Who is considered a "Seaman" under the law? Am I a Jones Act Seaman? Am I allowed to sue my employer? "Seaman Status" test determines who is a Jones Act Seaman and who isn't. How do you know?

THE SEAMAN STATUS TEST MAY DETERMINE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY'S ECONOMIC FUTURE - - DO YOU WANT TO LEAVE THIS UP TO AN AMATEUR? .... YOU NEED A MARITIME LAWYER PROTECTING YOUR FAMILY'S FUTURE



Seaman's Powerful Rights and Remedies


Seamen have the most powerful rights and remedies of any workers in America. Because of this, sometimes the biggest battle in a Seaman's case is whether or not a worker qualifies as a Seaman in order to be eligible for these powerful rights and remedies.

When you are injured aboard a vessel or in the service of the vessel, one of the most important considerations is whether or not you meet what is called the "Seaman Status test."

Seaman status is the judicially created test (as opposed to created by a statute) used to determine whether a worker is a seaman. And, importantly, whether you, the injured worker, are entitled to powerful seaman rights and remedies.

Ultimately you and your lawyer will have to bring forth evidence satisfying the elements governing seaman status. The inquiry into seaman status is highly fact specific. Of course, it is critical to understand the legal elements governing seaman status.

Ignore Seaman status and you and your lawyer may well have lost your case long before the employer's summary judgment motion is filed. Steering clear of these treacherous and shallow Seaman Status shoals, however, will depend on you and your attorney's ability to favorably marshal the legally operative facts.

Seaman Status in the Ninth Circuit

The following is the current seaman status test as directed by the U.S. Supreme Court and followed by the Ninth Circuit:

To prove that you are a "seaman," you, the injured worker, must show by a preponderance of the evidence:

  1. That the vessel on which you were employed was in navigation,
  2. That you had a "more or less permanent connection with the vessel" and/or an identifiable fleet of vessels," and
  3. That your job contributed to the function or mission of the vessel(s).

Gizoni v. Southwest Marine, Inc. (Gizoni II), (9th Cir. 1995) 56 F.3d 1138, 1141-1142; McDermott International, Inc. v. Wilander, (1991) 498 U.S. 337, 111; Chandris, Inc. v. Latsis (1995) 515 U.S. 347, 368; see also Delange v. Dutra Constr., Co., Inc., (9th Cir. 1999) 183 F.3d 916, 919.

Bill Turley teaches lawyers the law

We are California Jones Act lawyers. Bill Turley has been teaching, lecturing and writing about maritime personal injury law since 1992, He is usually regarded as the "Dean of the San Diego Maritime Bar." Bill Turley handles a variety of maritime personal injury cases. Bill is extremely selective in the cases he and his firm accept. Bill realizes that most folks don't know how to find a good honest maritime lawyer in San Diego, California, or the USA.

The last thing you need is an amateur handling your serious maritime injury claim. Even if it turns out Bill and his firm are not the best fit for your case, Bill will make sure you team up with a lawyer that specializes in maritime personal injury law in California (or the USA).






Additional Jones Act information:

What is a Jones Act case?
The Jones Act

Who is a Jones Act Seaman? (Seaman Status)

What is Jones Act Maintenance and Cure?
What is Maintenance under the Jones Act?

What is negligence under the Jones Act?
What do you have to prove in a Jones Act negligence claim?

What is unseaworthiness?
How does the law define unseaworthiness?
How do I prove the vessel was unseaworthy?

If you are a seriously injured Jones Act Seaman, how are you going to support your family?
Some Jones Act “truths”

































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The Turley Law Firm Attorneys accept cases in the following locations in California: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Fresno, Long Beach, Sacramento, Oakland, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Bakersfield, Riverside, Stockton, Chula Vista, Fremont, Irvine, Modesto, Glendale, San Bernardino, Huntington Beach, Oxnard, Fontana, Moreno Valley, Oceanside, Rancho Cucamonga, Santa Clarita, Garden Grove, Ontario, Pomona, Santa Rosa, Salinas, Palmdale, Hayward, Pasadena, Torrance, Corona, Lancaster, Catalina Island, Bodega Bay, Bethel Island, Half Moon Bay, Eureka, Avalon,  Escondido, Alameda, Orange, Elk Grove, Sunnyvale, Fullerton, Thousand Oaks, El Monte, Simi Valley, Concord, Visalia, Vallejo, Ventura, Ventura Harbor, Marina del Ray, Morro Bay, Inglewood, Santa Clara, Pacific Ocean,  Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach , Port of San Pedro, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Channel, San Clemente Island,  San Joaquin River, San Francisco Harbor, San Francisco Bay, Stockton, Port of Stockton, Port of Sacramento, Port San Luis, California Delta, Lake Tahoe, Colorado River, Port of San Diego, Sausalito, Santa Cruz, San Pedro,  San Diego Harbor, Stockton, Oceanside Harbor, Catalina Island, Dan Point, Newport Harbor, Ventura Harbor, Port Hueneme, Vallejo, Crescent City, Yuba City, Wilmington, and the Channel Islands, and the navigable waterways of the the United States and the navigable waters of California.

The Turley Law Firm handles all type of boat and ship accidents and we are boat accident attorneys, including Jones Act attorneys, unseaworthiness attorneys, boat negligence attorneys, maintenance and cure attorneys,  cruise ship attorneys, recreational boating attorneys, boat accident attorneys, ship accident attorney, boat collision attorney, ship collision attorney, barge accident attorney, barge attorney, derrick attonrey, floating work platform attorney,  PWC accident attorney, personal watercraft accident attorney, sailboat accident attorney, water ski accident attorney, sailing accident attorney,  tanker attorney, offshore attorney,  and river accident attorneys.


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