Court Confirms Jones Act Claims Can Rely Entirely on Circumstantial Evidence
- Adam Davis
- 9 hours ago
- 2 min read
November 2025 – Eastern District of Louisiana
In a recent decision, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana reaffirmed a core protection for maritime workers: Jones Act seamen can prove negligence entirely through circumstantial evidence.
The Case
The case arose from the death of a deckhand, Gage Garcia, who drowned while working aboard the M/V Honest Bob, operated by Cooper Marine, Inc. at Nucor Steel Louisiana’s facility on the Mississippi River. No one saw how Garcia fell into the water, and the defendants sought to dismiss his estate’s claims, arguing there was no direct evidence
of how the accident occurred.
Defendants’ Argument
Both Cooper Marine and Nucor filed for summary judgment, claiming the plaintiff’s theory (that Garcia slipped on direct reduced iron (DRI) pellets left on the barge deck) was speculative because no one witnessed the fall. They contended the estate could not establish causation under either the Jones Act or general maritime law.
The Court’s Decision
The federal judge rejected the defendants’ argument and allowed the case to proceed to trial.The Court emphasized that the Jones Act imposes a “featherweight” causation standard, and a seaman’s case “can be proven entirely through circumstantial evidence.”Photographs showing DRI pellets and a shoe print near where Garcia was working, combined with testimony that the captain failed to inspect the barge and did not follow Cooper Marine’s “buddy system,” were sufficient for a jury to infer negligence.
Why It Matters
This decision is an important reminder that maritime employers cannot escape liability simply because an accident goes unwitnessed. The Jones Act’s low causation threshold protects seamen and their families by ensuring they can pursue justice even when no one sees the moment of injury or death.
The decision can be accessed below.
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