Atlantic Sounding Co., Inc. v. Townsend

Summary

The Court held that punitive damages remain available under general maritime law for a seaman’s employer’s willful failure to pay maintenance and cure. It rejected the argument that Miles v. Apex Marine Corp. or the Jones Act bars such awards, reasoning that maintenance and cure predated the Jones Act and was not displaced by it. Justice Alito, dissenting, argued that Miles’ uniformity principle requires aligning maritime remedies with the Jones Act, which does not permit punitive damages.