New case on maritime law claims against marine contractor

This is a significant for members of FMCA. The Florida appellate court ruled that the prevailing plaintiff in a negligence action grounded in admiralty is not entitled to recover attorney’s fees because such recovery is not allowed in federal admiralty law. Plaintiff had sued the company that designed and installed her boat lift for damages to the vessel. Loss of use, and diminution of value. After defendant rejected her offers of settlement, she also claimed for her attorney’s fees, as allowed by state law. The court refused to award attorneys fees under the state statute because the plaintiffs claim was based on federal admiralty/maritime law Marco Marine Construction v. Kopras, No. 2D17-1734 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App., April 17, 2019) [https://www.2dca.org/content/download/523642/5817364/file/171734_39_04172019_08414708_i.pdf]