Hill v. Jackson Offshore Holdings

── Hill v. Jackson Offshore Holdings ── Court: Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Date: May 05, 2026 Category: Private Civil Federal Case: 24-30554 Document: 54-1 Page: 1 Date Filed: 05/05/2026 United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ____________ United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit No. 24-30554 FILED ____________ May 5, 2026 Lyle W. Cayce Jeremiah Hill, Clerk Plaintiff—Appellee, versus Jackson Offshore Holdings, L.L.C.; Jackson Offshore Operators, L.L.C., Defendants—Appellants. ______________________________ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana USDC No. 2:24-CV-994 ______________________________ Before Richman, Willett, and Douglas, Circuit Judges. Priscilla Richman, Circuit Judge: Jeremiah Hill, a seaman, was injured while working on an offshore supply vessel owned and operated by Jackson Offshore Holdings, L.L.C., and Jackson Offshore Operators, L.L.C. (collectively, Jackson Offshore). Hill and Jackson subsequently entered into a wage and benefits agreement that contained an arbitration clause. Hill later sued Jackson Offshore in district court. The defendants moved to compel arbitration and to stay court proceedings. The district court denied the motion without prejudice and permitted discovery regarding the agreement’s enforceability. We vacate the  Case: 24-30554 Document: 54-1 Page: 2 Date Filed: 05/05/2026 No. 24-30554 district court’s order and compel arbitration because the agreement provides “that any dispute relating to the validity, interpretation, or application of this Agreement shall be submitted to the arbitrator for resolution,” and Hill has not challenged the validity of this delegation clause. I A Jackson Offshore own and operate a fleet of offshore supply vessels, including the M/V BLIZZARD. Jeremiah Hill was employed as an able- bodied seaman assigned to work on board the BLIZZARD. Hill alleges that in April 2023, he was injured while aboard the BLIZZARD when unsecured cargo crushed his leg. His severe injuries required at least eight surgical procedures, a thirty-day stay in the hospital, and another thirty-day stay at an in-patient rehabilitation facility. After Hill’s injury, Jackson Offshore provided maintenance and cure benefits to Hill as required under general maritime law. 1 Additionally, Jackson Offshore provided several supplemental benefits to Hill, including payment of his full net wages. After learning that Hill would not have permanent housing upon finishing in-patient care, Jackson Offshore’s CEO, Lee Jackson (Lee), rented and furnished an apartment for Hill near the hospital where he would receive out-patient care. The company also provided for Hill’s transportation. Jackson Offshore contends that these supplemental benefits totaled more than $100,000 as of mid-August 2024. _____________________ 1 See generally Davis v. Odeco, Inc., 18 F.3d 1237, 1245-46 (5th Cir. 1994) (explaining that “[m]aintenance and cure is a seaman’s right under general maritime law to receive food and lodging (maintenance) and necessary medical services (cure) if he falls ill while in the service of a vessel”); Atl. Sounding Co. v. Townsend, 557 U.S. 404, 407-08 (2009) (same). 2 Case: 24-30554 Docu