This matter arises from an allision on December 7, 2022, while the tug M/V BURRWOOD WISE was maneuvering a crane barge, the ALEX G, at a docking facility owned by Atalco. During this maneuver, the ALEX G made contact with a dock. An employee of Defendant, Gnots Reserve, Inc., was operating the tug. Atalco brought this action seeking recovery for the resulting property damage.
Gnots retained Captain Ronald L. Campana to offer opinions on (1) the structural condition of the dock and the absence of a functional fendering system; (2) the custom and practice of fendering marine docks on the lower Mississippi River; and (3) the applicability of the U.S. Inland Navigation Rules to the movement of the ALEX G. Atalco filed a motion to strike Campana’s report and testimony.
Marine Surveyor Expert Witness
Captain Ronald L. Campana is a graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, N.Y. He has sailed in various capacities as an officer and master aboard US flagged vessels. Campana came ashore in 1981 and was trained by an existing marine surveying firm, as a Marine Surveyor, that is no longer in business.
Discussion by the Court
Campana has 42 years of experience surveying vessels and marine terminals in the New Orleans area. Prior to his surveying career, and after graduating from the United States Merchant Marine Academy, he spent ten years as an officer aboard vessels mooring at comparable facilities.
His experience qualifies him to give opinions in this case. The challenges to his opinions in this judge-tried case are better directed to the weight of the evidence, not to exclusion of it.
Held
The Court denied Atalco’s motion in limine to strike and exclude the testimony of Ronald Campana.
Key Takeaway
Challenges to the factual bases of an expert’s opinion ordinarily go to weight, not admissibility, and are properly addressed through cross-examination.
Case Details:
| Case Caption: | Atalco Gramercy LLC V. Gnots-Reserve, Inc. |
| Docket Number: | 2:23cv7195 |
| Court Name: | United States District Court, Louisiana Eastern |
| Order Date: | April 10, 2026 |
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