Rice et al. v. The Polly & Kitty

20 Fed. Cas. 666 (1789)

From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Rice et al. v. The Polly & Kitty

United States Circuit Court for the District of Pennsylvania
20 Fed. Cas. 666 (1789)

JC

Facts

The suit was filed by Rice (plaintiff) and other sailors against the ship, the Polly & Kitty (defendant). Rice and the other sailors were severely disciplined during a voyage by the ship’s captain, James Eggleston, and a mate, Shirtliff. The nature of this discipline was so severe that one of the sailors had to be taken ashore at Lisbon and treated by a surgeon for the injuries inflicted by Eggleston and Shirtliff. The sailors attempted redress of the situation with several approaches—first, by appealing to the captain when Shirtliff was severe. After the captain beat the sailors more severely, Shirtliff told the sailors that he would make them all glad to jump overboard before the sailors returned to America. The sailors then left the ship at Lisbon, although the sailors did seek out and meet with the captain to obtain their wages and clothes. Ultimately, the sailors did not obtain relief, and the captain argued that under their signed articles for the voyage, a 48-hour absence from the vessel without leave was desertion and allowed for forfeiture of wages. Regardless, the sailors returned to Philadelphia by another boat and filed this suit, seeking their wages.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Peters, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 815,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership