| The Jones Act -- Maintenance and Cure |
|
| Under the Jones Act and general maritime law, a seaman who is injured in the course and scope of his employment may recover "maintenance" and "cure" benefits from his employer, even if the employer was not negligent and the vessel was not unseaworthy. Maintenance and cure benefits are similar to workmen's compensation benefits; however, no government agency is involved in the administration of maintenance and cure benefits. More... |
|
|
| No Strict Liability for Defamation |
|
| A lawsuit for defamation has the following basic elements: (1) making a false statement (2) about a person (3) to others, and (4) actual damages (if the harm to the person is not apparent). There is a fifth element when the person is a public official or public figure. The person who made the statement has to have made it with a known or reckless disregard of the truth. This article discusses a matter related to the fifth element, the prohibition against strict liability. More... |
|
|
| Acts of God |
|
| In the context of the law, an "act of God" is an accident caused by extraordinary natural forces. An accident caused by lightning, a flood, a hurricane, or an earthquake may constitute an act of God. More... |
|
|
| The Federal Employers' Liability Act |
|
| The Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA) is an act that deals with a railroad carrier's liability to its employees for industrial accidents. If the carrier is engaged in interstate or foreign commerce, the carrier will be liable for its employees' injuries or death. However, the carrier is only liable for injuries or death that result from the negligence of the carrier's officers, agents, or employees or from a defect in the carrier's cars, engines, tracks, or machinery.
More... |
|
|
| Interference with a Premarital Relationship |
|
| Although there have been causes of action in the past for breach of a promise to marry, which causes of action were based on contract law, there has never been a cause of action in tort for alienation of affections with regard to an engaged person or for sexual intercourse with an engaged person.
More... |
|
|