Simmons v. Himmelreich (578 U.S. 621)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided June 6, 2016 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 578 U.S. 621 · 136 S. Ct. 1843
- Decided
- June 6, 2016
- Term
- October Term 2015
- Vote
- 8–0
- Majority author
- Justice Sotomayor
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome
- Petitioning party lost
- Ideological direction
- Liberal
Opinion excerpt
Justice SOTOMAYOR delivered the opinion of the Court. The Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) allows plaintiffs to seek damages from the United States for certain torts committed by federal employees. 28 U.S.C. §§ 1346(b), 2674. Many of the FTCA's procedural provisions are contained in a single chapter of the United States Code, Chapter 171. See §§ 2671 -2680. But an "Exceptions" section of the FTCA dictates that "the provisions of [Chapter 171] ... shall not apply" to certain categories of claims. At issue in this case is whether one of the "provisions of [Chapter 171]"-the so-called judgment bar provision, § 2676 -might nonetheless apply to one of the excepted claims. We conclude it does not. I A This case began with two suits filed by Walter Himmelreich. In each, Himmelreich alleged that he had been severely beaten by a fellow inmate in federal prison and that the beating was the result of prison officials' negligence. At the time of the beating, Himmelreich was incarcerated for producing child pornography. His assailant had warned prison officials that he would " 'smash' " a pedophile if given the opportunity but was nonetheless released into the general prison population, where he assaulted Himmelreich. App. 46. Himmelreich filed a first suit against the United States. The Government treated this first suit as a claim under the FTCA and moved to dismiss the action, arguing…
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