Volkswagenwerk Aktiengesellschaft v. Schlunk, Administrator of the Estates of Schlunk et al.
Decided June 15, 1988. Sandra Day O'Connor delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 86-1052 · 486 U.S. 694 (1988) · Cited 735 times
Holding
The Hague Service Convention does not apply when process is served on a foreign corporation by serving its domestic subsidiary which, under state law, is the foreign corporation's involuntary agent for service.
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 · 6
- Sandra Day O'Connor · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Anthony McLeod Kennedy
- Antonin Scalia
- Byron Raymond White
- John Paul Stevens
- William Hubbs Rehnquist
Concurring · 3
- Harry Andrew Blackmun
- Thurgood Marshall
- William Joseph Brennan Jr. · filed a concurring opinion
“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.
- Mullane v. Central Hanover Bank & Trust Co. · 339 U.S. 306 (1950)
- Air France v. Saks · 470 U.S. 392 (1985)
- Perkins v. Benguet Consolidated Mining Co. · 342 U.S. 437 (1952)
- Cannon Manufacturing Co. v. Cudahy Packing Co. · 267 U.S. 333 (1925)
- Factor v. Laubenheimer · 290 U.S. 276 (1933)
- Choctaw Nation v. United States · 318 U.S. 423 (1943)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Water Splash, Inc. v. Menon · 581 U.S. 271 (2017)
- Chan v. Korean Air Lines, Ltd. · 490 U.S. 122 (1989)
- Eastern Airlines, Inc. v. Floyd · 499 U.S. 530 (1991)
- Sanchez-Llamas v. Oregon · 548 U.S. 331 (2006)
- Breard v. Greene · 523 U.S. 371 (1998)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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Sandra Day O'Connor’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).