Legal Definitions - Great Lakes rule

The Great Lakes rule is a specific provision within U.S. maritime law that grants the right to a jury trial in certain cases that would otherwise typically be heard by a judge without a jury.

Generally, lawsuits falling under admiralty law (which governs activities on navigable waters) do not include a right to a jury trial. However, the Great Lakes rule creates an important exception:

• It applies to legal disputes involving contracts (agreements) or torts (civil wrongs, like negligence causing injury or damage).
• The dispute must arise from the operation of a commercial vessel.
• This commercial vessel must be operating on the Great Lakes or the navigable waterways that connect them (such as the Detroit River, St. Clair River, or Soo Locks).

In essence, if a commercial shipping company, a tugboat operator, or another commercial entity operating on these specific bodies of water is involved in a contract dispute or is accused of causing harm through negligence, the parties involved may request a jury to decide the facts of the case, unlike most other maritime claims.

Here are some examples illustrating the Great Lakes rule:

• Example 1: Commercial Shipping Dispute

  A shipping company based in Duluth, Minnesota, operates a large cargo vessel transporting iron ore across Lake Superior. They enter into a contract with a port facility in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, for docking and unloading services. A dispute arises over the billing for these services, with the shipping company claiming they were overcharged for delays caused by the port. Because this is a contract dispute involving a commercial vessel operating on the Great Lakes, the Great Lakes rule would allow either party to demand a jury trial to resolve the financial disagreement.

• Example 2: Vessel Collision and Damage Claim

  Two commercial fishing trawlers are operating on Lake Michigan near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Due to alleged negligence by the captain of one trawler, it collides with the other, causing significant structural damage and loss of fishing equipment. The owner of the damaged trawler sues the owner of the other vessel for damages. Since this is a tort claim (negligence) involving commercial vessels operating on the Great Lakes, the Great Lakes rule would ensure that the parties have the option of a jury trial to determine fault and the extent of damages.

• Example 3: Crew Member Injury on Connecting Waters

  A deckhand working on a commercial tugboat, which regularly assists larger freighters through the Detroit River (a navigable waterway connecting Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair), suffers a severe injury when a piece of mooring equipment malfunctions. The deckhand alleges that the tugboat company was negligent in maintaining its equipment and providing a safe working environment. As this is a tort claim for personal injury involving a commercial vessel operating on the navigable waters connecting the Great Lakes, the Great Lakes rule would allow the injured deckhand to request a jury trial to decide the negligence claim and potential compensation.