Wednesday, July 13, 2011

FIC v. Union Pacific R.R. (9th Cir. - July 13, 2011)

Judge Fisher begins this opinion with the sentence:

"This is another maritime case about a train wreck."

Ho ho ho.  I like a little nine-word humor to begin an opinion.  (This isn't an original line by Judge Fisher, since Justice O'Connor used it in Norfolk Southern v. Kirby -- hence the "another" -- but I still love it.)

I'll let you read Judge Fisher's opinion to see why it's a maritime case even though it's a train (not ship) wreck.  Let's just say that maritime law is a bit broader than you might initially think.