Lauritzen v. Larsen
United States Supreme Court
345 U.S. 571 (1953)
Larsen (plaintiff), a Danish seaman, signed crew documents in New York to join the Danish ship Randa, owned by Lauritzen (defendant), a Danish citizen; those documents specified Danish law and Larsen's Danish Seamen's Union contract would govern any shipboard injury. Larsen was later injured while the Randa was in Cuban waters, and he sued in New York federal court under the Jones Act, arguing Lauritzen's U.S. business dealings supported jurisdiction; Lauritzen countered that Larsen had already received all compensation available under Danish law. The district court and court of appeals ruled for Larsen, and the Supreme Court granted certiorari.
Whether, under the Jones Act, a federal court may assert jurisdiction over a tort claim that accrued in foreign waters, is governed by foreign law, and is between foreign parties.