A local law firm landed a $15 million settlement for the mother of a 22-year-old who disappeared in the middle of the night while working for a marine services company.
Casey Redmond was on an Osage Marine Services deck crew when he slipped on the barge and fell into the Mississippi River in December 2019.
Redmond’s mother, Candace Love, is represented by Patrick Bader.
“When she came to meet with me, she really just wanted answers because nobody had said what happened to her son,” Bader said. “We found out that they did know what had happened to him, but they weren't telling her.”
Redmond’s body never was recovered, but he is presumed deceased by drowning.
“His mom is not too happy about that,” Bader told the St. Louis Record. “Some part of her deep down holds out hope. I don't know if they will ever find him. She's not planning a funeral until they find him but there is no active search. They say that anytime they move a fleet of barges they look around but I don't even know if that's true.”
Osage Marine Services' admission of liability at the 11th hour was a surprise for Bader.
"The defendant was pretty adamant that they didn't do anything wrong but one week before trial, attorneys for Osage Marine Services amended their answer to the case and admitted liability," he said. "I think they recognized that we were likely going to win on liability and that they may look better to the jury on damages if they came in and admitted this was a tragedy and that they feel horrible about it."
Osage Marine Services did not respond to requests for comment.
Redmond isn’t the only Osage Marine Services worker whose family sued over their death on the job.
Oliver Johnson died on a boat that sank while working for Osage Marine Services in 2018.
“We took that case to trial because it was the same thing,” Bader said in an interview. “They were denying responsibility and we got a verdict in that case. We asked the company in deposition after Oliver Johnson's case, and before Casey Redmonds,’ ‘Did you do anything to improve safety?’ and they said they hadn’t changed anything.”
Johnson's surviving family members were awarded $4.5 million
The $15 million awarded to Love is for compensatory damages because the wrongful death lawsuit was filed under the Jones Act, which doesn’t allow for punitive damages.
“It’s reflective of the need for better safety and to focus more attention on safe equipment and safe practices,” Bader added.