Effective March 30, 1920 Statutes at Large 41 Stat. 537 | Public law 66-165 | |
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Long title An Act relating to the maintenance of actions for death on the high seas and other navigable waters. Nicknames Death on the High Seas Act 1920 Enacted by the 66th United States Congress | ||
The Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA) (46 U.S.C. app. §§ 761–768) is a United States admiralty law enacted by the United States Congress. It was originally intended to permit "recovery of damages against a shipowner by a spouse, child or dependent family member of a seaman killed in international waters" in wrongful death cases "caused by negligence or unseaworthiness." It also applies to cases arising out of airline disasters over the high seas that occur beyond the 12-nautical miles of U.S. territorial waters.
References
Death on the High Seas Act Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA