Robinson v. Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
214 F.2d 798 (1954)

- Written by Sean Carroll, JD
Facts
Alfred Robinson (plaintiff) sued Pennsylvania Railroad Company (the railroad) (defendant) under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act. During trial, counsel for each party made accusations about the other party’s case without any basis in fact. For example, the railroad’s lawyer stated that Robinson’s case was phony and manufactured and that his evidence was inaccurate and unreliable. In turn, Robinson’s lawyer stated sarcastically in response to railroad’s lawyer, “So [Robinson’s expert witness] is now a liar and he is putting something on to try to put something over on the railroad.” Robinson’s lawyer further stated that Robinson “did not come in here to be made a thief of, and a liar, and a perjurer.” Later, the lawyer said sarcastically that the railroad never lies. The trial court largely permitted this bickering between the lawyers. The jury returned a verdict for Robinson. The railroad appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Staley, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,400 briefs, keyed to 994 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.