Cruise ship dancer ruled "not a seaman"; loses Jones Act injury claim

A ballet dancer injured while rehearsing for his cruise ship performance has had his injury lawsuit dismissed.

Prior to embarkation aboard the Royal Caribbean vessel, Lance Campbell, the plaintiff, suffered undisclosed injuries during a rehearsal performance ashore.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that Royal Caribbean was not held liable for compensation under the Jones Act for two reasons:

1) That Campbell was not a "seaman" because the injury occurred before the ship had sailed.

2) That Campbell's job as dancer did not contribute to the navigation of the vessel.

In it's ruling, the Court of Appeals sided with the lower district court that had previously ruled in favor of Royal Caribbean.