Socony-Vacuum Oil Co. v. Smith
United States Supreme Court
305 U.S. 424, 59 S. Ct. 262, 83 L. Ed. 265 (1939)
- Written by Daniel Clark, JD
Facts
Smith (plaintiff) was a seaman working on a vessel owned by Socony-Vacuum Oil Co., Inc. (SV Oil) (defendant). Smith noticed that an iron step near an engine bearing was defective and reported it to his superiors. The superiors did not repair the step. Later, Smith needed to check whether the ship’s engine bearing was overheated. Smith could have performed this task without use of the defective step, but he had not been instructed to avoid using it. Smith used the step, leading to an accident in which he suffered injuries. Smith sued SV Oil under the Jones Act. The district court refused to allow an instruction for the jury to consider whether, by choosing to use the step despite not needing to, Smith had assumed the risk of injury. The jury awarded damages to Smith, and SV Oil appealed. The court of appeals affirmed, and SV Oil appealed to the United States Supreme Court.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Stone, J.)
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