No Liability for Ship Owner's Failure to Guard Against Open, Obvious Hazard

In a case of first impression, a federal appellate court ruled that an injured worker could not assert a viable claim against a shipowner for an open and obvious hazard. Case: Troutman v. Seaboard Atlantic Ltd., No. 19-10533, 05/13/2020, published. Facts: Anthony Troutman worked for Eller ITO, a stevedoring company. On April 22, 2016, Troutman was securing containers being loaded onto the mail vessel Seaboard Atlantic. The vessel was owned and chartered by Seaboard Atlantic Ltd. and Seaboard Marine Ltd. Troutman had worked on the vessel more than 20 times in the 19 years he was a longs...