Federal Aviation Administration, et al., Petitioners v. Stanmore Cawthon Cooper (566 U.S. 284)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided March 28, 2012 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 566 U.S. 284 · 132 S. Ct. 1441
- Decided
- March 28, 2012
- Term
- October Term 2011
- Vote
- 5–3
- Majority author
- Justice Alito
- Issue area
- Privacy
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome
- Petitioning party won
- Ideological direction
- Conservative
Opinion excerpt
Justice Alito delivered the opinion of the Court. The Privacy Act of 1974, codified in part at 5 U. S. C. §552a, contains a comprehensive and detailed set of requirements for the management of confidential records held by Executive Branch agencies. If an agency fails to comply with those requirements “in such a way as to have an adverse effect on an individual,” the Act authorizes the individual to bring a civil action against the agency. § 552a(g)(l)(D). For violations found to be “intentional or willful,” the United States is liable for “actual damages.” § 552a,(g)(4)(A). In this case, we must decide whether the term “actual damages,” as used in the Privacy Act, includes damages for mental or emotional distress. We hold that it does not. I The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires pilots to obtain a pilot certificate and medical certificate as a precondition for operating an aircraft. 14 CFR §§ 61.3(a), (c) (2011). Pilots must periodically renew their medical certificates to ensure compliance with FAA medical standards. See § 61.23(d). When applying for renewal, pilots must disclose any illnesses, disabilities, or surgeries they have had, and they must identify any medications they are taking. See 14 CFR pt. 67. Respondent Stanmore Cooper has been a private pilot since 1964. In 1985, he was diagnosed with a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and began…
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