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Massachusetts Bonding Co. v. United States, 352 U.S. 128 (1956)
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General SummaryThis case is from a collection containing the full text of over 16,000 Supreme Court cases from 1793 to the present. The body of Supreme Court decisions are, effectively, the final interpretation of the Constitution. Only an amendment to the Constitution can permanently overturn an interpretation and this has happened only four times in American history.
Massachusetts Bonding Co. v. United States, 352 U.S. 128 (1956)
Massachusetts Bonding & Ins. Co. v. United States No. 31 Argued November 8, 1956 Decided December 10, 1956 352 U.S. 128
CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT
Syllabus
In an action under the Federal Tort Claims Act, plaintiffs sought damages from the United States for a death alleged to have been caused by the negligence of federal employees in Massachusetts. Under the Massachusetts Death Act, the standard of liability for wrongful death is punitive and the maximum amount recoverable is $20,000. The Tort Claims Act provides that the United States shall not be liable for punitive damages, and that, where the law of the place provides "for damages only punitive in nature," the United States shall be liable for "actual or compensatory damages, measured by the pecuniary injuries resulting from such death."
Held: the amount of damages recoverable from the United States as compensatory damages is not limited to the maximum amount recoverable under the Massachusetts Death Act. Pp. 128-134.
227 F.2d 385, reversed.
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Chicago: U.S. Supreme Court, "Syllabus," Massachusetts Bonding Co. v. United States, 352 U.S. 128 (1956) in 352 U.S. 128 Original Sources, accessed November 22, 2024, http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=W5QZJFWLJB5Y2F3.
MLA: U.S. Supreme Court. "Syllabus." Massachusetts Bonding Co. v. United States, 352 U.S. 128 (1956), in 352 U.S. 128, Original Sources. 22 Nov. 2024. http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=W5QZJFWLJB5Y2F3.
Harvard: U.S. Supreme Court, 'Syllabus' in Massachusetts Bonding Co. v. United States, 352 U.S. 128 (1956). cited in 1956, 352 U.S. 128. Original Sources, retrieved 22 November 2024, from http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=W5QZJFWLJB5Y2F3.
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