JEROME B. GRUBART, INC., PETITIONER 93-762 v. GREAT LAKES DREDGE & DOCK COMPANY ET AL. CITY OF CHICAGO, PETITIONER 93-1094 v. GREAT LAKES DREDGE & DOCK COMPANY ET AL., 513 U.S. 527

Summary

The city claimed that the appellate court erred when it found that the district court had admiralty jurisdiction as to the dredging company's tort liability under the Limitation of Vessel Owner's Liability Act (Liability Act), 46 U.S.C.S. § 181 et seq. The action arose out of an incident in which water from the Chicago River poured into a freight tunnel running under the river, apparently caused when the dredging company was hired to drive pilings from one of its barges into the riverbed around certain piers. The court found that admiralty jurisdiction applied. The court applied a two-part test under which a tort claim was required to satisfy conditions both of location and of connection with maritime activity. The court determined that the location part of the test was satisfied because the tort that allegedly occurred took place on navigable water. The maritime connection inquiry was met because the incident had a potentially disruptive impact on maritime commerce and the general ...