Key Bridge civil trial appears likely to be delayed after all

After two years of legal wrangling, the long-expected civil trial over the Key Bridge collapse appears likely to be delayed indefinitely instead of beginning Monday as scheduled.

All of the remaining parties in the case — including the companies that own and operate the container ship that crashed into the bridge, the city of Baltimore and area businesses that suffered financially after the collapse — agree the civil case should be put on hold, according to documents filed over the weekend.

Senior U.S. District Judge James Bredar will hold a hearing on the request Monday morning, at the time opening statements in the trial were set to begin.

Grace Ocean Private Ltd., which owns the container ship Dali, and Synergy Marine Group, the vessel’s operator, asked previously to put the civil trial on hold after federal prosecutors announced criminal charges in the case. Bredar denied that request, even as the companies argued they had no witnesses willing to come to the United States to testify following the indictment.

With the civil trial approaching quickly, a slew of settlements ensued. The companies reached a $2.25 billion settlement with the state of Maryland, the largest to be announced, and an undisclosed settlement with the state’s insurance company.

In the last few days, the families of six construction workers who died in the bridge collapse settled, as did two men who survived. Baltimore Gas and Electric and the construction workers’ employer, Brawner Builders, also settled.

That left the city of Baltimore, Baltimore County and a group of local businesses as the last holdouts before trial, which would have determined whether Grace Ocean and Synergy could cap their liability in the disaster at around $44 million.

Those holdouts finally agreed the civil trial could be delayed until after the criminal case concludes, according to the new court filings. With the construction workers’ families settling, nearly all of the remaining claims in the civil case are related to economic losses — and it will be tough to win on those claims unless “criminal or intentional conduct” is proven.

Letting the criminal case proceed will help with that determination and could make the civil trial unnecessary, the parties wrote in court filings.

Federal prosecutors allege the Key Bridge collapse could have been prevented if Synergy had maintained the ship’s generators properly. Instead, the company used pumps not intended for that job in multiple vessels, the indictment claims. A technical superintendent for the company is accused of removing references to the improperly connected pump from ship records.

The criminal case could take years, and legal experts say the U.S. Department of Justice faces an uphill battle.

This article will be updated.