SmartBrief
Confirm favorite deletion?
Admiralty Law Keyed to Maraist
Mobil Oil Corp. v. Higginbotham
Citation:
436 U.S. 618, 98 S. Ct. 2010, 56 L. Ed. 2d 581 (1978)Facts
Mobil Oil Corporation used a helicopter in connection with its oil drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 100 miles from the Louisiana shore. On August 15, 1967, the helicopter crashed outside Louisiana’s territorial waters, killing the pilot and three passengers. The passengers’ widows brought suit in their representative capacities. The District Court accepted admiralty jurisdiction, finding that the helicopter was the functional equivalent of a crewboat, and determined that the deaths were caused by Mobil’s negligence. The court awarded damages equal to the pecuniary losses suffered by the families of two passengers. Although the court valued the two families’ loss of society at $100,000 and $155,000 respectively, it held that the law did not authorize recovery for this loss. The Court of Appeals reversed on this point, holding that the plaintiffs were entitled to claim damages for loss of society.
Only StudyBuddy Pro offers the complete Case Brief Anatomy*
Access the most important case brief elements for optimal case understanding.
*Case Brief Anatomy includes: Brief Prologue, Complete Case Brief, Brief Epilogue
- The Brief Prologue provides necessary case brief introductory information and includes:
Topic:
Identifies the topic of law and where this case fits within your course outline.Parties:
Identifies the cast of characters involved in the case.Procedural Posture & History:
Shares the case history with how lower courts have ruled on the matter.Case Key Terms, Acts, Doctrines, etc.:
A case specific Legal Term Dictionary.Case Doctrines, Acts, Statutes, Amendments and Treatises:
Identifies and Defines Legal Authority used in this case.
- The Case Brief is the complete case summarized and authored in the traditional Law School I.R.A.C. format. The Pro case brief includes:
Brief Facts:
A Synopsis of the Facts of the case.Rule of Law:
Identifies the Legal Principle the Court used in deciding the case.Facts:
What are the factual circumstances that gave rise to the civil or criminal case? What is the relationship of the Parties that are involved in the case.Issue(s):
Lists the Questions of Law that are raised by the Facts of the case.Holding:
Shares the Court's answer to the legal questions raised in the issue.Concurring / Dissenting Opinions:
Includes valuable concurring or dissenting opinions and their key points.Reasoning and Analysis:
Identifies the chain of argument(s) which led the judges to rule as they did.
- The Brief Prologue closes the case brief with important forward-looking discussion and includes:
Policy:
Identifies the Policy if any that has been established by the case.Court Direction:
Shares where the Court went from here for this case.