O'HARA v. Weeks Marine, Inc.

• Citation: 928 F. Supp. 257
• Decision Date: 12 June 1996
• Docket Number: No. CV-94-4322.,CV-94-4322.
• Parties: Gerard O'HARA and Lisa O'Hara, Plaintiffs, v. WEEKS MARINE, INC. and Collazo Contractors Inc., Defendants.
• Court: U.S. District Court — Eastern District of New York

928 F. Supp. 257

Gerard O'HARA and Lisa O'Hara, Plaintiffs, v. WEEKS MARINE, INC. and Collazo Contractors Inc., Defendants.

No. CV-94-4322.

United States District Court, E.D. New York.

June 12, 1996.

Paul C. Matthews, New York City, for plaintiffs.

Louis M. Rohrberg, Rohrberg & Associates, New York City, for defendants.

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

GLASSER, District Judge.

SUMMARY

Plaintiffs Gerard O'Hara and Lisa O'Hara have brought this suit under the Jones Act, 46 U.S.C.App. § 688 et seq., the general maritime law, and the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act, 33 U.S.C. § 901 et seq., for injuries sustained by Gerald O'Hara ("O'Hara") while performing work at the Staten Island Ferry pier on September 17, 1991. On that date, O'Hara was employed by defendant Collazo Contractors, a subcontractor of defendant Weeks Marine engaged in rebuilding, restoring, and repairing the stone bulkheads and timber piles on the Staten Island wharfs. Weeks Marine 3(g) Statement ¶¶ 1-3.

Presently before the Court is Weeks Marine's motion for summary judgment on plaintiffs' Jones Act claims, on the grounds that O'Hara does not meet the definition of a "seaman" on a "vessel in navigation" as required to recover under this Act.¹ The Court heard oral argument on this motion on December 22, 1995, but, at the suggestion of counsel, reserved decision pending the Second Circuit's opinion in a similar case, Tonnesen v. Yonkers Contracting Co., 82 F.3d 30 (2d Cir.1996). The recent decision in Tonnesen informs resolution of this motion.

DISCUSSION

The Jones Act provides a cause of action in negligence for any seaman injured in the course of his employment. The Act does not define the term "seaman," and the meaning of the term has been extensively litigated. Recently, in a concerted effort to extricate itself from the labyrinth it created in this area of the law, the Supreme Court fixed upon two requirements that must be met for a worker to recover as a seaman under the Jones Act. See Chandris, Inc. v. Latsis, ___ U.S. ___, 115 S.Ct. 2172, 132 L.Ed.2d 314 (1995). First, the worker's duties must contribute to the function of a vessel or to the accomplishment of its mission. Second, the worker must have a connection to a vessel in navigation that is substantial in terms of both its duration and its nature. Chandris, at ___, 115 S.Ct. at 2190.

Applying and further clarifying the Supreme Court's decision in Chandris, the Second Circuit in Tonnesen v. Yonkers Contracting Co., Inc., 82 F.3d 30 (2d Cir.1996), espoused a three factor test for determining when summary judgment is warranted on the question of whether a floating structure qualifies as a "vessel in navigation." This test considers (1) whether the structure was being used primarily as a work platform during a reasonable period of time immediately preceding plaintiff's accident; (2) whether the structure was moored or otherwise secured at the time of the accident; and (3) whether, despite being capable of movement, any transportation function performed by the structure was merely incidental to its primary purpose of serving as a work platform. Tonnesen, 82 F.3d at 36. The Second Circuit's test, unlike the more commonly used test developed by the Fifth Circuit, does not consider the original purpose for which the structure was constructed; rather, the Second Circuit's test focuses solely on the purpose for which the structure was being used at the time of the injury. Id.

Given that the question of a vessel's status as a "vessel in navigation" or a maritime worker's status as a "seaman" is generally a fact specific inquiry, and that the purpose behind the Jones Act was to provide an expansive remedy for seamen, the courts have generally held that "even marginal claims are properly left for a jury's determination." Tonnesen v. Yonkers Contracting Co., Inc., 82 F.3d at 33 (citing cases). Nevertheless, to defeat a motion for summary judgment made under Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c), the nonmoving party must "designate `specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.'" Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 324, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2553, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). Conclusory allegations unsupported by factual data cannot raise a genuine issue for trial, and affidavits setting forth ultimate facts or conclusions of law can neither support nor defeat a motion for summary judgment. See Leonard v. Dixie Well Svc. & Supply, Inc., 828 F.2d 291, 293 (5th Cir.1987) (holding that plaintiff's "assertions that he was a `seaman' or `member of the crew' or `contributed to the mission and function of vessels' avail him nothing" for purposes of defeating summary judgment motion).

Careful analysis of the facts asserted in the parties' submissions indicates that they are not materially in dispute. The movant, Weeks Marine, had subcontracted with plaintiff's employer, Collazo Contractors, Inc., to rebuild, repair and restore stone bulkheads and timber piles at the Ferry Maintenance Facility in Staten Island, New York. Vosseller Aff. ¶ 2. O'Hara's alleged injury occurred while he was working on a materials barge Weeks Marine had placed at the worksite. This materials barge was used to store materials and as a work platform, and, as asserted by plaintiff, to transport materials used in the pier reconstruction Weeks Marine also had on site a crane barge, used to support a crane as required to move stay in place forms necessary to rebuild the pier. See Weeks Marine 3(g) Statement ¶¶ 16, 17; Vosseller Aff. ¶ 5; O'Hara Aff. ¶ 5; Matthews Aff. ¶ 5. It is undisputed that the materials barge on which O'Hara's accident allegedly occurred was being used primarily as a work platform for at least a two month period prior to his accident, and the first prong of the Tonnesen test thus is plainly satisfied. That the facts of this case also meet the second prong of the Tonnesen test, namely, that the barge "was moored or otherwise secured at the time of the accident," is also undisputed.

A critical reading of the submissions readily compels the conclusion that the third prong of the Tonnesen test is also satisfied here. Neither the plaintiffs' 3(g) statement nor the O'Hara Affidavit permit a reading that the barge on which O'Hara was working was used "for the purpose of transportation across navigable waters." Tonnesen, 82 F.3d at 36. It is not disputed that the barge on which O'Hara's injury was allegedly sustained is not capable of self-propulsion but was moved to the job site by a tug boat and remained there for two months prior to the accident. Although the plaintiffs' submissions reflect a studied effort to cast this floating material storage facility as a vessel that navigates the high seas, its true function and the full extent of its mobility is revealed in paragraph 6 of the O'Hara Affidavit, viz: "When either the crane barge or the material marge needed to be moved about the job site, we dockbuilders assisted in the operation, operating deck winches and handling lines" (emphasis added). The teaching of Tonnesen is peculiarly applicable to that defining paragraph.

If the Weeks 276 were not used for the purpose of transportation across navigable waters, the perpendicular and lateral movement required to reposition it along the cross bay bridge ... would be insufficient to raise a genuine issue of material fact precluding summary judgment.

82 F.3d at 36 (emphasis added).

Plaintiff also fails to meet the Chandris requirements for seaman status. O'Hara was employed by Collazo Contractors as a dockbuilder. See Defendant's Ex. B (Collazo Contractor's Time Log), Ex. F (O'Hara's...