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From the moment I came to this law firm, I felt peace in my heart. You all were my voice. Thank you Mr. Curtis, you are a great attorney. I want to especially thank you for your effort and dedication and the good heart you put in my case. You are very professional. God Bless you always.

Alba

Therapist
Houston, Texas
Sincere thanks for this depo ... really excellent ... Beckcom/the firm is tops ... for such exhaustive preparation ... WOW ... what a depo.

Houston lawyer commenting on deposition of defense orthopedic doctor taken by V&B
Your law firm did a great job getting the case settled. You were helpful and I would recommend you to anyone.

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Retired
Houston, Texas
Brian & Curtis

Thank you for all you've done for me in regards to my case.

Sincerely

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Seafood Worker
Deltona, Florida
I would like to thank Brian Beckcom and his staff for their professionalism and their support. . . I knew when I met Brian that he was more than qualified to handle my father's wrongful death case . . .if I needed his help again I wouldn't hesitate to call.

Sabrina M, U.S. Air Force enlisted

Houston, Texas
Just when we thought we would never find someone who would listen to our story, V&B opened their doors to us. For one month, I spoke to 25 lawyers and the answer I received was "your case is a lost case, no one will ever represent you."

Aridana Perez (mother of Miguel Perez, Jr., auto accident victim)
Houston, Texas
I'd like to thank the staff at Vujasinovic & Beckcom for the professionalism and courtesy they displayed on my case.

Kurt R., Houston, Texas
I also have a heart full of gratitude for the way you presented such an excellent court case on behalf of me and my kids.

Gloria H., Wichita, Kansas
Brian, I recommend your maritime book highly. I also happily recommend you, personally.

-Captain Jim Vickers
I sat on one of your juries early this year. I observed your eloquence and complete passion....you seem to be a man of utmost qualifications.

- Juror on one of Vuk's cases (name withheld)
Vuk, it has been such a wonderful experience working with you and your staff. Thank you so much for all the hard work that you did to help my family and I survive through the most difficult time of our lives.

Phuong N.
Houston, Texas
I was injured in an auto accident in Houston, and was referred to Vuk by another attorney. I couldn't work as a result of the accident and desperately needed back and knee surgery.. . . Vuk was able to get me a generous settlement within about a year of taking my case.

Steven R.
Deer Park, Texas
After my two-year old son was killed by an 18-wheeler driver and me and my daughter were badly injured, we hired Brian and Vuk to represent us on the recommendation of another lawyer.

This was the hardest time in our lives and it was great knowing we had you there to represent us.

Justin and Sonya H., Splendora, Texas

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Disclaimer

We designed this website to provide information to consumers, injured people, and their families. Our goal is to level the playing field between consumers and insurance companies and expose the tricks, traps, and techniques they use to cheat injured people out of their legal rights. We also let consumers know about legal news, including verdicts and settlements and other interesting legal information.

But please understand that nothing on this website is meant to provide legal information about your specific case, create an attorney-client relationship, or imply that the results of your legal case will be the same as some other case.

Vujasinovic & Beckcom Blog

Jones Act & Maritime Law

11/17/2008
Brian Beckcom
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Should Exxon be forced to pay $2.5 billion in punitive damages?

Right now the Supreme Court is arguing over whether or not Exxon should be forced to pay $2.5 billion in punitive damages, as approved by a federal appeals court. That’s the largest punitive damages award in American history, and would be in addition to the $3.4 billion in criminal fines, cleanup costs and compensation payments they’ve already paid.

The Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska covered 3,000 square miles and is still affecting Alaskan fisheries today – 19 years later. One of the challenges from Exxon in this case is the finding that Exxon can be held liable for the ship captain’s actions. According to Exxon’s lead attorney, this ruiling goes against 200 years of maritime law, where an owner can be liable only for actions that it directed, ratified or participated in.

However, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg disagrees, and has argued that Exxon is partially to blame for the accident, as company officials allowed the captain to work despite having been informed that he was an alcoholic and had been drinking. Other justices have sided with Exxon, including Anthony M. Kennedy , Antonin Scalia , and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.

While the punitive damages awarded in this case are unusual for a maritime law case, the justices are limiting their review to questions of maritime law, and will not consider the constitutionality of the award.

What do you think? Should Exxon pay the additional $2.5 billion in punitive damages, or have they already paid enough? Leave us a comment and let us know.

Want to know more about injury cases that occur offshore?

Feel free to call our firm's toll free number, 877.724.7800 , or send us an email through this website, and we would be glad to schedule an appointment with the firm's maritime lawyer, Brian Beckcom.

Or you can download Brian's free Insider's Guide to Winning Your Maritime Injury Case