Margaret Kawaauhau, et Vir v. Paul W. Geiger
Decided March 3, 1998. Ruth Bader Ginsburg delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 97-115 · 523 U.S. 57 (1998) · Cited 2,007 times
Holding
Because a debt arising from a medical malpractice judgment attributable to negligent or reckless conduct does not fall within the 523(a)(6) exception, the debt is dischargeable in bankruptcy.
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.
Majority · 9
“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.
- Tinker v. Colwell · 193 U.S. 473 (1904)
- Davis v. Aetna Acceptance Co. · 293 U.S. 328 (1934)
- McIntyre v. Kavanaugh · 242 U.S. 138 (1916)
- MacKey v. Lanier Collection Agency & Service, Inc. · 486 U.S. 825 (1988)
- Gleason v. Thaw · 236 U.S. 558 (1915)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Bullock v. BankChampaign, N. A. · 569 U.S. 267 (2013)
- Husky International Electronics, Inc. v. Ritz · 578 U.S. 355 (2016)
- Staub v. Proctor Hospital · 562 U.S. 411 (2011)
- Schwab v. Reilly · 560 U.S. 770 (2010)
- Bartenwerfer v. Buckley · 598 U.S. 69 (2023)
- Hartford Underwriters Insurance v. Union Planters Bank, N. A. · 530 U.S. 1 (2000)
- Hohn v. United States · 524 U.S. 236 (1998)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1998). 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).