« River Belle Casino expands its list of games | | Little Old Ladies with Blue Hair Fool Youth into Staying Away from Their Slots Games! »
Lawyers fail to recognize a vessel
Long time ago there was one outstanting casino among land-based casinos of New Orleans. The combination of storm surge and wind knocked the old girl around and sent her off to dry dock for repairs. It seems the rent for tying up at the dock was payable even though the poor old thing might sink. But once you get lawyers involved, claims raise upwards. By the time they’d finished, the claim for rent was $20.6m, there were “fees” of $1.6m, and a repair bill of $1.5m - the riverboat knocked into the marina dock and did some damage. So the owners sold the riverboat (always sell your assets when sued). It’s renamed the Amanda Belle and up at Bayou Boeuf in St. Mary Parish. But on July 25 the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the case. The judges offered the insight that a riverboat is a “vessel”, which causes all the construction to move, but the lease was for buildings. Without a maritime lease, there was no cause of action. Attention all lawyers. Anything that floats is a ship, OK!
