Split Court Reinstates Jury's $1.7 Million Award to Injured Offshore Worker

A divided Texas appellate court on Tuesday reinstated a jury’s award of more $1.7 million in damages to an offshore oil platform worker for an arm injury. The trial judge had ordered that Wesley Fredieu take nothing on his negligence claim, even though the jury had found the platform owner to be wholly at fault for the accident, because the judge found the platform owner to be Fredieu’s borrowed employer. The Court of Appeals for the 14th District of Texas said the trial judge was wrong to treat the issue of Fredieu’s borrowed employee status as an issue of l...