Title 46, ShippingRelease 119-102
§30306 Foreign Cause of Action
Title 46 › Subtitle III — Maritime Liability › CHAPTER 303 — DEATH ON THE HIGH SEAS › § 30306
Summary
You can file a civil admiralty lawsuit in a U.S. court using a foreign country's wrongful-death law for a death that happened on the high seas. Any money the foreign law allows you to recover cannot be reduced.
Full Legal Text
Title 46, §30306
Shipping, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
When a cause of action exists under the law of a foreign country for death by wrongful act, neglect, or default on the high seas, a civil action in admiralty may be brought in a court of the United States based on the foreign cause of action, without abatement of the amount for which recovery is authorized.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 3030646 App.:764.Mar. 30, 1920, ch. 111, § 4, 41 Stat. 537. The words “a civil action in admiralty may be brought in a court of the United States based on the foreign cause of action” are substituted for “such right may be maintained in an appropriate action in admiralty in the courts of the United States” for clarity and consistency. The words “any statute of the United States to the contrary notwithstanding” are omitted as unnecessary.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
46 U.S.C. § 30306
Title 46, Shipping
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102