Timken Roller Bearing Co. v. United States (341 U.S. 593)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided June 4, 1951 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 341 U.S. 593 · 71 S. Ct. 971
- Docket
- No. 352
- Argued
- April 24, 1951
- Decided
- June 4, 1951
- Term
- October Term 1950
- Vote
- 5–2
- Majority author
- Justice Black
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome
- Petitioning party lost
- Ideological direction
- Liberal
How the Justices voted
- Majority
- Justice Minton, Justice Douglas, Justice Black (wrote)
- Concurring in the judgment
- Chief Justice Vinson, Justice Reed (wrote)
- Dissenting
- Justice R. H. Jackson (wrote), Justice Frankfurter (wrote)
Opinion excerpt
Mr. Justice Black delivered the opinion of the Court. The United States brought this civil action to prevent and restrain violations of the Sherman Act by appellant, Timken Roller Bearing Co., an Ohio corporation. The complaint charged that appellant, in violation of §§ 1 and 3 of the Act, combined, conspired and acted with British Timken, Ltd. (British Timken), and Societe Anonyme Frangaise Timken (French Timken) to restrain interstate and foreign commerce by eliminating competition in the manufacture and sale of antifriction bearings in the markets of the world. After a trial of more than a month the District Court made detailed findings of fact which may be summarized as follows: As early as 1909 appellant and British Timken’s predecessor had made comprehensive agreements providing for a territorial division of the world markets for antifriction bearings. These arrangements were somewhat modified and extended in 1920, 1924 and 1925. Again in 1927 the agreements were substantially renewed in connection with a transaction by which appellant and one Dewar, an English businessman, cooperated in purchasing all the stock of British Timken. Later some British Timken stock was sold to the public with the result that appellant now holds about 30% of the outstanding shares while Dewar owns about 24%. In 1928 appellant and Dewar organized French Timken and since that date have…
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