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This program has been approved by the Board of Continuing Legal Education of the Supreme Court of New Jersey for 2 hours of total CLE credit. Of these, 0 qualify as hours of credit for Ethics/Professionalism, and 0 qualify as hours of credittoward certification in civil trial law, criminal trial law, workers compensation law and/or matrimonial law.

CLE for LunCh – ThE STaTEn ISLand

and SEaSTrEak fErry CaSuaLTIES: PoInTErS on how To dEaL wITh ThE PrESS, nTSB and uSCG

Prepared in connection with a Continuing Legal Education course presented at New York County Lawyers’ Association, 14 Vesey Street, New York, NY

presented on Thursday, September 12, 2013.

P r o g r A m C o - s P o N s o r s :

NYCLA Admiralty Committee

P r o g r A m F A C u L t Y :

William Bennett, Blank Rome

2 TRANSITIONAL & NON-TRANSITIONAL MCLE CREDITS: This course has been approved in accordance with the requirements of the New York State Continuing Legal Education Board for a maximum of 2 Transitional & Non-Transitional credit hours: 2 PP

Information Regarding CLE Credits and Certification

The Staten Island and Sea Streak Ferry Casualties: Pointers on How to Deal with the Press, NTSB and USCG

September 12, 2013; 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM

The New York State CLE Board Regulations require all accredited CLE providers to provide documentation that CLE course attendees are, in fact, present during the course. Please review the following NYCLA rules for MCLE credit allocation and certificate distribution.

i. You must sign-in and note the time of arrival to receive your

course materials and receive MCLE credit. The time will be verified by the Program Assistant.

ii. You will receive your MCLE certificate as you exit the room at

the end of the course. The certificates will bear your name and will be arranged in alphabetical order on the tables directly outside the auditorium.

iii. If you arrive after the course has begun, you must sign-in and note the time of your arrival. The time will be verified by the Program Assistant. If it has been determined that you will still receive educational value by attending a portion of the program, you will receive a pro-rated CLE certificate.

iv. Please note: We can only certify MCLE credit for the actual time

you are in attendance. If you leave before the end of the course, you must sign-out and enter the time you are leaving. The time will be verified by the Program Assistant. Again, if it has been determined that you received educational value from attending a portion of the program, your CLE credits will be pro-rated and the certificate will be mailed to you within one week.

v. If you leave early and do not sign out, we will assume that you left at the midpoint of the course. If it has been determined that you received educational value from the portion of the program you attended, we will pro-rate the credits accordingly, unless you can provide verification of course completion. Your certificate will be mailed to you within one week.

Thank you for choosing NYCLA as your CLE provider!

New York County Lawyers’ Association

Continuing Legal Education Institute 14 Vesey Street, New York, N.Y. 10007 • (212) 267-6646

The Staten Island and SeaStreak Ferry Casualties: Pointers on How to

Deal with the Press, NTSB and USCG September 12, 2013 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

AGENDA 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM LUNCH and Registration 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM Presentation 1:45 PM – 2:00 PM Questions and Answers

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The Staten Island and SeaStreak Ferry Casualties:  Pointers on how to Deal with the Press, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and United States Coast Guard (USCG)

William Bennett III

PRE‐CASUALTY PREPARATION

•Crisis Management Team.– Operations;

– Management;

– Counsel

•Have a PR person on call.•Periodic meetings with Crew.

– Remind them not required to talk;

– If you talk, be 100% accurate

PRE‐CASUALTY PREPARATION (con’t)

– What do Martha Stewart and enemy combatant Ali SalehKahlah Al‐Marri have in common?

•They were both indicted under Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001, for lying to federal government agents.

– Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001 makes it a crime to: 

•knowingly and willfully; •make any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statement or representation; 

• in any matter within the jurisdiction of the executive, legislative or judicial branch of the United States.

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PRE‐CASUALTY PREPARATION (con’t)

•Retaining Criminal Counsel.– Title 18 Section 1115 of the U.S. Criminal Code, known as the “Seaman’s Manslaughter Statute” criminalizes misconduct or negligence that result in deaths involving vessels (ships and boats) on waters within the jurisdiction of the United States. 

– The statute exposes three groups to criminal liability:

•ship’s officers, such as captains, engineers, and pilots; • those having responsibility for the vessel’s condition, such as owners, charterers, and inspectors; and 

•corporate management.

PRE‐CASUALTY PREPARATION (con’t)

– Unlike common law manslaughter, which requires a mensrea or mental state of gross negligence or heat of passion in absence of malice, this statute requires only simple negligence‐‐a breach of duty to perform an act or omission in violation of a standard of care. The threshold of criminal liability is lower than in standard manslaughter cases due to the reduced mens rea requirement.

THE PRESS

•The Staten Island Ferry incident of October 2003 generated massive amounts of press.

•All counsel involved received 100’s of calls from local, state and national newspaper, radio, and television news outlets.

•DO NOT PUT YOUR INTERESTS AHEAD OF YOUR CLIENTS

•Do not trust what you say will be accurately quoted.

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THE PRESS (con’t.)

• If you do speak, you must know “the code“ and confirm it with reporter.

– “off the record” – cannot use what you say in a story.

– “on background” – can use what you say; cannot identify you as the source.

– “can I quote you” – use it and identify you.

•Control the conversation– Everything is off the record. Then repeat what you want to say a second time using the code.  

– Work with PR person to make an initial statement. Read it to press and tell them they quote you in full or not at all.

THE PRESS (con’t.)

•Press release– consider having “face of the company” issue a written statement publically.

THE NTSB

•Should you cooperate with the NTSB? – Civil cases – yes, provide documents and witnesses. 

– Witnesses are not permitted to have counsel during an NTSB interview.  

– Criminal case – follow criminal counsel’s advice. 

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THE NTSB (con’t.)

•Purpose ‐ The NTSB is an independent federal agency charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation accident in the U.S. and significant accidents in other modes of transportation.

•Goal ‐ Because the NTSB has no formal authority to regulate the transportation industry, our effectiveness depends on our reputation for conducting thorough, accurate, and independent investigations and for producing timely, well‐considered recommendations to enhance transportation safety.

THE NTSB (con’t.)

•The Office of Marine Safety (OMS) ‐ investigates major marine accidents on or under the navigable waters, internal waters, or the territorial sea of the United States and accidents involving U.S. flagged vessels worldwide to determine the probable cause and identify safety recommendations which will prevent similar events in the future. These responsibilities are specified in the Independent Safety Board Act and regulations promulgated jointly at 49 CFR Part 850 by the Board and the United States Coast Guard (USCG).

THE NTSB (con’t.)• Investigative process

– The “Go Team” begins the investigation of a major accident at the accident scene, as quickly as possible, assembling the broad spectrum of technical expertise that is needed to solve complex transportation safety problems.

– The team can number from three or four to more than a dozen specialists from the Board’s headquarters staff in Washington, D.C.

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THE NTSB (con’t.)– The Go Team’s immediate boss is the Investigator‐in‐Charge (LLC), a senior investigator with years of NTSB and industry experience. Each investigator is a specialist responsible for a clearly defined portion of the accident investigation.

– The Safety Board does not investigate criminal activity; in the past, once it has been established that a transportation tragedy is, in fact, a criminal act, the FBI becomes the lead federal investigative body, with the NTSB providing any requested support.

THE NTSB (con’t.)– Safety recommendations are the most important part of the Safety Board’s 

mandate. The Board must address safety deficiencies immediately, and 

therefore often issues recommendations before the completion of 

investigations. Recommendations are based on findings of the 

investigation, and may address deficiencies that do not pertain directly to 

what is ultimately determined to be the cause of the accident. 

– The Board may hold an investigative hearing as part of a major 

transportation accident investigation. The purpose of the hearing is two‐

fold; first, to gather sworn testimony from subpoenaed witnesses on issues 

identified by the Board during the course of the investigation, and, second, 

to allow the public to observe the progress of the investigation. Hearings 

are usually held within six months of an accident, but may be delayed for 

complex investigations.

THE NTSB (con’t.)– More months of tests and analysis eventually lead to the preparation of a draft final report by Safety Board staff. Parties do not participate in the analysis and report writing phase of NTSB investigations; however, they are invited to submit their proposed findings of cause and proposed safety recommendations, which are made part of the public docket.

– The Board then deliberates over the final report in a public Board meeting in Washington, D.C. Non‐Safety Board personnel, including parties and family members, cannot interact with the Board during that meeting.

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THE NTSB (con’t.)– Once a major report is adopted at a Board Meeting, an abstract of that report ‐ containing the Board’s conclusions, probable cause and safety recommendations ‐ is placed on the Board’s web site under “Publications”. The full report typically appears on the web site several weeks later.

THE USCG

•Cooperate in a civil matter, listen to criminal counsel if a crime is being  investigated.

•The Coast Guard investigates marine casualties and allegations of improper Merchant Mariner actions to determine cause, and to prevent future occurrences under its Marine Safety mission.

•At times, will let NTSB control the investigation.

THE USCG (con’t.)

• There are two kinds of investigations:– Marine casualties;

– Personnel actions.

• Marine casualty investigations are carried out for the following:

– Death of an individual;

– Serious injury to an individual;

– Material loss of property;

– Material damage affecting the seaworthiness or efficiency of the 

vessel;

– Significant harm to the environment.

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THE USCG (con’t.)

•Personnel action investigations are also conducted to determine if personnel actions by licensed or documented merchant mariners constitute one or more of the following:

– Misconduct;

– Negligence;

– Incompetence;

– Violation of law or regulation.

THE USCG (con’t.)

•Personnel action investigations may result in a suspension and revocation action, which is an administrative process to determine the fitness of an individual to retain or continue to operate under the authority of his/her merchant Mariner document or license. These hearings are not criminal proceedings but rather administrative in nature.

Contact Information

William R. Bennett II

Of Counsel | Blank Rome LLP

v: +1.212.885.5152 | f: +1.917.332.3858

WBennett@BlankRome.com