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Jones Act Summary

Any Jones Act summary should include the following main points about this important set of maritime laws:

The Jones Act is a U.S. "cabotage" law, meaning that it covers the transport by water of cargo and passengers between two points within the United States.

The name "Jones Act" is the commonly used name for the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, which was implemented to protect domestic marine commerce. Another goal of the Jones Act law is to protect seamen and sailors from bad or unsafe working conditions.

The Jones Act prevents foreign-owned or -operated or -crewed vessels from transporting goods or passengers between two U.S. ports. For such purposes, the Act requires that the vessel must be:

built in the U.S.
flagged as a U.S. vessel, and
owned and operated by U.S. citizen(s)
In addition, at least three-quarter of the crew must be U.S. citizens

The Jones Act provides benefits for a seaman, sailor, member of the crew or other seaworker who is injured while working at sea or while working in a job that contributes to a voyage.

Jones Act and Economic Damages

When an individual is injured or develops an illness due to conditions on the job at sea or during a job that contributes to a voyage, he or she may be eligible for Jones Act coverage of the following economic damages:

medical bills such as surgery, hospitalization, medication
permanent disfigurement — for example, loss of a limb, vision or hearing
lost earning capacity — for example, if the worker was making $50,000/year before the injury or illness but is now able to make only $35,000, his or her lost earning capacity would be $15,000/year
lost wages — if the injury or illness was at least partly the employer's fault, an employee can be awarded money that replaces the wages for the period in which he or she was unable to work
mental anguish

However, not every injured seaworker is eligible for Jones Act damages compensation. Important deciding factors include:

whether the employer is considered a Jones Act employer
the responsibility of the employer for the injury, and that of the individual
the worker's job duties
whether the vessel involved is a Jones Act vessel
the location where the injury occurred (e.g., distance from shore)

If you or a loved one has been injured while at sea and you would like to discuss the specific circumstances of your case with an experienced Jones Act attorney, contact us. We will schedule a private, no cost consultation to determine whether you are eligible to file a Jones Act lawsuit and seek compensation for your damages.

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Jones Act Summary

Jones Act and Economic Damages

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