Libert closer to identifying ship wreckage he believes is Le Griffon

On 12/06/2008
In Treasure Hunting / Recoveries
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By Benjamin Gohs

After years of legal wrangling over salvage rights to what may be a 17th century ship, explorer Steve Libert now has at least some assurance Michigan officials will not swoop in and pilfer 28 years of sweat equity and intellectual property.

Libert’s Great Lakes Exploration Group (GLEG) won this most recent battle following the April 22 opinion of the U.S. Sixth District Court of Appeals of Cincinnati, Ohio, demanding the Michigan U.S. Western District Court, Southern Division to correct its mid-March decision not to issue an admiralty arrest to Libert’s GLEG, the lower court has issued the arrest.

“The court shall issue a conditional warrant for the arrest of defendant unidentified, wrecked, and, for salvage-right purposes, abandoned sailing vessel,” stated Chief United States District Judge Robert Holmes Bell in the June 2 filing.

“Upon the Marshal’s execution of the arrest warrant the Court SHALL have jurisdiction over Defendant and no person shall seize, remove, take physical possession of, or otherwise disturb Defendant without prior authorization from the Court.”