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Monday, June 19, 2006
Ind. Decisions - 7th Circuit issues one Indiana decision last week
But it was 86-pages. in Gaffney, Michael P. v. Riverboat Services of Indiana v. Showboat Marina Casino (ND Ind., Andrew P. Rodovich, Magistrate Judge), decided 6/16/06, Circuit Judge Ripple writes:
The plaintiffs, who are licensed merchant marine officers,1 brought this whistleblower action under 46 U.S.C. § 2114 against Showboat Marina Casino Partnership, Showboat, Inc., Showboat Indiana, Inc., Showboat Mardi Gras Casino and M/V Showboat (collectively “Showboat”), Riverboat Services, Inc. and Riverboat Services of Indiana, Inc. (collectively “Riverboat”), and Robert Heitmeier and Thomas Gourguechon in their individual capacities. See Pub.L. No. 98-557, § 13(a), 98 Stat. 2863 (1984) (current version at 46 U.S.C. § 2114 (2002)).2 The plaintiffs claim that they were discharged in retaliation for engaging in statutorily protected correspondence with the United States Coast Guard (“Coast Guard”) about a change in hiring guidelines on the vessel on which they were employed, the M/V Showboat. After a bench trial on the plaintiffs’ claims against Riverboat and the individual defendants, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana entered judgment in favor of all but two plaintiffs and awarded back pay, expenses and punitive damages. Those defendants now appeal, contending that the district court erred in holding that the plaintiffs established the requisite causation between their correspondence with the Coast Guard and their subsequent terminations. * * * For the reasons set forth in the following opinion, we affirm in part and reverse in part the judgment of the district court.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on June 19, 2006 12:58 PM
Posted to Ind Fed D.Ct. Decisions