Exxon Corporation v. Central Gulf Lines, Inc. (1990)
- Docket
- 90-34
- Decided
- 1990-01-01
Summary
Question: Whether a contract to procure for a vessel fuel from a third party is a maritime contract within admiralty jurisdiction and enforceable in an action in rem ? Conclusion: No. A unanimous Court reversed and remanded, finding Minturn v. Maynard obsolete in light of subsequent developments in maritime law. Because the modern test for admiralty jurisdiction in contract cases turns not on the contract's type but on its purpose, a contract like this one between EXXON and Waterman, i.e., an agency contract for services maritime in nature, ought to qualify. Abstract prepared by Professor John Paul Jones, University of Richmond School of Law