Harold W. Henderson

Practices

• Product Liability Litigation
• Admiralty & Maritime

Professional Experience

Hal is a partner in the firm's Admiralty practice group with a significant interest in admiralty law and chemical exposure. He focuses his practice on defense of Jones Act and longshoremen's personal injury actions, maritime tort actions, cargo damage actions, commercial litigation, toxic tort defense (asbestos and chemical exposure), Coast Guard matters and general representation of vessel owners.

Prior to joining the firm, Hal was a staff attorney with the Office of the Chief Counsel of the Coast Guard from 1979 to 1982, and prior to that was an Assistant Legal Officer of the 9th Coast Guard District from 1976 to 1979. Additionally, from 1970 to 1982, Hal was a commissioned officer of the United States Coast Guard with three years shipboard experience.

Significant Cases
Szymanski v. Columbia Transportation Co., 154 F.3d 591 (6th Cir., 1998) (en banc)
Miller v. American President Lines, Ltd., 989 F. 2d 1450 (6th Cir., 1993), cert. denied 510 U.S. 915 (1993)
Oglebay Norton Co. v. CSX Corp., 788 F. 2d 361 (6th Cir., 1986), cert. denied 479 U.S. 849 (1986)
Miller v. Foster Wheeler Co., 993 P.2d 917 (Wash. App. 1999)
Kasper v. Oglebay Norton Co., 1998 A.M.C. 1158 (N.D. Ohio 1998)
Federal Ins. Co. v. PGG Realty, LLC, 2007 A.M.C. 1125 (S.D.N.Y. 2007), aff'd 340 Fed. Appx. 5 (2nd Cir. July 9, 2009)

Education

• Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, J.D., 1975, summa cum laude
• U.S. Coast Guard Academy, B.S., 1970, with high honors

• Successfully represented shipowner before en banc Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, resulting in holding that seamen cannot recover for heart attack due to work-related stress
• Successfully represented shipowners before Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, resulting in holding that, as a matter of law, seamen cannot recover punitive damages from a shipowner-employer under Jones Act or for unseaworthiness
• Successfully represented shipowners before Washington Court of Appeals, resulting in favorable ruling on accrual of statute of limitations in seamen’s toxic exposure cases
• Successfully represented shipowner before Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, resulting in holding that dock owner was obligated to indemnify shipowner for death of seaman who fell from dock, notwithstanding shipowner negligence that contributed to the fall
• Successfully represented shipowner before Ohio Court of Appeals, resulting in vacating $1.8 million personal injury verdict as excessive due to passion and prejudice of jury
• Represented shipowner in negotiations with Department of Justice resulting in satisfactory resolution of $3.5 million claim for oil pollution cleanup expenses from sunken vessel
• Represented shipowner in defense of seaman’s claim of career-ending back injury, resulting in jury verdict for shipowner

• "1993 Amendments to Federal Rules of Civil Procedures", Maritime Law Association, October, 1993

• The Best Lawyers in America, Maritime Law, 2006 - 2012