Kelley Drye Congratulates the State of Maryland on $2.25 Billion Francis Scott Key Bridge Settlement
BALTIMORE, MD (May 12, 2026) – Kelley Drye is pleased to congratulate Attorney General Anthony G. Brown and the State of Maryland on reaching a $2.25 billion final settlement with Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Pte. Ltd., the owner and operator of the M/V Dali, which struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024, resulting in its collapse.
This settlement – the largest legal recovery in maritime history – resolves the claims against the vessel owner and operator brought by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Civil Litigation Division on behalf of the State and its agencies, including the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), the Maryland Port Administration (MPA), and the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). The State has reserved its claims against additional potentially responsible parties.
“We congratulate Attorney General Brown, the Maryland Attorney General’s Office, and the entire legal team that have worked tirelessly on this matter for reaching this historic settlement addressing the catastrophic damages to the Key Bridge, the State of Maryland, and its people,” said Kelley Drye Partner William J. Jackson, who served as Assistant Counsel for the State of Maryland.
In September 2024, the State filed a claim in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland asserting damages for the destruction of the bridge, environmental harm, lost toll revenues, and the wide-ranging economic losses sustained by Maryland. Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine sought to cap their total liability at approximately $43.7 million by invoking the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851, a maritime law that ties a shipowner’s liability to the value of the vessel after a disaster, which would have only been a small fraction of the actual damages. The settlement was reached just weeks before the trial on that issue was set to commence.
The Kelley Drye team was led by Bill Jackson and included Philip Robben, Andrew Homer, Lana Rowenko, Melissa Byroade, Ivan Morales, Julia Schuurman, Maria Pimienta, Tim Hopper, and Ken Blankenship, along with several others as part of a collaborative team across offices and practice areas. Kelley Drye’s co-counsel in the litigation included several members of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office and outside counsel from Liskow & Lewis APLC, Downs Ward Bender Herzog & Kintigh PA, The Lanier Law Firm, and Partridge LLC.
For decades, the lawyers at Kelley Drye have been fortunate to represent public sector clients – including states, attorneys general, local governments, port authorities, and other public entities – in historic and complex environmental contamination cases and other matters seeking recovery of damages to states and other public trustees. Kelley Drye’s Environmental Litigation team has recovered tens of billions of dollars in remediation costs, property damages, natural resource damages, lost tax revenues, and other remedies for the public. More information about Kelley Drye’s complex Environmental Litigation and Natural Resource Damages services can be found at www.kelleydrye.com.
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