United States Supreme Court Cases & Opinions

U.S. Supreme Court

Ohio v. Wyandotte Chemicals Corp., 401 U.S. 493 (1971)

Ohio v. Wyandotte Chemicals Corp.

No. 41, Orig.

Argued January 18, 1971

Decided March 23, 1971

401 U.S. 493

Syllabus

The State of Ohio filed a motion for leave to file a bill of complaint invoking the Court's original jurisdiction against defendant companies, incorporated in Michigan, Delaware, and Canada, to abate an alleged nuisance resulting in the contamination and pollution of Lake Erie from the dumping of mercury into its tributaries. The Court declines to exercise its jurisdiction in this case since the issues are bottomed on local law that the Ohio courts are competent to consider; several national and international bodies are actively concerned with the pollution problems involved here; and the nature of the case requires the resolution of complex, novel, and technical factual questions that do not implicate important problems of federal law, which are the primary responsibility of the Court. Pp. 401 U. S. 495-505.

Denied.

HARLAN, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which BURGER, C.J., and BLACK, BRENNAN, STEWART, WHITE, MARSHALL, and BLACKMUN, JJ., joined. DOUGLAS, J., filed a dissenting opinion, post, p. 401 U. S. 505.

Page 401 U. S. 494