Carbon Fuel Co. v. United Mine Workers of America et al.

Decided December 10, 1979. William Joseph Brennan Jr. delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 78-1183 · 444 U.S. 212 (1979) · Cited 250 times

Holding

Neither UMWA nor District 17 can be held liable in damages under the circumstances of this case.

The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.

How the Justices voted

Decided 9–0.

“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.

Precedents cited

Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.

• Textile Workers v. Lincoln Mills of Ala. · 353 U.S. 448 (1957)
• National Labor Relations Board v. Insurance Agents' International Union · 361 U.S. 477 (1960)
• United Steelworkers v. Warrior & Gulf Navigation Co. · 363 U.S. 574 (1960)
• United Steelworkers v. American Manufacturing Co. · 363 U.S. 564 (1960)
• Local 174, Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen & Helpers v. Lucas Flour Co. · 369 U.S. 95 (1962)
• Boys Markets, Inc. v. Retail Clerks Union, Local 770 · 398 U.S. 235 (1970)
• National Labor Relations Board v. Burns International Security Services, Inc. · 406 U.S. 272 (1972)
• Gateway Coal Co. v. United Mine Workers · 414 U.S. 368 (1974)
• Howard Johnson Co. v. Detroit Local Joint Executive Board · 417 U.S. 249 (1974)
• H. K. Porter Co. v. National Labor Relations Board · 397 U.S. 99 (1970)
• Lewis v. Benedict Coal Corp. · 361 U.S. 459 (1960)
• Coronado Coal Co. v. United Mine Workers · 268 U.S. 295 (1925)

Cited by

Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.

• Complete Auto Transit, Inc. v. Reis · 451 U.S. 401 (1981)
• Metropolitan Edison Co. v. National Labor Relations Board · 460 U.S. 693 (1983)
• Air Line Pilots Ass'n v. O'Neill · 499 U.S. 65 (1991)
• National Labor Relations Board v. Amax Coal Co. · 453 U.S. 322 (1981)
• Bowen v. United States Postal Service · 459 U.S. 212 (1983)
• United Mine Workers of America Health & Retirement Funds v. Robinson · 455 U.S. 562 (1982)

Official text

Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)

Explore from here

William Joseph Brennan Jr.’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court

Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1979). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).