Attorneys for Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman (“Milberg”) have filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of all companies that either did business directly at the Port of Baltimore, are part of the shipping/trucking business that relies on the Port, or were economically impacted by the destruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The Class Representatives named in the lawsuit are R.E. West, Inc., E. Marine Motor Yacht Sales Pty Ltd., Captain C Logistics, LLC, American Publishing LLC, B&R Construction Services, Inc., and International Trading Solutions, Inc. Each of these claimants allegedly suffered, and continues to suffer, extraordinary business losses and costs as a result of the container ship Dali destroying the Key Bridge on March 26, 2024.
Milberg was the first firm to file a claim in this maritime action and has been actively engaged in the investigation of the catastrophic bridge collapse. The firm’s class action accuses Grace Ocean Private, the owner of the Dali, and the ship’s operator, Synergy Marine Group, of recklessly leaving the dock that day with a ship they knew could not safely navigate the narrow passage through the Patapsco River Channel.
Milberg also alleges that Grace Ocean Private and Synergy Marine Group knowingly interfered with the contractual and business relationships of Milberg’s clients in the Baltimore Harbor business community by sailing an unseaworthy ship into the Patapsco River Channel, aware that a blockage of the Channel would risk a major disruption to the many profitable Port-based business relationships.
“Thousands of businesses have unfairly paid the financial price for the Dali’s destruction of the Key Bridge,” said Milberg Senior Partner Marc Grossman. “With this lawsuit we seek to shift those costs back to the entities that bear ultimate responsibility for them.”
The collapse of the Key Bridge stopped transportation on Interstate 695 and closed the Port of Baltimore for 78 days. This disruption affected businesses nationally to the tune of billions of dollars in damages. Nonetheless, the owners of the Dali seek to limit their liability to a paltry $44 million. This limitation will cover about 1% of the total damages caused by the bridge’s destruction.
Source: PR Newswire
