A federal judge in Maryland has sharply narrowed the civil case stemming from the containership Dali’s destruction of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, dismissing most of the remaining economic loss claims in an August 25 ruling. Judge James K. Bredar based the decision on Robins Dry Dock & Repair, a 1927 U.S. Supreme Court precedent barring recovery for economic losses caused by negligence absent physical damage to the claimant’s property.
Among the claims dismissed were Star Bulk’s lost-earnings claim over vessels unable to reach Baltimore berths, a class of longshoremen who lost work, an insurance syndicate, Ports America Chesapeake, American Sugar Refining, and a large group of businesses affected by the harbor closure. The court also rejected the City of Baltimore’s claims tied to the loss of the bridge itself, finding the city failed to establish a sufficient proprietary interest.
Several claims survive. The City of Baltimore may proceed on damage to a water main beneath the bridge, Baltimore County on damage to its waterways from bridge debris, and trucking company R.E. West on a class action covering cargo physically damaged in containers during the allision. All but 10 of the 54 original civil claims have now been settled or voluntarily dismissed.
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