28 U.S.C. § 1916
Section 1916 · Seamens suits
Amended 1 time on record
Applied in 113 court decisions — leading case Romilly v. Amoco Trinidad Oil Co. (1981)
Most recently applied in Barnes v. Sea Haw. Rafting, LLC (March 2018)
Cases citing this section usually also cite 28 U.S.C. § 1915 · 42 U.S.C. § 1983 · 28 U.S.C. § 1291
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
In all courts of the United States, seamen may institute and prosecute suits and appeals in their own names and for their own benefit for wages or salvage or the enforcement of laws enacted for their health or safety without prepaying fees or costs or furnishing security therefor.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §837 (June 12, 1917, ch. 27, §1, 40 Stat. 157; July 1, 1918, ch. 113, §1, 40 Stat. 683).
Changes in phraseology were made.