Baltimore Key Bridge collapse: Lawsuit against Dali shipbuilder dismissed

Maggie Trovato, Baltimore Sun on Aug 6, 2026

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BALTIMORE — A lawsuit alleging that negligence by the cargo ship Dali’s shipbuilder led to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse was dismissed this week by a federal judge, who ruled that another jurisdiction would be a more appropriate forum for the suit.

Filed by the ship’s owner and operator in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the suit argued that HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, which built the Dali in South Korea in 2014, was negligent in its design, construction and manufacturing of a critical switchboard.

Owner Grace Ocean Private Limited and operator Synergy Marine Private Limited contended in the suit that the power outage that led to the Dali striking the bridge originated with a loose wire in the switchboard. They argued the wire was not securely connected because of its installation.

In a September filing, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries argued that South Korea would be a more appropriate and convenient forum for adjudication of the suit because many of the witnesses and evidence in the case is in South Korea and Singapore.

District Judge Kai Scott dismissed the suit Monday, ruling in favor of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ argument.

Although this case was dismissed, the Maryland attorney general’s office has expressed its intention to file a suit against HD Hyundai Heavy Industries for its role in the collapse. In May, a spokesperson for the office said the process was “underway.” As of Thursday, state and federal court records did not indicate that a lawsuit has been filed.

More Key Bridge court proceedings

Grace Ocean and Synergy remain involved in a number of court proceedings connected to the March 2024 disaster, including a federal criminal case.

Last week, the companies pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, obstruction, making false statements and willfully failing to immediately notify the U.S. Coast Guard of a known hazardous condition aboard the vessel.

Federal prosecutors allege that the ship’s operators altered the ship’s fuel system to rely on a flushing pump that wasn’t designed for continuous operation and that crew members and shore-side personnel concealed repeated safety problems with the ship.

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