Limitation of Liability Act of 1851
Encyclopedia
In United States maritime law, the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851 (46 U.S.C. app. § 183 (1984)) historically http://www.virtualpet.com/bright/ref/usc46.htm, or (46 U.S.C. §§ 30501 - 30512) since Feb. 1, 2010 http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/usc_sup_01_46_06_III_10_305.html states that the owner of a vessel may limit damage claims to the value of the vessel at the end of the voyage plus "pending freight," as long as the owner can prove it lacked ­knowledge of the problem beforehand. This Act was the subject of a 2001 United States Supreme Court case in Lewis v. Lewis & Clark Marine, Inc.
Lewis v. Lewis & Clark Marine, Inc.
Lewis v. Lewis & Clark Marine, Inc., , was a United States Supreme Court case decided in 2001. The case concerned an injunction under the Limitation of Liability Act and whether a district court acted properly in dissolving it.-Background:...

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Historically the statute has been invoked to limit the liability of certain parties in the sinking of the RMS Titanic and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...

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Recent developments

Deepwater Horizon Survivors' Fairness Act  (2011-2012) is a bill introduced in Senate in the 112th Congress. The bill seeks to amend the Limitation of Liability Act to make an exception for personal injuries and wrongful death claims related to the explosion and destruction of the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform
Deepwater Horizon explosion
The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion refers to the April 20, 2010 explosion and subsequent fire on the Deepwater Horizon semi-submersible Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit , which was owned and operated by Transocean and drilling for BP in the Macondo Prospect oil field about southeast of the...

. It has been referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The Congressional Budget Office
Congressional Budget Office
The Congressional Budget Office is a federal agency within the legislative branch of the United States government that provides economic data to Congress....

has provided a cost estimate.
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