Barclays,
Morningstar DBRS,
Fitch Ratings, and the
Insurance Information Institute estimated that the insured losses from the
collision could range from $1 billion to $4 billion, surpassing the losses from the 2012
Costa Concordia disaster.
[169][170][171][172] Lloyd's of London chairman
Bruce Carnegie-Brown said the claims could become the largest
marine insurance loss in history.
[169] Wrongful death liabilities were estimated to total $350 million to $700 million.
[170] Moody's Ratings officials said most claims would likely fall on
reinsurance companies,
[171] about 80 of which provide some $3 billion in coverage to
Dali's insurers.
[170] The Maryland
state government's insurance for the bridge covered up to $350 million for damage, while the bridge cost $60 million to construct in 1977 (about $302 million in 2023).
[173]
On April 1, Grace Ocean Private and Synergy Marine Group filed a joint petition in the
Maryland U.S. District Court to limit their liability to about $43.6 million under the
Limitation of Liability Act of 1851.
[174] Chief Judge
James K. Bredar is overseeing the proceedings. Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine are represented by
Duane Morris and
Blank Rome.
[175] The legal process could last up to a decade and has been described as likely being "one of the most contentious marine insurance cases in recent decades".
[173][176] On April 17, Grace Ocean Private filed a
general average declaration to require cargo owners to cover part of the salvage costs.
[177]
On April 15, Baltimore's mayor and city council hired personal injury firm
Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky and civil rights firm
DiCello Levitt to pursue legal action against Grace Ocean, Synergy Marine, and
Maersk.
[178] On April 22, city officials filed papers accusing Grace Ocean Private and Synergy Marine of
negligence,
[179] claiming the ship was
unseaworthy and had an incompetent crew who ignored warnings of an inconsistent power supply before leaving port.
[180] If the vessel is proved unseaworthy, through mechanical or human deficiencies, the judgement will void the entities' insurances.
[181]
On April 25, a Baltimore-based publishing company sued Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine in a
class-action lawsuit that seeks damages for local businesses whose revenues were reduced by the collapse.
[182][183]
On May 2, officials at
Willis Towers Watson, the bridge's
insurance broker, said that
Chubb Limited, the bridge's insurer, was in the process of approving a $350 million insurance claim for the state government.
[184][6]
On September 18, Brawner Builders, the construction company that employed workers who died in the collapse, sued Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine for negligence and sought
damages.
[185] One day later,
Ace American Insurance sued the companies, seeking to recoup $350 million it said it paid to the Maryland Transportation Authority as part of its property insurance policy.
[186] Lawsuits alleging negligence were also filed against the companies by the families of six workers who died in the collapse, the family of one worker who survived, and the road work inspector on the bridge at the time of collapse.
[186][187][188]
Also on September 18, the
U.S. Justice Department sued the two companies, alleging negligence, mismanagement, and
jury-rigging of
Dali's mechanical and electrical systems. The agency sought $100 million, partly to recoup federal expenditures for the emergency response and channel restoration, and partly for
punitive damages.
[189][190] On October 24, the department announced that Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine had agreed to pay $101.9 million to settle the government's civil claims.
[191][192]
On September 24, 2,200 members of the
International Longshoremen's Association filed a class-action lawsuit against the two companies seeking compensation for lost wages.
[193] That same day, the Maryland state government sued the companies, seeking punitive damages and compensation for: the total replacement cost for the bridge; expenses for the emergency response, salvage, bridge demolition, unemployment insurance, and business interruption relief; lost revenue from tolls, fees, and taxes; other economic losses; and environmental and infrastructure damage.
[194]
