Court Reverses Summary Judgment Against Sandblaster on his Jones Act Claim

A Louisiana appellate court revived a sandblaster's claim that he qualified as a "seaman" covered by the Jones Act based on his work on rigs and platforms in the navigable waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Case: Baldwin v. Cleanblast, 02/04/2015, No. 2013-10251, published. Facts: Mark Baldwin worked as a sandblaster and painter for CleanBlast. The company assigned him to a crew blasting a set of risers owned by Tennessee Oil and Gas. Baldwin alleged that the crew was not provided with the proper equipment to do this job safely, and he fell backwards from a platform while doing...