Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee Corp.

E796586

Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee Corp. is a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case in which the estate of nuclear worker and whistleblower Karen Silkwood successfully sued her employer for plutonium contamination, affirming the availability of state tort remedies alongside federal nuclear regulation.

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Predicate Object
instanceOf United States Supreme Court case
nuclear regulation case
tort law case
areaOfLaw federal preemption doctrine
products liability
workplace safety
arguedDate 1983-10-04
citation Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee Corp., 464 U.S. 238 (1984)
country United States
court Supreme Court of the United States
decisionDate 1984-01-11
defendant Kerr-McGee Corporation
dissentBy Justice John Paul Stevens
linked to: John Paul Stevens

Justice Warren E. Burger
linked to: Warren E. Burger

Justice William H. Rehnquist
docketNumber 81-2159
fullName Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee Corp.
holding federal nuclear safety regulation does not preempt state-law tort remedies
state-law punitive damages are not preempted by the Atomic Energy Act
impact strengthened role of state tort law in nuclear and hazardous industries
joinedByInMajority Justice Harry A. Blackmun
linked to: Harry A. Blackmun

Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr.
linked to: Lewis F. Powell Jr.

Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
Justice Thurgood Marshall
linked to: Thurgood Marshall

Justice William J. Brennan Jr.
jurisdiction federal question jurisdiction
keyPrinciple Congress did not intend to displace traditional state tort law in nuclear safety context
federal regulation can coexist with state tort remedies unless clearly preempted
legalIssue availability of punitive damages under state law for nuclear incidents
whether federal nuclear safety regulation preempts state tort law
majorityOpinionBy Justice Byron White
linked to: Byron R. White
originatingCircuit United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
originatingCourt United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
plaintiff Estate of Karen Silkwood
rearguedDate 1983-11-30
relatedCase Duke Power Co. v. Carolina Environmental Study Group, Inc.
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission
relatedOrganization Kerr-McGee Nuclear Corporation
relatedPerson Karen Silkwood
relatedTopic nuclear whistleblowing in the United States
resultBelow judgment for Silkwood's estate with compensatory and punitive damages
shortName Silkwood
statuteInterpreted Atomic Energy Act of 1954
Price-Anderson Act
subjectMatter federal preemption
nuclear safety
punitive damages
state tort remedies
SupremeCourtDisposition affirmed in part and reversed in part
volume 464 U.S. 238
vote 5-4

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Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Karen Silkwood legalCase Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee Corp.
Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee Corp. fullName Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee Corp.
Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee Corp. citation Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee Corp., 464 U.S. 238 (1984)
linked to: Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee Corp.
Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee Corp. plaintiff Estate of Karen Silkwood
linked to: Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee Corp.