The Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA) ( 46 U.S.C. §§ 30301–30308) is a

United States admiralty law Admiralty law in the United States is a matter of federal law. Jurisdiction In the United States, the federal district courts have jurisdiction over all admiralty and maritime actions; see . In recent years, a non-historically-based conspiracy ...

enacted by the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washi ...

. It was originally intended to permit "recovery of damages against a shipowner by a spouse, child or dependent family member of a seaman killed in

international waters The terms international waters or transboundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed region ...

" in

wrongful death Wrongful death claim is a claim against a person who can be held liable for a death. The claim is brought in a civil action, usually by close relatives, as enumerated by statute. In wrongful death cases, survivors are compensated for the harm, ...

cases "caused by negligence or unseaworthiness." It also applies to cases arising out of airline disasters over the high seas that occur beyond the 12-nautical miles of U.S.

territorial waters The term territorial waters is sometimes used informally to refer to any area of water over which a sovereign state has jurisdiction, including internal waters, the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone, and potenti ...

.Schaffer, Agusti & Earle, 200.

Notes

References

* Force, Robert;

Yiannopoulos, A.N. Athanassios Nicholas "Thanassi" Yiannopoulos (March 13, 1928, in Thessaloniki, Greece – February 1, 2017, in New Orleans, Louisiana) was a professor at Tulane University Law School, expert on civil law and comparative law, and founder of the '' ...

& Davies, Martin. (2006). ''Admiralty and Maritime Law''

bridged Edition Bridging may refer to: Construction * Building of bridges across a gap * Cross bracing used between joists to stabilize them Electronics and computing * In electronics, using a low source impedance to drive a large load impedance for maximum vo ...

Beard Books. * Schaffer, Richard; Agusti, Filiberto & Earle, Beverley. (2008). ''International Business Law and Its Environment''. South-Western College/West; 7 edition. . 1920 in American law United States federal admiralty and maritime legislation {{US-law-stub