United States Supreme Court Cases & Opinions

U.S. Supreme Court

Carroll v. Lanza, 349 U.S. 408 (1955)

Carroll v. Lanza

No. 375

Argued March 31, 1955

Decided June 6, 1955

349 U.S. 408

Syllabus

An employee of a subcontractor doing work for a general contractor was injured as a result of the latter's negligence. The employee and the subcontractor were residents of Missouri and the contract of employment was made in Missouri, but the work was done and the injury occurred in Arkansas. Unaware that he had a remedy under Arkansas law, the employee automatically received 34 weekly payments hr the injury under the Missouri Compensation Act, which provides exclusive remedies for injuries received inside or outside the State under employment contracts made in Missouri, even as against the general contractor, but there was no final award under that Act. The Arkansas Workmen's Compensation Act provides an exclusive remedy of the employee against his employer, but not against the general contractor. The employee sued the general contractor in Arkansas and obtained a judgment for common law damages.

Held: the Arkansas judgment did not deny full faith and credit to the Missouri law, and the judgment is sustained. Pp. 349 U. S. 409-414.

(a) Magnolia Petroleum Co. v. Hunt, 320 U. S. 430, distinguished. Pp. 349 U. S. 410-411.

(b) The Full Faith and Credit Clause does not make Missouri's Workmen's Compensation Statute a bar to Arkansas' common law remedy. Pp. 349 U. S. 411-414.

(c) In personal injury cases, the state where the injury occurs is not required by the Full Faith and Credit Clause to allow only that remedy which is marked as the exclusive one by the state where the contract of employment was made. Pacific Employers Ins. Co. v. Commission, 306 U. S. 493. Pp. 349 U. S. 412-413.

(d) Hughes v. Fetter, 341 U. S. 609, distinguished. P. 349 U. S. 413.

216 F.2d 808 reversed.

Page 349 U. S. 409