Dive Brief:
- Maryland State Attorney General Anthony Brown, on behalf of the state, has filed suit against Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine Group, the owners and operators of the cargo ship Dali that crashed into and collapsed Baltimore’s Key Bridge.
- The suit is the fourth announced in a week, following legal action from the Department of Justice, the company that employed six construction workers who were killed in the collapse and the families of three of those workers.
- Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine, the owner and manager, respectively, of Dali, sought to limit their liability to about $44 million — the value of the ship. Now, lawsuits have piled up ahead of the Sept. 24 deadline to challenge that filing.
Dive Insight:
The state’s filing in the U.S. District Court of Maryland didn’t specify the exact amount it seeks, but listed punitive and financial damages, to include the estimated $1.7 billion cost to replace the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The federal government will pay for the bridge’s reconstruction, per a promise President Joe Biden made after the collapse. Should the state of Maryland win damages to pay for the bridge’s collapse, it would use funds to help pay back the federal government for the cost of the bridge, Benjamin Mizer, principal deputy associate attorney general for the DOJ, told reporters Sept. 18.
The new bridge has an expected completion date of 2028, per the release.
In addition to punitive damages and cost for the bridge replacement, the state is seeking the court to award damages for:
- Costs incurred from the emergency response, salvage, demolition and benefits paid to affected workers and businesses.
- Lost revenues from the bridge and channel disruption, such as tolls, fees and taxes.
- Indemnification, damages and attorneys' fees.
- Damage to natural resources.
- Costs related to environmental contamination and penalties.
- Increased wear and tear on the state's infrastructure due to the lack of the major roadway.
“We have endured increased traffic and altered work commutes, degrading even the quality of the air we breathe. Our state has lost valuable tax and toll revenues, and Maryland's economy has been disrupted," Brown said in a release. “Maryland will rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge, but Marylanders should not have to pay for the Dali owner's and manager's negligence and incompetence.”
