A status conference set in Seacor Marine's attempt to limit liability exposure in the Seacor Power disaster has been put off several months, court records show.
A status conference planned for last week has been continued until September. The record shows that, as recently as last week a claimant was added to the case and many of the parties have requested and been granted delays in answering the many pleadings that have been filed.
There are many parties involved. Falcon Global Offshore, Seacor Marine and Seacor Liftboats filed the petition in June. As is fairly common in marine casualty cases in this country, the companies are asking the court to limit its liability for the disaster. In basic terms, the companies that owned and were operating the lift boat the day it capsized are asking the court to limit their financial exposure in any claims to the value of the vessel - roughly $5.7 million. That means all people with a claim - survivors and heirs of those who died - would have to share that $5.7 million.
The Seacor Power capsized on April 13 during severe weather eight miles off the coast of Port Fourchon. Six crew members were rescued, six died, and seven have never been found.
To date, several defendants have been added to the case, including Semco, Donjon Marine, Donjon-Smit, and Talos Energy.
So far, the following people have joined the Seacor limitation of liability suit:
- The estate of Lawrence James Warren, II; Lynn Shields Warren, Independent Administrator of his estate and on behalf of her child.
- Warren's body was recovered from the second level of the capsized boat on April 19. He was a 36-year-old resident of Terrytown.
- Hannah Daspit, wife of 30-year-old Dylan Daspit, who is still missing.
- James Gracien, a survivor of the disaster.
- Bryan Mires, a survivor of the disaster.
- Krista Vercher, fiance of Jay Guevara, 35, of Lafayette, who remains missing.
- Yvette J. Ledet, wife of David Ledet, 63, of Thibodaux, whose body was recovered on April 14. He was the lift boat's captain.
- Dwayne Lewis, a survivor of the disaster.
- Janet Hartford, wife of Anthony Hartford, 53, who was pulled unresponsive from the water on April 16. He was the liftboat's chef.
- Antranae Hartford, Hartford's youngest daughter.
- Shelia Wallingsford, wife of James Wallingsford, 55, of Gilbert, who was pulled unresponsive from the water on April 16.
- Verley Williams, wife of Ernest J. Williams, 69, of Arnaudville, whose body was recovered April 15.
- Bryson Williams, son of Ernest J. Williams.
- Brandy Norris, a "personal representative" of the Ernest J. Williams estate.
- June Bergeron Rozands and Charlton Peter Rozands Jr., parents of Christopher Cooper Rozands of Houma, who is still missing. They filed suit as co-administrators of his estate and as the provisional tutors of his child.
- Rathey Encalade, wife of Darren Encalade, 55, of Belle Chasse, who is still missing.
Most of these parties also have filed individual lawsuits against the companies involved, but we've been told those lawsuits will remain on hold while the limitation of liability process proceeds.
