The owner of a vessel has an absolute duty to provide a seaworthy vessel for his crew. Therefore, an injured seaman may sue the owner of the vessel on which the seaman was working if the vessel was unseaworthy at the time of the accident. A vessel is unseaworthy if it, its equipment, or its crew are not reasonably fit for their intended purpose.
A person who is injured in an automobile accident may seek to recover for his injuries against one or more parties, including the driver or the owner of the automobile that caused the accident. This article addresses the parties who are potentially liable for an injured party's injuries arising from an automobile accident.
When a plaintiff is injured by two or more defendants' tortious acts that join to cause the injury, each defendant is "jointly and severally liable" for that injury. This means that the plaintiff may recover the entire amount of damages from any of the defendants. The defendants, in turn, may seek contribution or indemnity from each other.
When a plaintiff and a defendant enter into a settlement of the plaintiff's tort action, the tax consequences of the settlement will depend upon whether the damages are allocated in the settlement agreement.
When spouses commit torts against each other, a cause of action may or may not be available to the injured spouse. It depends upon the jurisdiction and the type of injury.
