Maritime and Admiralty

Successfully represented international ship lines in demurrage and detention litigation involving the Ocean Shipping Reform Act and the Uniform Intermodal Interchange Agreement.

Successfully represented marine salvage company in vessel arrest litigation.

Successfully represented private custom boat yard in multi-million dollar marine insurance and allision litigation in Caribbean.

Successfully represented private marine railway in historic presidential yacht preservation litigation.

Successfully represented private shipyard in multi-million dollar 905(b) wrongful death litigation.

Successfully represented public marine terminal in several multi-million dollar personal injury liability actions involving the cross roads of state common law and federal and state worker’s compensation jurisdictions.

Successfully represented public marine terminal in multi-million dollar railway operation claim.

Successfully represented public marine terminal in cargo litigation involving COGSA and Carmack Amendment.

Successfully represented international marine construction company in multiple Jones Act, Longshore, and Virginia Workers' Compensation claims over a six-year bridge construction project.

Successfully represented marine terminal drayage company in several multi-million dollar personal injury actions.

Successfully represented commercial fishing association in several actions involving the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

Successfully represented commercial fisherman in retainage of exclusive fishing permit

Successfully represented marine engineering and transportation company in multiple marine towing and maritime contract negotiations involving public and private marine terminals and marine terminal operators along the East Coast and throughout the Caribbean.

Successfully represented marine dredging company for maintenance and cure and Jones Act matters.

Successfully represented marine towing company in contract negotiation matters.

Represented family business owners of a 7 acre parcel valued at $6 million on the Elizabeth River in Norfolk, where a neighbor clogged the waterway with a floating junkyard of 26 ships. Forced the neighbor to remove the junkyard by prosecuting a federal court action eliminating interference with client’s riparian property rights. 307 Campostella, LLC v. Timothy S. Mullane, civil action no. 2:15-cv-224 (E.D. Va. 2016).

Represented governmental entity that owns the Coleman Bridge in Yorktown, Virginia, after a large tug allided with the bridge in the middle of the night. When settlement negotiations failed, filed a maritime and admiralty action in federal court that produced a $1.2 million recovery for bridge owner. VDOT v. TUG ROBERT BURTON, 2012 AMC 2230 (E.D. Va. 2012).

Represented governmental entity that owns the Chincoteague Bridge against a $10 million claim brought by shell fishermen who alleged that construction of the bridge destroyed their shellfish beds. The vessel operator building the bridge filed a federal court action under the federal Limitation of Liability Act. The case was resolved on favorable terms following 18 months' litigation in the U.S. District Court and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. American Bridge v. James Young, civil action no. 2:08-cv-316 (E.D. Va. 2008), appeal filed, no. 09-1458 (4th Cir. 2009).

Persuaded the USCG to reverse the denial it had issued for a client’s renewal of a Merchant Mariner Credential

Persuaded U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rescind the permit granted (under the Rivers and Harbors Act) authorizing a maritime firm to install a 600’ mooring system in the middle of a waterbody. The proposed mooring system interfered with vessel operations at our client’s waterfront property and would have driven our client’s enterprise out of business. Then, we persuaded the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to oppose the project, which caused the maritime builder of the mooring system to withdraw its application and abandon the project. (2015)

Assisted domestic commercial lender in perfecting financing lien at port of embarkation for heavy equipment that U.S. borrower purchased in Finland.