Charpentier Law Firm Blog

In a recent article of Scuba Magazine (August 2009) following general safety rules for scuba diving were listed:

1.   Never enter an over headed environment alone and without proper training or equipment.

2.   Be prepared for the dives you plan to make. Don’t cut corners or try to get by with what you have.

3.   Don’t let confidence or ego cloud you judgement and allow to do something for which you are not prepared.

4.   Always let others know your plan.

For more information Maritima Law Click Here: http://www.brevardlaywer.com/html/maritime-law.html

Florida Today- July 21, 2009-Cocoa Police Department personnel rescued a man who jumped off the Hubert H. Humphrey Bridge and into the Indian River in Cocoa, Brevard County, Florida. Apparently, the man was rescued after he started swim. The man was taken to a local hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.

For more information on Maritime Law Click Here: http://www.brevardlaywer.com/html/maritime-law.html

Florida Today-April 30, 2009-According to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office a man jumped off a SunCruz Casinos ship at Port Canaveral in Brevard County and swam to Jetty Park. The man, James Rynor, jumped from the ship on a fifteen dollar dare. Apparently the ship was entering the port when the jump occurred.

For more information on Maritime Law Click Here: http://www.brevardlaywer.com/html/maritime-law.html

Associated Press-April 14, 2009-The National Transportation Safety Board is launched and investigation of the fatal power boat accident that killed five people and injured nine recently on Florida’s east coast. Apparently there were 14 people in a 22-foot power boat that crashed into the rear of a tug boat at approximately 7:00 p.m. on April 12, 2009. Crash resulted in five deaths and nine injuries.

For information on Maritime Law Click Here: http://www.brevardlaywer.com/html/maritime-law.html

 The Florida Third District Court of Appeals recently held that a cruise line’s forum selection clause that requires a cruise passenger lawsuit to be filed exclusively in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida is enforceable.  Leslie v. Carnival Corp., 33 FLW D 105 (Fla. 3^rd DCA 1-2-08) In this case, the passenger’s primary objection was that the forum selection clause stripped them of their constitutional right to a jury trial and instead provided for a jury trial in federal court, only with the consent of both parties.  It is important to note that the court noted that this forum selection clause now appears in nearly all commercial passage contracts currently issued by Carnival to its fare paying customers.  Please keep this in mind when you take a cruise out of Port Canaveral.