In Re the Complaint and Petition of Pamina LLC for Exoneration from or Limitation of Liability

District Court, W.D. Washington·Decided October 31, 2023·No. 2:22-cv-01679·Unknown

Opinion

THE HONORABLE KYMBERLY K. EVANSON

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON

PAMINA, LLC, as owner of the vessel, M/V IN ADMIRALTY PAMINA (Official Number 1143720), BRIAN PICKERING and LAURIE PICKERING, as No. 2:22-cv-01679-KKE sole members of PAMINA, LLC, and MARKEL AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY, as subrogee of Pamina, LLC, JOINT STIPULATED MOTION Brian Pickering and Laurie Pickering, FOR TRIAL CONTINUANCE AND Third-Party Plaintiffs, HEARING DATE: v. October 31, 2023

POWER SYSTEMS CO., GLENDINNING PRODUCTS LLC, and DOCKMATE, INC.,

Third-Party Defendants, IN RE: COMPLAINT AND PETITION OF PAMINA, LLC, as owner of the vessel, PAMINA, FOR EXONERATION FROM OR

The parties to this action hereby jointly move the Court, pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 6(b)(1), to extend the discovery deadline and deadline for submitting expert reports by ninety (90) days, for good cause shown, as hereinafter set forth. F , P & R P.S. This is a case of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction brought under 28 U.S.C. §1333 and filed pursuant to Rule 9(h) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Rule F, Supplemental Rules for Certain Admiralty and Maritime Claims of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The case arises from a maritime accident involving the Vessel, Pamina. On May 28, 2022, the Vessel, while transiting through the Ballard Locks in Seattle, Washington, allegedly and without warning, started to move in reverse while the engine control levers were in neutral causing collisions with multiple other vessels and causing damages to these vessels as well as to the Pamina. On November 22, 2022, Pamina, and its owners and insurer, initiated this action by filing a Complaint for Exoneration from Limitation of Liability (“LOLA” action). On January 19, 2022, this Court, pursuant to Supplemental Admiralty Rule F (3), ordered all other actions arising from this maritime accident stayed until the termination of the LOLA action and further ordered that any claimant wishing to assert a claim in the LOLA action must do so by March 1, 2023. On March 1, 2023, Pamina and its owners, Brian and Laurie Pickering, and its insurer, Markel American Insurance Company (Plaintiffs-In-Limitation), filed a Third-Party Complaint (and First Amended Complaint on July 6, 2023) against Third Party Defendants, DELTA MARINE INDUSTRIES, INC, N C POWER SYSTEMS CO., GLENDINNING PRODUCTS LLC, and DOCKMATE, INC., alleging that the damages related to this maritime accident arose due to these parties’ negligent inspections, installation, supervision, or maintenance of the Vessel’s engine systems. Alternatively, it is alleged that GLENDINNING PRODUCTS LLC and/or DOCKMATE, INC. defectively designed and/or defectively manufactured the electronic F , P & R P.S. and/or wireless engine control systems or component parts thereof. In addition to numerous affirmative claims filed by the parties, cross claims have been filed in this action by Third-Party Defendants against one another. In addition to Plaintiffs-In-Limitation, five (5) other interested parties have filed claims. Also, as noted, there are four (4) parties against whom claims of negligence and defective design and manufacturing have been brought and these parties have asserted cross claims against one another. Resolution of the case will require extensive written discovery. In addition, the parties have engaged experts. Also, it is anticipated that the depositions of all interested parties and of their experts will be required to resolve this claim. The parties’ counsel have conferred and agree that additional time is required to complete discovery than currently allowed under the Court’s ORDER SETTING TRIAL DATES entered on May 17, 2023. Pursuant to the Court’s current case scheduling order, the parties’ expert reports are due on December 4, 2023, and the discovery deadline is January 3, 2024. Notwithstanding best efforts and progress towards the completion of discovery, given the number of party claimants, Third-Party Defendants, and experts engaged by these parties in the case, it will require approximately an additional ninety (90) days to produce expert reports and complete discovery. Below is a proposed timeline: BENCH TRIAL DATE July 1, 2024 October 7, 2024 Reports from experts December 4, 2024 March 4, 2024 Discovery Completed by January 3, 2024 June 14, 2024 Dispositive motions filed by February 4, 2024 July 12, 2024 Motions in limine filed by May 28, 2024 August 28, 2024 F , P & R P.S. Joint pretrial statement June 3, 2024 September 3, 2024 Pretrial conference June 18, 2024 September 18, 2024 Length of bench trial 7-10 days 7-10 days

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

In Re the Complaint and Petition of Pamina LLC for Exoneration from or Limitation of Liability, (W.D. Wash. 2023).

In Re the Complaint and Petition of Pamina LLC for Exoneration from or Limitation of Liability (In Re the Complaint and Petition of Pamina LLC for Exoneration from or Limitation of Liability) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related