Admiralty-Jurisdiction – Statute Extending Admiralty Jurisdiction to Include Amphibious Torts Resulting in Personal Injury

Libelant linehandler, injured undocking a vessel, brought a personal injury action against the shipowner. Leave to amend this complaint by naming the city of Los Angeles and a tugboat company as defendants was denied by the federal district court. Libelant then filed suit on the admiralty side of the same district court against the city and the tugboat company on the identical cause of action. In ruling on respondents’ exceptions to this libel, held, exceptions overruled. Upon establishing the constitutional validity of the Admiralty Extension Act, jurisdiction pursuant to its provisions can properly be exercised in the instant ship-to-shore personal injury litigation. Fernatt v. City of Los Angeles, 196 F. Supp. 89 (S.D. Cal. 1961).