Home > Great American Court Cases > Erie R. Co. v. Tompkins

Legal Citation: 304 U.S. 64 (1938)

Petitioner
Erie Railroad Company

Respondent
Tompkins

Petitioner's Claim
That state law, rather than federal court decisions, should determine whether the railroad was liable for injuries Tompkins suffered when walking along the railroad's right-of-way.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner
Theodore Kiendl

Chief Lawyer for Respondent
Fred H. Rees

Justices for the Court
Hugo Lafayette Black, Louis D. Brandeis (writing for the Court), Charles Evans Hughes, Owen Josephus Roberts, Harlan Fiske Stone, Stanley Forman Reed

Justices Dissenting
Pierce Butler, James Clark McReynolds (Benjamin N. Cardozo did not participate)

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
25 April 1938

Decision
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the petitioner's claim...