Savoie v. Huntington Ingalls (2019)

Our plain-English summary of Savoie v. Huntington Ingalls (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, March 26, 2019).

Joseph Savoie, Jr. worked at Avondale Shipyards from about 1948 to 1995. He was diagnosed with mesothelioma in July 2014 and sued Avondale, related executives and insurers, and other defendants, claiming his shipyard work exposed him to asbestos. He died in September 2014, and his survivors took over the suit, asserting both survival and wrongful death claims. The Avondale defendants asked for summary judgment on the wrongful death claims only. The court found that Savoie met the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act's status and situs requirements, which the plaintiffs did not dispute. It held that the Act's exclusivity provisions barred the wrongful death claims. The plaintiffs argued that the Act does not bar intentional torts, but the court had already dismissed their intentional tort claims, so it did not decide whether such an exception exists. It dismissed the wrongful death claims with prejudice against the Avondale defendants and Travelers Indemnity Company, which was entitled to the same relief as its insureds. The survival claim was not affected.

We wrote this summary from the court's opinion with the help of AI. It is not the court's wording, and it is not legal advice. The full opinion is below.

The decision

• Court: U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana
• Decided: March 26, 2019
• Docket: Civil Action No. 15-1220
• Stage: Summary judgment
• State: Louisiana

Outcome. The court granted the Avondale Interests' motion for partial summary judgment and dismissed with prejudice the plaintiffs' wrongful death claims against them and Travelers Indemnity Company, leaving the survival claim in place.

What the court held. Wrongful death claims by the survivors of a shipyard worker covered by the LHWCA are barred by the Act's exclusivity provisions, and the court did not need to decide whether an intentional tort exception exists because the intentional tort claims had already been dismissed.

Issues decided: Wrongful Death and Survival, Employer and Contractor Liability, and Workers' Compensation, Insurance Coverage, Maritime Law and Navy Ships.

The people and their exposure

• Joseph B. Savoie, Jr.: mesothelioma; died

Who	Work	Where	When	Products
Joseph B. Savoie, Jr.	worker at Avondale Shipyards (work treated as ship repair and shipbuilding) (shipyards and maritime work)	Avondale Shipyards, Louisiana	1948-1995

The defendants

• Huntington Ingalls Incorporated (employer)
• Albert L. Bossier, Jr.
• J. Melton Garrett
• OneBeacon America Insurance Company (insurer)
• Pennsylvania General Insurance Company (insurer)
• Travelers Indemnity Company (insurer)

Other decisions in this case

Other rulings from the same court in the same case, in our library:

• Savoie v. Pennsylvania General Insurance Co. (June 8, 2015). The court granted the plaintiffs' motion to remand to Louisiana state court, rejecting Avondale/Huntington Ingalls's federal officer removal, and denied the plaintiffs' request for sanctions.
• Savoie v. Pennsylvania General Insurance Co. (June 2, 2017). On remand from the Fifth Circuit, the court denied the plaintiffs' (Savoie family) motion to remand, finding Avondale (Huntington Ingalls) and the other defendants made a colorable government contractor defense, so federal officer removal stands.
• Savoie v. Pennsylvania General Insurance Co. (October 12, 2017). The court granted Owens-Illinois's re-urged exception of res judicata, holding the 1996 release barred the Savoie family's mesothelioma, wrongful death and survival claims against Owens-Illinois.
• Savoie v. Huntington Ingalls, Inc. (June 10, 2019). The court granted in part and denied in part Avondale's motion, holding that five of eight earlier releases (Champion, Met Life, Amchem, Chesterton, A.P. Green) covered Savoie's future mesothelioma claim, while the B & W, Combustion Engineering and Garlock releases did not.
• Savoie v. Huntington Ingalls (March 17, 2022). The court denied the plaintiffs' motion to remand and kept the case in federal court after the Avondale defendants were dismissed, with the insurer defendants prevailing.

The court's opinion

The text below is Google Scholar's copy of the court's opinion, a public record. Numbers in brackets, such as [*921], mark where each page of the printed reporter begins.

LORITA SAVOIE, ET AL.,

v.

HUNTINGTON INGALLS, ET AL., SECTION: J(3).

Civil Action No. 15-1220.

March 26, 2019.

United States District Court, E.D. Louisiana.

Lorita M Savoie, Widow of Joseph B. Savoie, Jr. (aka Blaine Joseph Savoie Jr.), Marcia Savoie Medlin, Craig M Savoie, Tania Savoie Alexander, Rodney A Savoie, Greta Savoie Boudoin & Dale J Savoie, Plaintiffs, represented by Gerolyn Petit Roussel, Roussel & Clement, Jonathan Brett Clement, Roussel & Clement, Lauren Roussel Clement, Roussel & Clement & Perry Joseph Roussel, Jr., Roussel & Clement.

Joseph B. Savoie, Jr., also known as Blaine Joseph Savoie, Jr., Plaintiff, represented by Gerolyn Petit Roussel, Roussel & Clement, Benjamin Peter Dinehart, Roussel & Clement, Dylan A. Wade, TMG Consulting, Jonathan Brett Clement, Roussel & Clement, Lauren Roussel Clement, Roussel & Clement & Perry Joseph Roussel, Jr., Roussel & Clement. Huntington Ingalls Incorporated, formerly known as Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Inc., Defendant, represented by Gary Allen Lee, Lee, Futrell & Perles, LLP, Timothy Farrow Daniels, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Brian C. Bossier, Blue Williams, LLP, Christopher Thomas Grace, III, Blue Williams, LLP, Daphne M. Lancaster, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, David Michael Melancon, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Edward Winter Trapolin, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Edwin A. Ellinghausen, III, Blue Williams, LLP, Erin Helen Boyd, Blue Williams, LLP, Gustave A. Fritchie, III, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Laura M. Gillen, Blue Williams, LLP, Michael Kevin Powell, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Patrick Kevin Shockey, Blue Williams, LLP & Richard Marshall Perles, Lee, Futrell & Perles, LLP. Albert L Bossier, Jr, Executive Officer of Huntington Ingalls Incorporated & J. Melton Garrett, Executive Officer of Huntington Ingalls Incorporated, Defendants, represented by Gary Allen Lee, Lee, Futrell & Perles, LLP, Timothy Farrow Daniels, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Daphne M. Lancaster, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, David Michael Melancon, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Edward Winter Trapolin, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Gustave A. Fritchie, III, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Michael Kevin Powell, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC & Richard Marshall Perles, Lee, Futrell & Perles, LLP.

OneBeacon America Insurance Company, as Successor to Commercial Union Insurance Company and Employers Commercial Union Insurance Company & Pennsylvania General Insurance Company, formerly known as American Employers' Insurance Company, Defendants, represented by Samuel Milton Rosamond, III, Taylor, Wellons, Politz & Duhe, APLC, Timothy Farrow Daniels, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Adam Devlin deMahy, Taylor, Wellons, Politz & Duhe, APLC, Angela J. O'Brien, Louisiana Department of Justice, David Michael Melancon, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Edward Winter Trapolin, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Gustave A. Fritchie, III, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC & Michael Kevin Powell, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC.

Bayer CropScience, Inc., successor to Rhone Poulenc AG Company, formerly Amchem Products, Inc., formerly Benjamin Foster Company, Defendant, represented by Deborah DeRoche Kuchler, Kuchler Polk Schell Weiner & Richeson, LLC, Daniel L. Ring, Mayer Brown, LLP, Eric D. Cook, Willcox & Savage, P.C., pro hac vice, Ernest G. Foundas, Pugh, Accardo, LLC, Francis Xavier deBlanc, III, Pugh, Accardo, Haas, Radecker & Carey, McGready Lewis Richeson, Pugh, Accardo, Haas, Radecker & Carey, Michael H. Abraham, Forman, Watkins & Krutz LLP & Milele N. St. Julien, Pugh, Accardo, Haas, Radecker & Carey.

Eagle Inc, formerly known as Eagle Asbestos & Packing Company, Inc., Defendant, represented by Susan Beth Kohn, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, LLP, Daniel J. Caruso, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, LLP, Douglas Kinler, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, LLP, James R. Guidry, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, LLP & Nicole M. Loup, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, LLP.

Foster Wheeler LLC, formerly known as Foster-Wheeler Corporation, Defendant, represented by John Joseph Hainkel, III, Frilot L.L.C., Angela M. Bowlin, Frilot L.L.C., Benjamin Melvin Castoriano, Frilot L.L.C., James H. Brown, Jr., Frilot L.L.C., Kelly L. Long, Frilot L.L.C., Kelsey A. Eagan, Frilot L.L.C. & Magali Ann Puente-Martin, Frilot L.L.C. General Electric Company & CBS Corporation, formerly known as Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Defendants, represented by John Joseph Hainkel, III, Frilot L.L.C., Angela M. Bowlin, Frilot L.L.C., James H. Brown, Jr., Frilot L.L.C., Meredith K. Keenan, Frilot L.L.C., Peter R. Tafaro, Frilot L.L.C. & Rebecca Abbott Zotti, Maron Marvel Bradley Anderson & Tardy LLC.

Hopeman Brothers, Inc., Defendant, represented by Kaye N. Courington, Courington, Kiefer & Sommers, LLC, Blaine Augusta Moore, Courington, Kiefer & Sommers, LLC, Jeffrey Matthew Burg, Courington, Kiefer & Sommers, LLC, Jennifer H. McLaughlin, Willingham Fultz & Cougill, LLP & Troy Nathan Bell, Courington, Kiefer & Sommers, LLC. McCarty Corporation, Successor to McCarty Branton, Inc., and Predecessor and Successor to McCarty Insulation Sales, Inc., Defendant, represented by Susan Beth Kohn, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, LLP, Douglas Kinler, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, LLP, James R. Guidry, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, LLP & Nicole M. Loup, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, LLP.

Owens Illinois, Inc, Defendant, represented by Walter G. Watkins, III, Forman, Watkins, & Krutz, LLP, Elizabeth Riddell Penn, Forman, Watkins, & Krutz, LLP, Erin Wedge Latuso, Forman, Watkins & Krutz LLP, Forrest Ren Wilkes, Cosmich Simmons & Brown, PLLC, Mary Reeves Arthur, Forman, Watkins & Krutz LLP & Thomas Peyton Smith, Forman, Watkins & Krutz LLP.

Reilly-Benton Company, Inc., Defendant, represented by Thomas L. Cougill, Willingham Fultz & Cougill, LLP, Jamie M. Zanovec, Willingham Fultz & Cougill, LLP, Jeanette Seraile-Riggins, MG+M The Law Firm & Jennifer D. Zajac, Willingham Fultz & Cougill, LLP.

Travelers Indemnity Company, formerly known as Aetna Casualty & Surety Company, Defendant, represented by Kristopher T. Wilson, Lugenbuhl, Wheaton, Peck, Rankin & Hubbard & Travis Brendon Wilkinson, Taylor, Wellons, Politz & Duhe, APLC.

Uniroyal, Inc., Defendant, represented by Forrest Ren Wilkes, Cosmich Simmons & Brown, PLLC, Elizabeth Riddell Penn, Forman, Watkins, & Krutz, LLP, Erin Wedge Latuso, Forman, Watkins & Krutz LLP & Mary Reeves Arthur, Forman, Watkins & Krutz LLP.

Albert L Bossier, Jr & J. Melton Garrett, Third Party Plaintiffs, represented by Gary Allen Lee, Lee, Futrell & Perles, LLP, Timothy Farrow Daniels, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Daphne M. Lancaster, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, David Michael Melancon, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Edward Winter Trapolin, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Gustave A. Fritchie, III, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Michael Kevin Powell, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC & Richard Marshall Perles, Lee, Futrell & Perles, LLP.

Huntington Ingalls Incorporated, Third Party Plaintiff, represented by Gary Allen Lee, Lee, Futrell & Perles, LLP, Timothy Farrow Daniels, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Brian C. Bossier, Blue Williams, LLP, Christopher Thomas Grace, III, Blue Williams, LLP, Daphne M. Lancaster, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, David Michael Melancon, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Edward Winter Trapolin, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Edwin A. Ellinghausen, III, Blue Williams, LLP, Erin Helen Boyd, Blue Williams, LLP, Gustave A. Fritchie, III, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Laura M. Gillen, Blue Williams, LLP, Michael Kevin Powell, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Patrick Kevin Shockey, Blue Williams, LLP & Richard Marshall Perles, Lee, Futrell & Perles, LLP.

International Paper Company, Third Party Defendant, represented by Walter G. Watkins, III, Forman, Watkins, & Krutz, LLP, Elizabeth Riddell Penn, Forman, Watkins, & Krutz, LLP, Erin Wedge Latuso, Forman, Watkins & Krutz LLP, Jason K. Elam, Forman, Watkins & Krutz LLP & Mary Reeves Arthur, Forman, Watkins & Krutz LLP.

International Paper Company, as successor to the interest of U.S. Plywood Corporation, Third Party Defendant, represented by Walter G. Watkins, III, Forman, Watkins, & Krutz, LLP, Erin Wedge Latuso, Forman, Watkins & Krutz LLP, Jason K. Elam, Forman, Watkins & Krutz LLP & Mary Reeves Arthur, Forman, Watkins & Krutz LLP.

Albert L Bossier, Jr & J. Melton Garrett, Cross Claimants, represented by Gary Allen Lee, Lee, Futrell & Perles, LLP, Timothy Farrow Daniels, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Daphne M. Lancaster, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, David Michael Melancon, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Edward Winter Trapolin, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Gustave A. Fritchie, III, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Michael Kevin Powell, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC & Richard Marshall Perles, Lee, Futrell & Perles, LLP.

Huntington Ingalls Incorporated, Cross Claimant, represented by Gary Allen Lee, Lee, Futrell & Perles, LLP, Timothy Farrow Daniels, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Brian C. Bossier, Blue Williams, LLP, Christopher Thomas Grace, III, Blue Williams, LLP, Daphne M. Lancaster, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, David Michael Melancon, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Edward Winter Trapolin, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Edwin A. Ellinghausen, III, Blue Williams, LLP, Erin Helen Boyd, Blue Williams, LLP, Gustave A. Fritchie, III, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Laura M. Gillen, Blue Williams, LLP, Michael Kevin Powell, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Patrick Kevin Shockey, Blue Williams, LLP & Richard Marshall Perles, Lee, Futrell & Perles, LLP.

CBS Corporation, formerly known as & General Electric Company, Cross Defendants, represented by John Joseph Hainkel, III, Frilot L.L.C., Angela M. Bowlin, Frilot L.L.C., James H. Brown, Jr., Frilot L.L.C., Meredith K. Keenan, Frilot L.L.C., Peter R. Tafaro, Frilot L.L.C. & Rebecca Abbott Zotti, Maron Marvel Bradley Anderson & Tardy LLC.

Eagle, Inc., formerly known as & Eagle, Inc., Cross Defendants, represented by Susan Beth Kohn, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, LLP, Daniel J. Caruso, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, LLP, Douglas Kinler, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, LLP, James R. Guidry, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, LLP & Nicole M. Loup, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, LLP.

Hopeman Brothers, Inc., Cross Defendant, represented by Kaye N. Courington, Courington, Kiefer & Sommers, LLC, Blaine Augusta Moore, Courington, Kiefer & Sommers, LLC, Jeffrey Matthew Burg, Courington, Kiefer & Sommers, LLC, Jennifer H. McLaughlin, Willingham Fultz & Cougill, LLP, Mathilde Villere Semmes, Courington, Kiefer & Sommers, LLC & Troy Nathan Bell, Courington, Kiefer & Sommers, LLC.

Taylor-Seidenbach, Inc., Cross Defendant, represented by Christopher Kelly Lightfoot, Hailey, McNamara, Hall, Larmann & Papale, Anne Elizabeth Medo, Deutsch Kerrigan & Stiles LLP, Edward J. Lassus, Jr., Hailey, McNamara, Hall, Larmann & Papale & Richard J. Garvey, Jr., Hailey, McNamara, Hall, Larmann & Papale.

Reilly-Benton Company, Inc., Cross Defendant, represented by Thomas L. Cougill, Willingham Fultz & Cougill, LLP, Jamie M. Zanovec, Willingham Fultz & Cougill, LLP, Jeanette Seraile-Riggins, MG+M The Law Firm & Jennifer D. Zajac, Willingham Fultz & Cougill, LLP.

Uniroyal, Inc., Cross Defendant, represented by Erin Wedge Latuso, Forman, Watkins & Krutz LLP.

Foster Wheeler LLC, formerly known as Foster-Wheeler Corporation & Foster Wheeler LLC, Cross Defendants, represented by John Joseph Hainkel, III, Frilot L.L.C., Angela M. Bowlin, Frilot L.L.C., Benjamin Melvin Castoriano, Frilot L.L.C., James H. Brown, Jr., Frilot L.L.C., Kelly L. Long, Frilot L.L.C., Kelsey A. Eagan, Frilot L.L.C. & Magali Ann Puente-Martin, Frilot L.L.C.

Bayer CropScience, Inc., Cross Defendant, represented by Deborah DeRoche Kuchler, Kuchler Polk Schell Weiner & Richeson, LLC, Daniel L. Ring, Mayer Brown, LLP, Eric D. Cook, Willcox & Savage, P.C., pro hac vice, Ernest G. Foundas, Pugh, Accardo, LLC, Francis Xavier deBlanc, III, Pugh, Accardo, Haas, Radecker & Carey, McGready Lewis Richeson, Pugh, Accardo, Haas, Radecker & Carey, Michael H. Abraham, Forman, Watkins & Krutz LLP & Milele N. St. Julien, Pugh, Accardo, Haas, Radecker & Carey.

Owens-Illinois, Inc., Cross Defendant, represented by Walter G. Watkins, III, Forman, Watkins, & Krutz, LLP, Elizabeth Riddell Penn, Forman, Watkins, & Krutz, LLP, Erin Wedge Latuso, Forman, Watkins & Krutz LLP, Forrest Ren Wilkes, Cosmich Simmons & Brown, PLLC, Mary Reeves Arthur, Forman, Watkins & Krutz LLP & Thomas Peyton Smith, Forman, Watkins & Krutz LLP.

McCarty Corporation, Cross Defendant, represented by Susan Beth Kohn, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, LLP, Douglas Kinler, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, LLP, James R. Guidry, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, LLP & Nicole M. Loup, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, LLP.

3M Company, Cross Defendant, represented by Sophia L. Lauricella, Thompson, Coe, Cousins & Irons, LLP. McCarty Corporation, Successor to McCarty Branton, Inc., and Predecessor and Successor to McCarty Insulation Sales, Inc., Cross Claimant, represented by Susan Beth Kohn, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, LLP, Douglas Kinler, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, LLP, James R. Guidry, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, LLP & Nicole M. Loup, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, LLP.

Huntington Ingalls Incorporated, Cross Defendant, represented by Gary Allen Lee, Lee, Futrell & Perles, LLP, Timothy Farrow Daniels, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Brian C. Bossier, Blue Williams, LLP, Christopher Thomas Grace, III, Blue Williams, LLP, Daphne M. Lancaster, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, David Michael Melancon, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Edward Winter Trapolin, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Edwin A. Ellinghausen, III, Blue Williams, LLP, Erin Helen Boyd, Blue Williams, LLP, Gustave A. Fritchie, III, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Laura M. Gillen, Blue Williams, LLP, Michael Kevin Powell, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, LLC, Patrick Kevin Shockey, Blue Williams, LLP & Richard Marshall Perles, Lee, Futrell & Perles, LLP.

Owens Illinois, Inc, Counter Claimant, represented by Walter G. Watkins, III, Forman, Watkins, & Krutz, LLP, Elizabeth Riddell Penn, Forman, Watkins, & Krutz, LLP, Erin Wedge Latuso, Forman, Watkins & Krutz LLP, Forrest Ren Wilkes, Cosmich Simmons & Brown, PLLC, Mary Reeves Arthur, Forman, Watkins & Krutz LLP & Thomas Peyton Smith, Forman, Watkins & Krutz LLP.

Lorita M Savoie, Widow of Joseph B. Savoie, Jr. (aka Blaine Joseph Savoie Jr.), Counter Defendant, represented by Gerolyn Petit Roussel, Roussel & Clement, Jonathan Brett Clement, Roussel & Clement, Lauren Roussel Clement, Roussel & Clement & Perry Joseph Roussel, Jr., Roussel & Clement.

Lorita M Savoie, Widow of Joseph B. Savoie, Jr. (aka Blaine Joseph Savoie Jr.), Counter Claimant, represented by Gerolyn Petit Roussel, Roussel & Clement, Jonathan Brett Clement, Roussel & Clement, Lauren Roussel Clement, Roussel & Clement & Perry Joseph Roussel, Jr., Roussel & Clement.

Owens Illinois, Inc, Counter Defendant, represented by Walter G. Watkins, III, Forman, Watkins, & Krutz, LLP, Elizabeth Riddell Penn, Forman, Watkins, & Krutz, LLP, Erin Wedge Latuso, Forman, Watkins & Krutz LLP, Forrest Ren Wilkes, Cosmich Simmons & Brown, PLLC, Mary Reeves Arthur, Forman, Watkins & Krutz LLP & Thomas Peyton Smith, Forman, Watkins & Krutz LLP.

ORDER & REASONS

CARL BARBIER, District Judge.

Before the Court is the Avondale Interests'[1] Motion for Partial Summary Judgment on Wrongful Death Claims (Rec. Doc. 238), Plaintiffs' opposition (Rec. Doc. 323), and the Avondale Interests' reply (Rec. Doc. 479). Because Plaintiffs' wrongful death claims against the Avondale Interests are barred by the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act ("LHWCA"), the Court will grant the motion and dismiss with prejudice Plaintiffs' wrongful death claims. Furthermore, and in accordance with the Court's prior ruling that Travelers Indemnity Company is entitled to the same relief as its insureds (Rec. Doc. 467), the Court will also dismiss Plaintiffs' wrongful death claims against Travelers Indemnity Company. BACKGROUND

The Court assumes the reader's familiarity with this case and provides only a brief account of the relevant facts and procedural history. Joseph B. Savoie, Jr. worked at Avondale Shipyards from approximately 1948 through 1995. In July of 2014, Savoie was diagnosed with mesothelioma. Soon thereafter he filed this action against the Avondale Interests and other defendants, claiming his work at Avondale Shipyards exposed him to asbestos fibers that eventually caused him to develop mesothelioma. Savoie passed away on September 15, 2014, and his survivors were substituted as plaintiffs. Plaintiffs' amended petition asserts both survival and wrongful death claims. The instant motion seeks dismissal of Plaintiffs' wrongful death claims against the Avondale Interests, but not the survival claim. (Rec. Doc. 238). In an earlier decision in this case, the Court granted the Avondale Interests' Motion for Partial Summary Judgment Seeking Dismissal of All

Intentional Tort, Fraud, and Concealment Claims. (Rec. Doc. 390, granting Rec. Doc. 269). That decision bears significantly on the outcome here, as explained below.

DISCUSSION

Summary judgment is proper when there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a).

Under Louisiana law, wrongful death claims are controlled by the applicable law and jurisprudence in effect at the time of death. Walls v. Am. Optical Corp., 98-0455 (La. 9/8/99), 740 So. 2d 1262, 1270. At the time of Savoie's death in 2014, the LHWCA covered employees who satisfied that Act's situs and status elements, per the 1972 Amendments to the LHWCA. See Herb's Welding, Inc. v. Gray, 470 U.S. 414, 415-16 (1985). The status element requires that the employee be "engaged in maritime employment, including any longshoreman or other person engaged in longshoring operations, and any harbor-worker including a ship repairman, shipbuilder, and ship-breaker. . . ." 33 U.S.C. § 902(3). Situs under the LHWCA is met when the "disability or death results from an injury occurring upon the navigable waters of the United States (including any adjoining pier, wharf, dry dock, terminal, building way, marine railway, or other adjoining area customarily used by an employer in loading, unloading, repairing, dismantling, or building a vessel)." 33 U.S.C. § 903(a).

The Avondale Interests argue that Savoie's work for Avondale constituted ship repair and shipbuilding under the LHWCA, which satisfies the status element. They further argue that the place where Savoie was allegedly exposed to asbestos, Avondale Shipyards, satisfies the LHWCA's situs element. Plaintiffs do not dispute that Savoie meets the LHWCA's situs and status elements.[2] Accordingly, the Court finds that for purposes of Plaintiffs' wrongful death claims, Savoie was covered by the LHWCA.

Having established LHWCA coverage, the Avondale Interests further argue that §§ 905(a) and 933(i) of the LHWCA immunizes them against Plaintiffs' wrongful death tort claims.[3] Plaintiffs counter that they assert intentional torts, which the LHWCA does not preclude.

Some courts have recognized a narrow exception to LHWCA immunity for intentional torts. See, e.g., Houston v. Bechtel Assocs. Prof'l. Corp., 522 F. Supp. 1094, 1096 (D.D.C. 1981). In Johnson v. Odeco Oil & Gas Co., 864 F.2d 40, 44 & n.1 (5th Cir. 1989), the Fifth Circuit acknowledged that such an exception might exist, but declined to decide that issue because there was no evidence of wrongful conduct beyond negligence. This Court previously granted the Avondale Interests' partial motion for summary judgment and dismissed with prejudice Plaintiffs' intentional tort claims. (Rec. Doc. 390). Similar to Johnson, then, this Court need not decide whether intentional torts are outside the scope of the LHWCA's exclusivity provisions. Even if there is an exception to LHWCA immunity for intentional torts, that exception would not apply to Plaintiffs' wrongful death claims against the Avondale Interests.

For these reasons, Plaintiffs' wrongful death claims against the Avondale Interests are precluded by the LHWCA and will be dismissed with prejudice. Furthermore, this Court has ruled that Travelers Indemnity Company is entitled to the same relief as its insureds—James Bull, C. Edwin Hartzman, Hettie "Dawes" Eaves, Henry "Zac" Carter, John McCue and Ewing Moore. (Rec. Doc. 467). Accordingly, the Court will also dismiss Plaintiffs' wrongful death claims against Travelers Indemnity Company.

CONCLUSION

For the reasons set forth above,

IT IS ORDERED that the Avondale Interests' Motion for Partial Summary Judgment on Wrongful Death Claims (Rec. Doc. 238) is GRANTED.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Plaintiffs' wrongful death claims (but not the survival claim) against the Avondale Interests and Travelers Indemnity Company are DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE.

[1] The "Avondale Interests" are Huntington Ingalls Incorporated (f/k/a Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Inc., f/k/a Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, Inc., f/k/a Avondale Industries, f/k/a Avondale Shipyards, Inc., and f/k/a Avondale Marine Ways, Inc.) ("Avondale"), Albert L. Bossier, Jr., J. Melton Garrett, and OneBeacon America Insurance Company and Pennsylvania General Insurance Company, in their

capacities as alleged insurers of James Bull, C. Edwin Hartzman, Hettie "Dawes" Eaves, Henry "Zac" Carter, John McCue, and Ewing Moore.

[2] As explained below, Plaintiffs argue instead that LHWCA coverage is irrelevant because the LHWCA does not bar their intentional tort claims. (See Pls. Opp'n at 10-13, Rec. Doc. 323).

[3] See 33 U.S.C. § 905(a) ("The liability of an employer prescribed in section 904 of this title shall be exclusive and in place of all other liability of such employer to the employee, his legal representative, husband or wife, parents, dependents, next of kin, and anyone otherwise entitled to recover damages from such employer at law or in admiralty on account of such injury or death. . . ."); 33 U.S.C. § 933(i) ("The right to compensation or benefits under this chapter shall be the exclusive remedy to an employee when he is injured, or to his eligible survivors or legal representatives if he is killed, by the negligence or wrong of any other person or persons in the same employ: Provided, That this provision shall not affect the liability of a person other than an officer or employee of the employer.").

Sources

• The opinion on Google Scholar
• Louisiana asbestos laws
• Louisiana asbestos exposure sites