Federal Court Sends Worker's Jones Act Claim Back to State Level

A federal appellate court ruled that a worker’s Jones Act claims should be sent back to a Texas state court. Shanon Roy Santee worked as a remote-operated vehicle technician in the offshore drilling industry. Technicians operate ROVs from a command center aboard a vessel and typically stay on the vessel for a 21-day or 28-day period. Santee primarily worked for Oceaneering International Inc., and after 2016, he worked mostly aboard the M/V Deepwater Conqueror. The Deepwater Conqueror was a drillship serviced by Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling Inc. Chevron USA Inc. contracted ...