Eric Watkins
Senior Correspondent
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 26 -- Audet & Partners LLP, attorneys who earlier filed a class action lawsuit representing the fisherman, boat operators, and other alleged victims of the Nov. 7 oil spill into San Francisco Bay, have obtained a court order authorizing the "arrest" of the Cosco Busan to keep the vessel from leaving the country.
"Under well-established maritime law, in these circumstances, it is appropriate to make sure the vessel involved in the oil spill does not leave the jurisdiction of the United States," said William M. Audet of Audet & Partners.
The US District Court issued an order Nov. 20 granting the plaintiff attorneys' request to arrest movement of the Cosco Busan.
"We have been contacted by literally hundreds of ship owners and others whose livelihood depend on clean ocean water and [who] have lost significant amounts of money directly due to the recent oil spill," reported Audet.
The Chelsea LLC complaint was filed on behalf of the Class vs. Regal Stone Ltd. et al., Civil Action No. 07-5800 (Northern District of California).
Contact Eric Watkins at [email protected].