Exxon Company, U. S. a., et al. v. Sofec, Inc., et al. (517 U.S. 830)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided June 10, 1996 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 517 U.S. 830 · 116 S. Ct. 1813
- Decided
- June 10, 1996
- Term
- October Term 1995
- Vote
- 9–0
- Majority author
- Justice Thomas
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome
- Petitioning party lost
- Ideological direction
- Conservative
Opinion excerpt
517 U.S. 830 (1996) EXXON CO., U. S. A., et al. v. SOFEC, INC., et al. No. 95-129. United States Supreme Court. Argued March 19, 1996. Decided June 10, 1996. CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT *832 *832 Thomas, J., delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court. Shirley M. Hufstedler argued the cause and filed briefs for petitioners. George Playdon argued the cause for respondents. With him on the brief for respondents Pacific Resources, Inc., et al. were James W. McCartney, Theodore G. Dimitry, Eugene J. Silva, and Richard H. Page. Kenneth W. Starr, Edward W. Warren, Richard A. Cordray, Randall K. Schmitt, David W. Proudfoot, and John R. Lacy filed a brief for respondents Sofec, Inc., et al. [*] Justice Thomas, delivered the opinion of the Court. In United States v. Reliable Transfer Co., 421 U. S. 397 (1975), we abandoned the "divided damages" rule previously applied to claims in admiralty for property damages, and adopted the comparative fault principle for allocating damages among parties responsible for an injury. In this case we affirm that the requirement of legal or "proximate" causation, and the related "superseding cause" doctrine, apply in admiralty notwithstanding our adoption of the comparative fault principle. I This case arises from the stranding of a tanker, the Exxon Houston , several hours after it broke away from a Single…
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