Key Bridge litigation is hard to keep track of. Here’s a guide before civil trial.

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In what’s likely to be the largest maritime financial loss in history, litigation over the fatal Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in 2024 is just ramping up, with a trial in Baltimore set to begin Monday. There’s also a new criminal case, and deadlines for other claims are coming up.

Here’s what we know about the various cases for damages in the collapse.

Civil claims against shipowners

These claims will be at the center of the trial slated to begin Monday in federal court. The Dali freighter’s respective owner and manager, Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and Synergy Marine Group, have filed a petition under a 19th century law to limit their liability to about $43.6 million — a small fraction of what the claimants are seeking.

The claimants include the estates of the six workers who died, as well as the Baltimore City and Baltimore County governments, Baltimore Gas and Electric Co., firms that had cargo in the over 4,600 containers on board the Dali when it struck the bridge, and other businesses that lost revenue due to the collapse. They allege that the ship’s crew “jury-rigged” the vessel and overlooked critical safety measures, causing the sequence of events leading up to the collapse.

Several parties have come to settlement agreements already. The state of Maryland settled with the shipowners for $2.25 billion, though part of the deal requires the state to pursue a claim against Hyundai Heavy Industries (more about that in the next section) and reimburse the shipowners part of what they recoup. The Department of Justice has also settled out but is pursuing fines from Synergy Marine as part of its criminal case.

The “phase one” trial in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland is scheduled to last throughout the month of June. At its conclusion, District Judge James K. Bredar is expected decide whether the shipowners’ liability can be capped under the Limitation of Liability Act. If he finds it isn’t, the claims against the shipowners will likely fan out into separate cases and other courts.

Claims against Dali’s builder

So far, only two entities have sued Hyundai Heavy Industries over the Dali’s alleged unseaworthiness: Synergy and Grace Ocean, for which Hyundai built the ship over a decade ago.

That lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is likely to be joined by another claim by the state of Maryland, which promised to pursue a claim against Hyundai in its settlement with the shipowners.

The shipowners alleged in their product liability complaint against Hyundai that the ship was built with a defective switchboard that caused the power outages leading up to the ship’s allision with the bridge. But Hyundai has challenged the shipowners’ lawsuit based on a 2021 settlement agreement with Grace Ocean, which referred to a “full and final settlement of any and all claims and disputes … under the Shipbuilding Contract.”

Hyundai has said that the shipowners’ settlements and the indictment against Synergy show that the crew is to blame for the collapse.

A federal judge in Philadelphia will hear arguments this summer on whether the shipowners’ case against Hyundai will proceed in court. Meanwhile, the matter is also scheduled for arbitration in London, though the shipowners deny that the case should be in front of an arbitrator.

Claims against Maryland

Dozens of claimants who are involved in the civil case against the shipowners also have claims against the state of Maryland. Those claims, which total over $2 billion, were publicly revealed through a records request by The Daily Record.

No lawsuits have been filed yet. The slain workers, as well as two crew members who were injured but survived, are among the claimants who have given notice to the state.

They allege that the state was negligent by failing to install protective measures near the bridge to safeguard the span in the event of a ship strike — and failed to adopt tugboat escort policies that could have prevented an allision altogether.

Under the Maryland Tort Claims Act, the claimants have three years to sue after the incident in question. For claims arising from the bridge collapse, that would be March 26, 2027.

Criminal case

Last month, the Justice Department unsealed criminal charges against Synergy, alleging that the maritime firm and a shoreside technical superintendent concealed potential onboard hazards in official documents. Synergy has pleaded not guilty; the employee, who is also charged, is currently in India.

It’s unclear when the case will go to trial. Although attorneys for Synergy have insisted they are ready to go to trial within the next six months, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Phelps told Bredar earlier this month that the matter is “one of the most, if not the most” complicated cases he’s handled.

If convicted, the maritime firm faces financial penalties of up to $10 billion — twice the economic loss alleged in the indictment. The employee faces decades in prison.