Minn. jury awards $4.7M in ship lawsuit
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) -- A Duluth dock company owes nearly $4.7 million for repairs and lost profits to the owner of a coal freighter that partially sunk in the Duluth-Superior Harbor.
The Duluth News Tribune reports the jury made the decision Thursday, after a trial that began Feb. 5.
In a 2009 lawsuit, American Steamship Co. claimed negligence by Hallett Dock Co. and Fraser Shipyards Inc. of Superior, Wis. caused the 1,000-foot-long Walter J. McCarthy Jr. to sink in January 2008. The McCarthy hit a submerged concrete structure, which tore a hole in the hull, causing it to take on water.
After three hours of deliberations, the jury absolved American Steamship, Fraser Shipyard and a Superior contractor from damages.
Hallett attorney David Hornig says they plan to ask for a new trial.
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