McLaughlin, Secretary of Labor v. Richland Shoe Co.
Decided May 16, 1988. John Paul Stevens delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 86-1520 · 486 U.S. 128 (1988) · Cited 1,362 times
Holding
The standard of willfulness adopted in Thurston that the employer either knew or showed reckless disregard as to whether its conduct was prohibited by the FLSA must be satisfied in order for the 3-year statute of limitations to apply.
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.
Majority · 6
- John Paul Stevens · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Anthony McLeod Kennedy
- Antonin Scalia
- Byron Raymond White
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- William Hubbs Rehnquist
Dissenting · 3
- Harry Andrew Blackmun
- Thurgood Marshall · filed a dissenting opinion
- William Joseph Brennan Jr.
“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.
- Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Thurston · 469 U.S. 111 (1985)
- Spies v. United States · 317 U.S. 492 (1943)
- Screws v. United States · 325 U.S. 91 (1945)
- Lorillard v. Pons · 434 U.S. 575 (1978)
- United States v. Murdock · 290 U.S. 389 (1934)
- United States v. Bishop · 412 U.S. 346 (1973)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Hazen Paper Co. v. Biggins · 507 U.S. 604 (1993)
- Safeco Insurance Co. of America v. Burr · 551 U.S. 47 (2007)
- Jerman v. Carlisle, McNellie, Rini, Kramer & Ulrich, L.P.A. · 559 U.S. 573 (2010)
- Kolstad v. American Dental Assn. · 527 U.S. 526 (1999)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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John Paul Stevens’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1988). 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).