United States v. Travia
United States District Court for the District of Columbia
180 F. Supp. 2d 115 (2001)

- Written by Alex Ruskell, JD
Facts
Police officers conducted a joint investigation of illegal distribution of nitrous oxide at a rock concert. An undercover officer bought an unlabeled balloon of nitrous oxide from Anthony Travia (defendant). Travia was arrested and charged with distribution of misbranded drugs in violation of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The court dismissed the complaint, finding that an unlabeled balloon of nitrous oxide was not a drug covered by the act because it did not carry a label representing that the seller intended the nitrous oxide to be used as a drug. The United States appealed, arguing that labeling was not the exclusive evidence of whether a product is a drug under the act.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Hogan, C.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. 46,500 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.