Dozens of Claims Still Set for Trial
The owner and operator of M/V Dali has been settling lawsuits, one by one, over the collapse of the Key Bridge on March 26, 2024. But there are crucial cases yet to be decided. More than 60 individual claimants in four groups will see their cases go before a judge beginning in June.
On April 9, 2026, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced a settlement “in principle” between the state and Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., owner and operator of the Dali. The settlement resolves a lawsuit brought against the vessel on behalf of state agencies including the Maryland Transportation Authority, Maryland Port Administration, and Maryland Department of the Environment. The settlement details have not yet been released.
“For two years, Maryland workers, families, and communities have carried the weight of a disaster that should never have happened. The Dali’s crash into the Key Bridge disrupted the Port of Baltimore, devastated livelihoods, and sent economic shockwaves across our State that are still being felt today,” said Brown. “Our work is not finished, but this settlement is an important step toward making Maryland whole.”
The newest settlement comes on the heels of a recent $350 million settlement with the state’s insurance company and, back in October 2024, a $101 million settlement with the federal government for their work to clean up the wreckage and reopen the port following the bridge collapse.
Now the focus shifts to the upcoming federal trial against Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine in which a judge will decide whether the companies can claim “limited liability” under an old maritime law. According to the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851, vessel owners can limit their liability for maritime accidents provided they had “no privity or knowledge” of the negligence or unseaworthines that caused the accident. If the judge determines that the captain and company leaders weren’t negligent and didn’t have knowledge of the Dali’s unseaworthiness, damages could be limited to the post-casualty value of the ship and any pending freight charges, which comes out to about $44 million.
The final NTSB report on the crash, released in November 2025, traces the disaster back to just one signal wire among thousands that was loose in its terminal block, setting off a chain reaction that ultimately changed Baltimore forever. The NTSB calls the loss of the Key Bridge a preventable disaster.
If the judge finds that the captain and chain of command were negligent and should have known the ship was unseaworthy, Grace and Synergy could be found liable for substantially more than the $44 million. What’s more, the judge must make this limited liability decision for four different groups of claimants. Attorney Jason Foster, who represents some of the claimants, explains that there are more than 60 individuals who brought cases against Dali’s owners, all waiting for trial.
Due to the impracticality of considering 60+ different cases, the judge had the claimants divide into groups, Foster says. First, the personal injury/wrongful death group includes the families of the six road construction workers killed when the bridge crumbled, along with the surviving construction worker and inspector.
Next, is the public economic loss group, comprised of Baltimore City and Baltimore County, who are suing over the costly post-collapse response that tied up local emergency responders for weeks, along with the cost of damage to infrastructure under the bridge.
Then, the private economic loss group includes privately owned businesses and individuals hit by the loss of the bridge. For example, Ports America Chesapeake, the ships that were detained when the Patapsco River channel was closed, Domino Sugar, and the International Longshoremen from the Port all say they suffered economic losses.
Finally, the cargo claimants are those who owned cargo being carried on the Dali when it left Baltimore and allided with the Key Bridge. The containers on board belonged to a wide variety of owners.
With four groups and dozens of claimants, it’s very unlikely that these lawsuits will be settled ahead of the trial date on June 1, Foster says. The judge has set aside the entire month of June to allow it to play out.
The steps that follow the June trial will largely depend on whether each group is successful in proving that the ship’s leadership was negligent.
Meanwhile, the state continues to work towards the rebuilding of the Key Bridge, a task that is now expected to take until 2030 and cost a staggering estimated $5 billion.
