LIMITATION OF LIABILITY OF CARRIERS BY SEA AND BY LAND ALBERT G. DUGAN, JR., ESQUIRE COZEN AND O’CONNOR 1900 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 665-2000
[email protected] Atlanta, GA Charlotte, NC Cherry Hill, NJ Chicago, IL Columbia, SC Dallas, TX Los Angeles, CA New York, NY Newark, NJ Philadelphia, PA San Diego, CA Seattle, WA W. Conshohocken, PA Westmont, NJ The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of any current or former client of Cozen and O'Connor. These materials are not intended to provide legal advice. Readers should not act or rely on this material without seeking specific legal advice on matters which concern them. Copyright (c) 2000 Cozen and O'Connor ALL RIGHTS RESERVED This article discusses the limitation of liability of carriers by sea and by land. As for ocean carriage, the article focuses primarily on the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act. As for the carriage of goods by land, the article deals exclusively with interstate carriage and focuses primarily on motor carriers and rail carriers. Topics dealing with domestic and international air carriage are excluded from this article. I. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY OF CARRIERS OF GOODS BY WATER AND BY SEA There are three Acts which may come into play in determining the limitation of liability applicable to the carriage of goods by water and by sea: (1) the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act (COGSA),1 (2) the Harter Act,2 and (3) the Limited Liability Act of 1851.3 A.