Erie Railroad Company v. Winfield
Citations
- 244 U.S. 170
- 37 S. Ct. 556
- 61 L. Ed. 1057
- 1917 U.S. LEXIS 1621
Syllabus
<p>The duty of interstate railroad carriers to make compensation for injury or death of their employees in interstate commerce is regulated uniformly and exclusively by the Federal Employers’ Liability Act and is thereby confined to cases of causal negligence. New York Central R. R. Co. v. Winfield, ante, 147.</p> <p>It is beyond the power of any State to interfere with the operation of the federal act, either by putting carriers and their employees to an election between its provisions and those of a state statute or by imputing such an election to them through a statutory presumption. So held in the case of a New Jersey law containing provisions for compensation without regard to negligence, to be applicable when employer and employee elect to accept them, and presuming acceptance in the absence of a declaration to the contrary.</p> <p>In leaving the yard after his day’s work in switching inter- and intra- ■ state commerce, the employee is “engaged in interstate commerce.”</p>
How courts have described this case
Verbatim parenthetical descriptions written by other courts when citing this decision. Ranked by citation-network relevance.
- “In leaving the carrier’s yard at the close of his day’s work the deceased was but discharging a duty of his employment.”
- employee riding a passenger train of employer to his job as a freight train flagman held outside the scope of employment
- employee injured while leaving rail yard after work
Source: CourtListener parenthetical corpus (CC0).
Judges: Van Devanter, Brandéis, Clarke
Read full opinion on CourtListenerSourced from CourtListener / Free Law Project (CC0).
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.