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Cases / Staged loss / scuttling · United States · 2009

Alexander II fishing boat sinking attempt

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
Not on record
  • The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
What the record lacks: 1 not measured · 1 disputed · 1 unclear See the gaps

In August 2009 the owner of a fishing boat arranged for its crew to flood and sink it off New Jersey. The attempt failed and the Coast Guard rescued the crew. The insurer denied the owner's US$400,000 claim.

US$400,000 estimateInsurance claim denied (equal to the policy limit)
As stated in the record. Not an estimate.

Status No date later than 2009 in the record: the owner's suit against the insurer has no recorded outcome; prison sentences for three people are recorded without dates.

What?
An attempt to sink a fishing boat, Alexander II, arranged by its owner; the attempt failed. The insurer denied a US$400,000 claim.
Where?
At sea, 86 nautical miles south-east of Cape May, New Jersey; the owner's suit was filed in New Jersey Superior Court.
When?
August 2009.
Who?
Gained
None on record
Lost
None on record
Harmed
None on record
Why?
The record gathered does not state the owner's motive beyond the insurance claim that followed.
How?
The owner arranged for the crew to flood and sink the boat; the attempt failed and the Coast Guard rescued the crew.
5 of 6 questions answered from the record · open: who

What happened

The record, in order.

In August 2009 the fishing boat Alexander II was about 86 nautical miles south-east of Cape May, New Jersey. The record states that the owner arranged for the crew to flood and sink the boat. The attempt failed and the Coast Guard rescued the crew.

The insurer, State National Insurance, denied a claim of US$400,000, which was the policy limit. The owner sued in New Jersey Superior Court. The record gives no outcome of that suit.

Prison sentences for three people are recorded in connection with the case. The forum, the dates and the identities of those sentenced are not given in the record.

  1. 2009August: owner arranges for crew to flood and sink the boat 86 nautical miles south-east of Cape May; attempt fails; Coast Guard rescues crew

What was said

Claims, in the words of those who made them.

Where accounts differ

Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.

Was the US$400,000 loss claim payable under the policy?
Company or project
State National Insurance

Denied the US$400,000 claim (the policy limit).

Company or project
The boat's owner

Sued the insurer in New Jersey Superior Court.

How it looked

What was shown, beside what was recorded.

Shown

    Recorded

    • The owner arranged for the crew to flood and sink the boat; the attempt failed and the Coast Guard rescued the crew.
    • State National Insurance denied the US$400,000 claim, which was the policy limit.
    • Three people received prison sentences.

    In court and with insurers

    Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

    Lawsuits and rulings

    1. Outcome not on record$400bn USD, claim equal to the policy limit
      Owner v. State National Insurance
      New Jersey Superior Court · Civil · The boat's owner → State National Insurance

      The owner sued after the insurer denied the US$400,000 claim. The record gives no filing date or outcome.

    2. Claimant won
      Prison sentences in connection with the sinking attempt
      Not stated in the record · Criminal · Prosecuting authority (not named in the record) → Three people (not named in the record)

      Three people received prison sentences. The record does not give the charges, the court, the dates or the length of the sentences.

    Insurers

    1. Claim refused$400bn USD, claim equal to the policy limit
      State National Insurance → The boat's owner

      The insurer denied the US$400,000 claim, which was the policy limit. The owner then sued in New Jersey Superior Court.

    What nature saw

    Outcomes measured on the ground, and nature's note.

    Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.

    Insurance claim
    US$400,000
    Denied by State National Insurance; equal to the policy limit
    Prison sentences
    Three people
    Forum, dates and identities not given in the record

    What we don't know

    Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.

    Nature

    • Not measured Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.

    Court

    • Unclear Owner v. State National Insurance: outcome not on record.

    Accounts

    • Disputed Was the US$400,000 loss claim payable under the policy?

    Did the harm stop?

    The sinking attempt failed and the crew was rescued by the Coast Guard; the record states no environmental consequence.

    Who paid?

    The insurer denied the US$400,000 claim; the record states no payout.

    Sources

    Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts— Press and investigations— Communities and civil society— Researchers