A federal judge has ruled that an 1851 maritime law does not protect a company from making payments to families of people aboard a tourist boat that sank on a Missouri lake, killing 17 people.
After the July 2018 sinking at Table Rock Lake near Branson, multiple lawsuits were filed against Ride the Ducks International, which owned the boat before Ripley Entertainment bought it.
The two companies asked U.S. District Judge Doug Harpool last year to find the 1851 Shipowners Limitation of Liability Act meant damages due to survivors or relatives of those who drowned could be capped at no more than the value of the sunken boat, which is zero dollars.
The Springfield News-Leader reports that Harpool ruled the law doesn’t apply, in part because Table Rock Lake is not considered a “navigable waterway” under federal law.
A spokeswoman for Ripley Entertainment declined to comment on the ruling.
Related:
- NTSB: Coast Guard Ignored Duck Boat Safety Recommendations
- Ripley Entertainment Settles Some Missouri Duck Boat Lawsuits
- Company Says It Was Told Duck Boats Were OK Before Missouri Sinking
- 2 More Workers Indicted in Missouri Duck Boat Sinking That Killed 17
- First Case Settled in Fatal Missouri Duck Boat Sinking
- Missouri AG Sues Over Deadly Duck Boat Sinking
- Inspector Last Year Reported Sunken Missouri Duck Boat Had Design Flaws
- Coast Guard: Missouri Duck Boat in Violation of Inspection Terms
- Missouri’s U.S. Sen. McCaskill Wants Tighter Rules on Duck Boats After Accident
- $100M Lawsuit Filed in Fatal Missouri Duck Boat Sinking
- Firms Sued Over Missouri Duck Boat Sinking Seek Mediation, Cite 1851 Law
Topics Legislation Missouri
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