Employers Cannot Recover Amounts Erroneously Paid for Maintenance and Cure to Seaman Who Concealed Pre-Existing Injuries
Matthew S. Lejeune, April 22, 2013
A seaman who suffers injury or illness while in the service of a vessel is entitled, regardless of fault, to payment from his employer for maintenance (i.e., living expenses) and cure (i.e., medical expenses) until the point in time that the seaman reaches maximum medical improvement. An employer...

The Fifth Circuit Holds that Cure Awards Should Only Include the Costs of Actual Payment to Medical Providers
Matthew S. Lejeune, October 17, 2012
"Cure" is a shipowner's obligations under general maritime law to pay necessary medical services for seamen injured while in a vessel's service. In an issue of first impression for the Fifth Circuit, the court was tasked with determining whether an award for cure should include the...

U.S. 5th Cir. Narrowly Interprets Recent U.S. Supreme Court Decision Regarding the Standard of Causation Under the Federal Employer's Liability Act ("FELA")
Matthew S. Lejeune, August 22, 2012
The Jones Act provides an injured seaman with a private civil cause of action against his employer in the event of personal injury or death occurring in the course of employment, 46 U.S.C. § 30104 (2012). The laws applied to the FELA, which regulates recovery for personal injury or death to a...