As discussed in a previous blog post, starting in mid-2014, a labor initiated slowdown began at Ports up and down the West Coast. In early November of this year, MDK Law filed suit against marine terminal operators as well as ocean carriers that charged demurrage fees to MDK Law’s client that imported goods via the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach during the West Coast Port Slowdown.
On November 6, 2015, Law360, a subscription based, legal news service operated by the Portfolio Media Company, a subsidiary of LexisNexis, published an article about the demurrage lawsuit. The lawsuit is based on Section 22928 of the California Business and Professions Code, which prohibits charging demurrage and/or detention fees during a labor disruption and/or under a variety of other circumstances.