Ship Photographer Davendar Gummala Who Reported Safety Violations Isn’t ‘Seaman’

Ship Photographer Who Reported Safety Violations Isn’t ‘Seaman’
Bernie Pazanowski March 26, 2022

A Carnival Cruise Line photographer who was allegedly fired for complaining about safety violations on his ship wasn’t a seaman protected by federal law, the Eleventh Circuit said Friday.

Davendar Gummala worked for Carnival from 2011 to 2014. Carnival was incorporated under the laws of Panama but had offices in Florida.

The Seaman’s Protection Act generally prohibits employers from discharging seamen because they report safety violations, the unpublished per curiam opinion said.

But when Gummala was fired in 2014, a seaman was defined as a person who worked “on board a vessel owned by a citizen of the United States.” ...

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