In a case decided on March 28, 2018, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that a maritime lien on a vessel for the "maintenance and cure" of an injured seaman was not subject to the "automatic stay" that generally arises as the result of a bankruptcy filing by the owner of the vessel. In the case entitled Barnes v. Sea Hawaii Rafting, LLC, 886 F.3d 758, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals considered whether the special rules invoked by maritime law trumped the rules and equitable principles set out in the Bankruptcy Code, or whether bankruptcy law triumphed.

"Free and Clear" Sale of a Trademark or Intellectual Property License Under Section 363 Does Not Trump Rights of Third Party Licensees under Section 365

HIGHLIGHTS:

Earlier today, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland issued a decision vacating maritime attachments of a vessel on the grounds that the attachments were futile in view of the Vessel Owner's bankruptcy proceedings. In Evridiki Navigation v. The Sanko Steamship Co., Ltd., Civil No. JKB-12-1382 (ECF Doc. # 135)(D. Md. Jul. 27, 2012), a vessel had been attached in Baltimore, Maryland, by use of Rule B of the Supplemental Rules for Admiralty and Maritime Claims.