Opinion · Supreme Court of the United States

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad v. Southwell

Atl. Coast Line R.R. v. Southwell, 275 U.S. 64 (1927)

Type
Opinion
Court
Supreme Court of the United States
Jurisdiction
Federal
Date
1927-10-31
Topic
general

Mr. Justice Holmes delivered the opinion of the Court. This is an action brought against the petitioner by the administratrix and widow of one of the petitioner’s em *65 ployees, for the death of her husband by a murder which it is alleged that the petitioner “ with gross negligence wil-fully' and wantonly caused, permitted and allowed.” In view of the decision in Davis v. Green, 260 U. S. 349, the plaintiff did not attempt to hold the petitioner-liable as principal in the act, but relied upon its failure to prevent the death.

Citator

UpLaw has not yet analyzed Atlantic Coast Line Railroad v. Southwell. The absence of a flag is not a finding that it is good law.

Cited by
31 opinions

Headnotes

  1. Labor & Employment Law — Federal Employers' Liability Act — Scope of Employer Liability Under the Federal Employers' Liability Act, an employee may not recover against a railroad as principal for the wilful act of a coworker; the employer's liability must rest on its own negligence in failing to prevent the injury. 275 U.S. at 65 (citing Davis v. Green, 260 U.S. 349)
  2. Labor & Employment Law — Federal Employers' Liability Act — Causation It strains the language of the Federal Employers' Liability Act to say that a wilful homicide "resulted" from a superior officer's failure to foresee the danger and prevent it. 275 U.S. at 65
  3. Labor & Employment Law — Federal Employers' Liability Act — Sufficiency of Evidence A railroad is not liable under the Federal Employers' Liability Act for an employee's death by a coworker's shooting where the superior officer knew of prior threats by the deceased against the shooter, knew the two were likely to meet, warned the shooter to avoid the deceased, and was moving to intervene when the shot was fired, the shooter being a special policeman entitled to carry a pistol during a strike and the only evident sinister designs being those of the deceased. 275 U.S. at 65 (citing St. Louis-San Francisco Ry. Co. v. Mills, 271 U.S. 344)
ATL. COAST LINE R.R.v. SOUTHWELL,275 U.S. 64(1927)
48 S.Ct. 25
ATLANTIC COAST LINE RAILROAD COMPANYv. SOUTHWELL, ADMINISTRATRIX.
CERTIORARI TO THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA.
No. 41.
Argued October 18, 1927.
Decided October 31, 1927.
Assuming that a railroad company could be held liable under the Federal Employers Liability Act for the wilful killing of one of its employees by another, if it resulted from the negligent failure of their superior officer to foresee the danger and prevent it, the charge of such negligence is not borne out by the evidence in this case. P. 65.191 N.C. 153, reversed.
CERTIORARI,271 U.S. 654, to a judgment of the Supreme Court
of North Carolina sustaining a recovery by the widow and
administratrix of a deceased employee from the Railroad in an
action based on the Federal Employers Liability Act.
Mr. Thomas W. Davis, with whomMessrs. J.O. CarrandV.E.Phelpswere on the brief, for petitioner.Mr. J. Bayard Clark, with whomMessrs. Robert H. Dye, L.Clayton Grant, andC.D. Weekswere on the brief, for respondent.
MR. JUSTICE HOLMES delivered the opinion of the Court.
This is an action brought against the petitioner by the administratrix and widow of one of the petitioner's employees,Page 65for the death of her husband by a murder which it is alleged that the petitioner "with gross negligence wilfully and wantonly caused, permitted and allowed." In view of the decision inDavisv.Green,260 U.S. 349, the plaintiff did not attempt to hold the petitioner liable as principal in the act, but relied upon its failure to prevent the death. The Supreme Court of North Carolina upheld a judgment for the plaintiff.191 N.C. 153. It is admitted that the action is based upon the Federal Employers Liability Act of April 22, 1908, c. 149, § 2;35 Stat. 65, and the question is whether there was any evidence that the death resulted in whole or in part from the negligence of any officer of the petitioning road, under the law as applied by this Court.New Orleans Northeastern R.R. Co. v.Harris,247 U.S. 367,371.

It would be straining the language of the act somewhat to say in any case that a wilful homicide "resulted" from the failure of some superior officer to foresee the danger and to prevent it. In this case at all events we are of opinion that there was no evidence that warrants such a judgment. It is not necessary to state the facts in detail. Those mainly relied upon are that Fonvielle, the general yard master, knew that Southwell, the man who was killed, on previous occasions had used threatening language to Dallas, who shot Southwell; that Fonvielle knew or ought to have known that they were likely to meet when they did; that Fonvielle was with Dallas, his subordinate, just before that moment and that Dallas said to him "Cap, all I want to do is to ask Southwell to lay off of me and let me alone," and that Fonvielle said that he must not see Southwell, that if he saw him and talked to him it might bring about unpleasant consequences; that Fonvielle left Dallas and after having gone a short distance saw him and Southwell approaching each other and had taken a few steps towards them with a view to separate them in case of an altercation, but that before he hadPage 66time to reach them the shot was fired. Fonvielle knew that Dallas had a pistol, but there was a strike at the time; Dallas was a special policeman and had a right to carry it, and not unnaturally did. The only sinister designs, of which there is any evidence, were of Southwell against Dallas, unless Dallas' remark just before the shooting be taken to foreshadow the event, which it certainly did not seem to until after the event had happened. It appears to us extravagant to hold the petitioner liable in a case like this. SeeSt. Louis-San Francisco Ry. Co. v.Mills,271 U.S. 344.Judgment reversed.