Otis Felder (Partner-Los Angeles) authored “Navigating Lack of Foreseeability Under Superseding Cause Defense in Maritime Law,” published in the Fourth Quarter 2024 edition of Benedict’s Maritime Bulletin on December 15, 2024. Otis examines the application of express liability waivers under general maritime law, how the doctrine of superseding cause can trump negligent entrustment, and the exoneration of vessel owners in Limitation of Liability Act (LOLA) cases, considering the U.S. District Court, Southern District of California’s recent determination in a case regarding a personal watercraft rental company’s responsibilities following a fatal collision claiming the life of a jet ski operator. The court ultimately granted summary judgment, exonerating the jet ski owner and its principal, its determination “underscoring the role of the doctrine of superseding causes in absolving even an admittedly negligent defendant from liability when proximate causation is absent due to an unforeseeable intervening event…”