The Administrative Review Board within the state Department of Labor has affirmed a $1.1 million award to a former ship captain who was constructively discharged after complaining about safety violations on his ship.

The whistleblower retaliation case pitted longtime Horizon Lines ship Captain John Loftus against his former employer, which has since been bought by Matson Alaska. Following a three-day trial in 2015, Administrative Law Judge Jonathan Calianos awarded the New Hampshire resident $650,000 in back pay with interest; $225,000 in punitive damages; $10,000 for emotional distress; and more than $200,000 in attorney fees and expenses. The Seaman’s Protection Act prohibits retaliation against any seaman who reports a work-related injury or who reports safety violations to the U.S. Coast Guard.

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