Law School Case Briefs
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The Germanic
Supreme Court of the United States (1905) | 196 U.S. 589; 25 S. Ct. 317; 49 L. Ed. 610; 1905 U.S. LEXIS 927
TL;DR: A ship sank at its pier due to instability caused by rapid, negligent unloading. The Court held the shipowner liable, finding the negligence related to cargo handling, not vessel management, under the Harter Act.
Legal Significance: This case established the "primary purpose" test to distinguish between non-liable "errors in management of the vessel" (Harter Act § 3) and liable "failures in care of cargo" (Harter Act § 1).