Fifth Circuit Re-Visits Standing Law On Seaman Status

Case:   Alexander v. Express Energy Servs. Operating, L.P.
            United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
            No. 14-30488, 784 F.3d 1032 (5th Cir. 5/07/2015)

In Alexander v. Express Energy Services Operating, L.P., the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals re-visited the standing law on seaman status, affirming the district court's finding that an injured platform worker was not a seaman. Michael Alexander, a lead hand/operator in Express Energy Services Operating LP's plug and abandonment (P&A) department, was injured while working on a P&A project on a platform owned by Apache Corporation. As a member of the P&A crew, Alexander's job duties included ensuring that everything was set up and running properly on the deck of the platform so that the plugging operation was successful.