selection was about…

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City Man Awarded $1.5 Million in Suit

City Man Awarded $1.5 Million in Suit City Man Awarded $1.5 Million In Suit By Melissa Bane Gloucester Daily Times October 13, 1992 A Gloucester man was awarded nearly $1.5 million last week in a personal injury case stemming from a 1989 accident on the job in Newington, NH. The verdict which awarded $1,426,000 to…

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Fisherman Wins Lawsuit for $3 Million

By Stephen Betts The Courier Gazette October 5, 1991 OWLS HEAD – A fisherman who was left partially paralyzed in an accident aboard a fishing vessel two years ago will receive the largest maritime settlement in Maine history, his attorney said Friday. The $3.1 million settlement in the lawsuit brought by 31-year-old Donald Williams came…

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Owls Head Seaman Awarded $3.1 Million for Fishing Injuries

By Jeanne Curran Bangor Daily News A seaman from Owls Head who was seriously injured almost two years ago while fishing in the Grand Banks off Newfoundland has been awarded $3.1 million in damages from the owner of the fishing vessel on which he was sailing. Donald A. Williams II, 33, and his family were…

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Gun Maker Ordered to Pay $1.9 Million

By Donna Halvorsen Portland Press Herald U.S. District Court jury awarded nearly $1.9 million Tuesday to a Sanford man who was struck in the neck five years ago when a hunting companion’s Smith and Wesson revolver went off accidentally. “Happy, very happy” was the reaction of Richard Stacey Jr., 26, who was paralyzed as a…

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$1.25 Million Awarded in Weather Suit

$1.25 Million Awarded in Weather Suit By Joanne Ball The Boston Globe August 13, 1985 US District Court judge yesterday ordered the federal government to pay $1.25 million to the families of three lobstermen who died during a 1980 hurricane off Georges Bank which the government’s weather equipment failed to predict. Judge Joseph Tauro’s award…

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Fisherman Hurt by Winch Awarded $1.7 Million

By Nancy Drucker The Standard-Times August 9, 1985 A federal judge in Boston awarded nearly $1.7 million Thursday to a Somerville fisherman and his family for injuries caused at sea by a 47-year-old winch made by the Hathaway Machinery Co. in Fairhaven. Boston attorney Michael B. Latti, who represents Domenic Tringali, believes this case is…

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U.S. Weather Agency Held Liable in Storm Deaths

U.S. Weather Agency Held Liable In Storm Deaths By The Associated Press The New York Times December 22, 1984 BOSTON, Dec. 21 – A Federal district judge ruled today that the National Weather Service’s parent agency was liable for the death of three lobstermen lost at sea after forecasters failed to predict a storm 150…

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Captain’s Forgery After Sea Tragedy Ends in Payment

Captain’s Forgery After Sea Tragedy Ends in Payment Captain’s Forgery After Sea Tragedy Ends In Payment By Tim Sullivan Gloucester Daily Times November 29, 1977 A tiny, easily-overlooked alteration in a ship’s log has led to a court award of $2.75 million, the largest sum ever paid for injuries and damages in a marine law…

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