United States v. Lindsay et al. (346 U.S. 568)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided January 18, 1954 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 346 U.S. 568 · 74 S. Ct. 287
- Decided
- January 18, 1954
- Term
- October Term 1953
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority author
- Justice Black
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome
- Petitioning party lost
- Ideological direction
- Conservative
Opinion excerpt
Mr. Justice Black delivered the opinion of the Court. On February 29, 1952, the United States filed the complaint in this case against Lindsay and the other respondents alleging that on February 26, 1945, Lindsay had delivered damaged wool to the Government in violation of an agreement with the Commodity Credit Corporation, a wholly owned corporate agency of the United States. The defendants moved to dismiss on the ground that the Government’s seven year old claim was barred by the six year time limit in § 4 (c) of a 1948 Act as amended. That section provides that “No suit by or against the Corporation shall be allowed unless ... it shall have been brought within six years after the right accrued on which suit is brought . . . .” Holding that the 1952 suit was barred because the right to sue had “accrued” in 1945 when the damaged wool was delivered, the District Court dismissed the case. 105 F. Supp. 467. The Court of Appeals for the First Circuit affirmed on the same ground. 202 F. 2d 239. However, the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has held that a Government claim arising prior to the 1948 Act “accrued” not when the suit arose but when the Act became effective. Field Packing Co. v. United States, 197 F. 2d 329. This conflict among the circuits as to the statutory meaning of “accrued” led us to grant certiorari. 346 U. S. 810. The question here is whether Government…
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