Dutra Group v. Batterton

Decided June 24, 2019. Samuel A. Alito Jr. delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 18-266 · 588 U.S. 358 (2019) · Cited 71 times

Holding

A plaintiff may not recover punitive damages on a maritime claim of unseaworthiness.

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 6–3.

“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. The lineup is the syllabus’s disposition of who wrote and joined each opinion. Source: the opinion’s syllabus (supremecourt.gov).

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.

• Miles v. Apex Marine Corp. · 498 U.S. 19 (1990)
• Atlantic Sounding Co. v. Townsend · 557 U.S. 404 (2009)
• Exxon Shipping Co. v. Baker · 554 U.S. 471 (2008)
• Mahnich v. Southern Steamship Co. · 321 U.S. 96 (1944)
• The Osceola · 189 U.S. 158 (1903)
• Seas Shipping Co. v. Sieracki · 328 U.S. 85 (1946)
• Moragne v. States Marine Lines, Inc. · 398 U.S. 375 (1970)
• Pacific Steamship Co. v. Peterson · 278 U.S. 130 (1928)
• Mitchell v. Trawler Racer, Inc. · 362 U.S. 539 (1960)
• Lewis v. Lewis & Clark Marine, Inc. · 531 U.S. 438 (2001)
• Calmar Steamship Corp. v. Taylor · 303 U.S. 525 (1938)
• The Arizona v. Anelich · 298 U.S. 110 (1936)
• Norfolk Southern Railway Co. v. James N. Kirby, Pty Ltd. · 543 U.S. 14 (2004)
• East River Steamship Corp. v. Transamerica Delaval Inc. · 476 U.S. 858 (1986)
• Michigan Central Railroad v. Vreeland · 227 U.S. 59 (1913)
• Mobil Oil Corp. v. Higginbotham · 436 U.S. 618 (1978)
• Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway Co. v. McGinnis · 228 U.S. 173 (1913)
• McAllister v. Magnolia Petroleum Co. · 357 U.S. 221 (1958)
• American Export Lines, Inc. v. Alvez · 446 U.S. 274 (1980)
• Carlisle Packing Co. v. Sandanger · 259 U.S. 255 (1922)
• The Caledonia · 157 U.S. 124 (1895)
• American Railroad Co. of Porto Rico v. Didricksen · 227 U.S. 145 (1913)
• The Amiable Nancy · 16 U.S. 546 (1818)
• Usner v. Luckenbach Overseas Corp. · 400 U.S. 494 (1971)
• Usner v. Luckenbach Overseas Corp. · 400 U.S. 494 (1971)
• Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries · 586 U.S. 446 (2019)

Cited by

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

• Great Lakes Ins. SE v. Raiders Retreat Realty Co. · 601 U.S. 65 (2024)

Official text

Read the official opinion (PDF, supremecourt.gov)

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Samuel A. Alito Jr.’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court

Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2019). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-08-15. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).