Last month, the US Supreme Court decided to take up whether punitive damages are recoverable in general maritime law claims for unseaworthiness when it granted certiorari in Batterton v. Dutra Group, 880 F.3d 1089 (9th Cir. 2018), writ granted Docket No. 18-266 (Dec. 7, 2018). As we reported in June 2018, Batterton brings the issue into focus for the high court because it is directly at odds with a 2014 US Fifth Circuit decision that held that punitive damages are nonpecuniary and therefore not recoverable in unseaworthiness actions. McBride v. Estis Wells Serv., 768 F.3d 382 (5th Cir. 2014). Continue reading >