US maritime liability rules changed after 2019 boat fire

By STEFANIE DAZIO
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. federal lawmakers have changed 19th-century maritime liability rules for accident victims and their families in response to the 2019 boat fire off the coast of Southern California that killed 34 people. The Small Passenger Vessel Liability Fairness Act is part of the $858 billion defense spending bill that President Joe Biden signed Friday. It updates the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851, under which boat owners were able to limit their liability to the value of the remains of the vessel. Now owners of small passenger vessels can be held legally responsible for damages in accidents and incidents, regardless of the boat’s value afterward.