The Jones Act

Jones Act Rights: Maintenance and Cure

February 3, 2011

Jones Act seamen are entitled to certain no-fault benefits in the event that they are injured or become ill while in the service of their vessel. These benefits are commonly known as “maintenance and cure”. “Maintenance” is the amount of money paid to a seaman for each day that he is can’t work because of [...]

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Ocean Springs, Mississippi Offshore Injury Lawyers

November 12, 2010
Ocean Springs, MS Maritime Lawyers

The Ocean Springs, Mississippi offshore injury attorneys at Fitts Zehl, LLP have a nation-wide reputation for successfully handling Jones Act and other maritime claims. Since 2007, Fitts Zehl has represented hundreds of injured offshore workers and helped them to get their lives back on track following a devastating accident. Ocean Springs, a charming town nestled [...]

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Gulf Coast Rig Disaster: Halliburton Knew Cement Was Flawed

October 29, 2010

According to the Presidential Commission investigating the incident, Halliburton was aware of problems with the cement mixture that it planned to use in sealing the Macondo well weeks prior to the deadly explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig on April 20, 2010. In fact, according to recent reports from the Commission, Halliburton conducted as [...]

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Retaliatory Termination: Your Rights Under the Jones Act

October 6, 2010

Many Jones Act seamen worry about what will happen to their jobs once they report their on-the-job injuries. While Jones Act seamen are generally considered “at-will” employees, meaning that they can be fired at any time for almost any reason, they cannot be fired in retaliation for suffering an injury, filing a claim or anything [...]

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New Study Confirms 22 Mile Long Oil Plume in Gulf

August 20, 2010

A new study out of Massachusetts’ Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has verified the rumors of massive amounts of oil still lurking beneath the waves in the Gulf of Mexico. Just last week, BP and the United States government began announcing that the vast majority of the oil that had spewed from the Macondo well as [...]

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Lets Bump It Up: Rig Workers May Have Been Ordered To Work Faster Just Before Explosion

May 17, 2010

According to a rig worker on CBS’ “60 Minutes”, which aired on Sunday May 16 th, the tragic blast that killed 11 workers and injured over 100 more came after rig personnel were told to work faster. According to Mike Williams, chief electronics technician onboard the Deepwater Horizon, a BP manager said “Hey, let’s bump [...]

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Crucial Rig Data Missing: Final 7 Hours Before Blast Unaccounted For

May 14, 2010

During the Congressional Hearing on Wednesday May 12, 2010, officials from Transocean made the startling claim that the final seven hours of data transmitted from the Deepwater Horizon are missing and that any written logs that may have existed were lost in the rig explosion and subsequent fire. Fortunately, earlier pressure tests that indicated the [...]

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Deepwater Horizon: One Week Later

April 27, 2010

One week after the tragic Louisiana rig explosion that injured 17 and took the lives of 11 more, questions still remain as to what caused the blast to occur. The Deepwater Horizon slipped into the ocean on April 22, two days after catching fire, leaving a massive oil slick in its place. To make things [...]

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Deepwater Horizon – Tragic Rig Explosion off the Coast of Louisiana

April 22, 2010

On Tuesday, April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon, an offshore drilling platform owned by Houston-based Transocean Limited, exploded with at least 126 people onboard. While most of these people escaped the blast uninjured, the United States Coast Guard reported 17 workers injured and at least 11 missing and unaccounted for. We at Fitts Zehl extend [...]

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Jones Act: Statute of Limitations

April 6, 2010

For most claims of negligence under the Jones Act, the statute of limitations is three (3) years from the date of the injury. An exception to this rule applies to any vessel affiliated with the United States government. If your claim involves a vessel either owned by, operated by or under contract to the U.S. [...]

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