Usery v. Turner Elkhorn Mining Co.
United States Supreme Court
428 U.S. 1 (1976)
- Written by Eric Miller, JD
Facts
The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 and the Black Lung Benefits Act of 1972 provided compensation to miners and their survivors for death and total disability resulting from black lung disease. A group of coal-mine operators (plaintiffs) brought suit against the secretary of health, education, and welfare (defendant) and the secretary of labor (defendant), both of whom were tasked with administering claims under the legislation. The operators sought to test the constitutionality of a provision that required payment to miners who stopped working before the effective date of the act. The operators argued that the imposition of retroactive liability violated the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. The operators also challenged the legislation’s inclusion of presumptions that favored a finding of death or disability from black lung disease, and thus operator liability, with little or no opportunity for rebuttal. The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Marshall, J.)
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