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4mo ago

Families Reach Confidential Settlements With M/V Dali Owner and Operator

The deals remove the ship owner and operator from many civil claims, leaving criminal charges and other lawsuits unresolved.

A bird flies past the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge resting on the container ship Dali on Sunday, May 12, 2024, in Baltimore, as seen from Riviera Beach, Md. An effort to remove sections of the collapsed bridge resting on the Dali was postponed on Sunday. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
(Photo by: Morgan Pravato/WBFF)
The container ship Dali is docked at a slip at the Port of Baltimore in Baltimore, Wednesday, June 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JUNE 11: Salvage crews continue to clean up wreckage from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the Patapsco River on June 11, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. Baltimore's Fort McHenry Federal Channel has fully opened for shipping traffic months after the cargo ship Dali collided with the bridge, causing it to collapse. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Overview

  • Attorneys filed notices on May 28–29 saying families of multiple victims and the lone survivor have settled confidentially with Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited.
  • The settlements cover claims by four of the six workers killed on March 26, 2024, plus survivor Julio Cervantes, and some reporting indicates other estates also reached agreements though terms were not disclosed.
  • Federal prosecutors unsealed a May 12 indictment charging two Synergy subsidiaries and a ship official with obstruction, fraud and misconduct resulting in death while alleging an improper manual flushing pump caused a second blackout.
  • The National Transportation Safety Board concluded a loose wire caused the Dali’s initial power loss, and a June 1 civil trial will go forward for remaining claimants to decide liability and whether an 1851 maritime law caps owner liability.
  • Families said the settlements let them begin closing a painful chapter, but replacement-bridge funding, claims against other parties and the parallel criminal case mean long-term legal and recovery work will continue.