Justices Likely to Mull Key Maritime Rulings in Insurance Suit

Maritime attorney Christopher Nolan was quoted a Law360 article about a noteworthy U.S. Supreme Court case that will address a pair of long-established high court rulings in the maritime space. The court will review whether a choice-of-law clause in a maritime contract can be voided under federal admiralty law if enforcement would contravene "strong public policy" of the state whose law is displaced. Mr. Nolan talked about the potential significance of the court's ruling for the marine insurance industry as well as broke down the two cases it implicates: The Bremen v. Zapata Off-Shore and Wilburn Boat Co. v. Fireman's Fund Insurance Co.

"You're going to have two major maritime decisions in the last century analyzed in greater detail by the Supreme Court in a way that has not happened very often, if at all," Mr. Nolan commented. "...You're going to have a lot more [amicus] submissions from insurance companies looking at Wilburn Boat and trying to get an opportunity to have the Supreme Court discuss it because it's been so long."

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