Gantt v. Seadrill Americas, Inc.

360 F. Supp. 3d 402
District Court, E.D. Louisiana·Decided December 21, 2018·No. CIVIL ACTION No. 18-2569·Published

Opinion

LANCE M. AFRICK, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Before the Court is defendants LLOG Bluewater Holdings, LLC ("LLOG Bluewater") and LLOG Exploration Offshore, LLC's ("LLOG Exploration") (collectively, the "LLOG defendants") motion1 for summary judgment. For the following reasons, the motion is granted.

I.

This case arises out of injuries plaintiff Terry Gantt ("Gantt") allegedly suffered when responding to a fire that broke out in an air handling unit on board the M/V WEST NEPTUNE (the "vessel") in March 2015.2 Because the complaint does not specify which claims pertain to which defendants, the LLOG defendants' motion addresses all of the claims for relief listed in the complaint. In his opposition, Gantt clarified that he is only pursuing general maritime negligence claims against the LLOG defendants.3 Therefore, the Court will not consider the LLOG defendants' arguments as to Gantt's Jones Act negligence and unseaworthiness claims.4

On the date of the March 2015 fire, Gantt was working aboard the vessel as an assistant crane operator employed by defendant Seadrill Americas, Inc. ("Seadrill Americas").5 According to Gantt's account of the subject incident, the air handling unit's filter material came into contact with the unit's heater elements, resulting in a fire because there was no physical barrier preventing such contact.6 Gantt alleges that he was one of the crew members who responded to the fire.7

*405The LLOG defendants state that the vessel was operating on a federal oil and gas lease block as a result of a contract (the "daywork drilling contract") between LLOG Bluewater, the leaseholder, and Seadrill Deepwater Contracting, Ltd. ("Seadrill Deepwater"), the drilling contractor.8 Pursuant to the daywork drilling contract, Seadrill Deepwater-which is not a party to this lawsuit-was to furnish the vessel, as well as the drilling equipment, insurance, and personnel.9 It is uncontested that the LLOG defendants had no ownership interest in the vessel.10 Rather, the vessel was owned by Seadrill Neptune Hungary Kft. ("Seadrill Neptune").11 Gantt alleges that the LLOG defendants, as the leaseholder party to the daywork drilling contract, "held all rights and obligations."12 He seeks to hold the LLOG defendants liable under a theory of general maritime negligence.13

II.

Summary judgment is proper when, after reviewing the pleadings, the discovery and disclosure materials on file, and any affidavits, the Court determines that there is no genuine dispute of material fact. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 56. "[A] party seeking summary judgment always bears the initial responsibility of informing the district court of the basis for its motion, and identifying those portions of [the record] which it believes demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact." Celotex Corp. v. Catrett , 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). The party seeking summary judgment need not produce evidence negating the existence of a material fact; it need only point out the absence of evidence supporting the other party's case. Id. ; see also Fontenot v. Upjohn Co. , 780 F.2d 1190, 1195 (5th Cir. 1986).

Once the party seeking summary judgment carries its burden, the nonmoving party must come forward with specific facts showing that there is a genuine dispute of material fact for trial. Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp. , 475 U.S. 574, 587, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986). The showing of a genuine issue is not satisfied by creating " 'some metaphysical doubt as to the material facts,' by 'conclusory allegations,' by 'unsubstantiated assertions,' or by only a 'scintilla' of evidence." Little v. Liquid Air Corp. , 37 F.3d 1069, 1075 (5th Cir. 1994) (citations omitted).

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Gantt v. Seadrill Americas, Inc., 360 F. Supp. 3d 402 (E.D. La. 2018).

360 F. Supp. 3d 402 (Gantt v. Seadrill Americas, Inc.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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