Minneapolis St Louis Railroad Company v. George Winters, No. 420

CourtUnited States Supreme Court
Writing for the CourtHolmes
Citation61 L.Ed. 358,37 S.Ct. 170,242 U.S. 353
Decision Date08 January 1917
Docket NumberNo. 420
PartiesMINNEAPOLIS & ST. LOUIS RAILROAD COMPANY, Plff. in Err., v. GEORGE H. WINTERS

242 U.S. 353
37 S.Ct. 170
61 L.Ed. 358
MINNEAPOLIS & ST. LOUIS RAILROAD COMPANY, Plff. in Err.,

v.

GEORGE H. WINTERS.

No. 420.
Argued December 5, 1916.
Decided January 8, 1917.

Page 354

Messrs. Frederick M. Miner and William H. Bremner for plaintiff in error.

Messrs. Humphrey Barton and John H. Kay for defendant in error.

Mr. Justice Holmes delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an action for personal injuries suffered by the plaintiff, the defendant in error, at Marshalltown, Iowa, on October 21, 1912. The decisions below will be found in 126 Minn. 260, 148 N. W. 106, and 131 Minn. 181, 154 N. W. 964. The declaration alleged that at the time the plaintiff was employed by the defendant in interstate commerce, although it went on to set forth laws of the state of Iowa concerning the liability of railroads and contributory negligence. It alleged that the injury was caused by the negligence of the defendant in failing to furnish a reasonably safe instrument for the work that the plaintiff was set to do. The answer denied, among other things, that the plaintiff was employed in interstate commerce, and set up the plaintiff's negligence and assumption of the risk. In the course of the trial, the facts touching the employment having been agreed, the counsel for the defendant intimated that he might want to take the question whether the commerce was interstate to this court, but said no more about it, and later moved to dismiss the suit upon

Page 355

the ground, among others, that the plaintiff assumed the risk, adverting to a decision that that defense was open under the Federal act. Later still the presiding judge in his charge, without objection, told the jury that the action was tried under the law of the United States; and in the assignment of errors to the supreme court of the state, one error assigned was that the jury was instructed that they might find a less than unanimous verdict in a suit founded upon the Federal Employers' Liability Act,—a proposition disposed of since the trial by a decision of this court. Minneapolis & St. L. R. Co. v. Bombolis, 241 U. S. 211, 60 L. ed. 961, L.R.A.1917A, 86, 36 Sup. Ct. Rep. 595.

It is true that error is assigned because the court affirmed its opinion rendered after a former trial. But in the assignment of errors to the state court no such error is alleged, and beyond judicial recitals that the evidence, with some exceptions, was the same at both trials, and quotations from the...

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188 practice notes
  • McNatt v. Wabash Ry. Co., No. 34916.
    • United States
    • United States State Supreme Court of Missouri
    • July 30, 1937
    ...242 U.S. 292, 37 Sup. Ct. 122, 61 L. Ed. 309; Erie Railroad Co. v. Welsh, 242 U.S. 303; Minneapolis & St. L. Railroad Co. v. Winters, 242 U.S. 353, 37 Sup. Ct. 170, 61 L. Ed. 358; Chicago & Northwestern Ry. Co. v. Bolle, 284 U.S. 74; Chicago & Eastern Ill. Railroad Co. v. Industrial Comm. o......
  • Harlan v. Wabash Ry. Co., No. 32085.
    • United States
    • United States State Supreme Court of Missouri
    • June 12, 1934
    ...Co., 302 Mo. 506, 258 S.W. 1023; Ill. Cent. Railroad Co. v. Perry, 242 U.S. 292, 37 Sup. Ct. 122, 61 L. Ed. 309; Railroad Co. v. Winters, 242 U.S. 353, 37 S. Ct. 170, 61 L. Ed. 358; Chicago & N.W. Railway Co. v. Bolle, 284 U.S. 74; Chicago & E. Ill. Railroad Co. v. Industrial Comm. of Illin......
  • Cato v. Atlanta & C. A. L. Ry. Co, No. 13240.
    • United States
    • United States State Supreme Court of South Carolina
    • September 10, 1931
    ...of an interstate carrier for injuries to its employees when employed in interstate commerce." Minneapolis & St. L. Ry. Co. v. Winters, 242 U. S. 353, 37 S. Ct. 170, 61 L. Ed. 358, Ann. Cas. 1918B, 54. "This is not like the matter of repairs upon a road permanently devoted to commerce among ......
  • Maxie v. Gulf Mobile & Ohio R.R. Co., No. 40231.
    • United States
    • United States State Supreme Court of Missouri
    • June 9, 1947
    ...or closely or substantially affected such commerce. Federal Employers' Liability Act, sec. 51; Minneapolis & St. L.R. Co. v. Winters, 242 U.S. 353, 37 S. Ct. 170, 61 L. Ed. 358; Toussaint v. Cleveland, C.C. & St. L. Ry. Co., 104 S.W. (2d) 263; P.F. Collier & Son Co. v. Hartfiel, 72 Fed. (2d......
  • Request a trial to view additional results
188 cases
  • McNatt v. Wabash Ry. Co., No. 34916.
    • United States
    • United States State Supreme Court of Missouri
    • July 30, 1937
    ...242 U.S. 292, 37 Sup. Ct. 122, 61 L. Ed. 309; Erie Railroad Co. v. Welsh, 242 U.S. 303; Minneapolis & St. L. Railroad Co. v. Winters, 242 U.S. 353, 37 Sup. Ct. 170, 61 L. Ed. 358; Chicago & Northwestern Ry. Co. v. Bolle, 284 U.S. 74; Chicago & Eastern Ill. Railroad Co. v. Industrial Comm. o......
  • Harlan v. Wabash Ry. Co., No. 32085.
    • United States
    • United States State Supreme Court of Missouri
    • June 12, 1934
    ...Co., 302 Mo. 506, 258 S.W. 1023; Ill. Cent. Railroad Co. v. Perry, 242 U.S. 292, 37 Sup. Ct. 122, 61 L. Ed. 309; Railroad Co. v. Winters, 242 U.S. 353, 37 S. Ct. 170, 61 L. Ed. 358; Chicago & N.W. Railway Co. v. Bolle, 284 U.S. 74; Chicago & E. Ill. Railroad Co. v. Industrial Comm. of Illin......
  • Cato v. Atlanta & C. A. L. Ry. Co, No. 13240.
    • United States
    • United States State Supreme Court of South Carolina
    • September 10, 1931
    ...of an interstate carrier for injuries to its employees when employed in interstate commerce." Minneapolis & St. L. Ry. Co. v. Winters, 242 U. S. 353, 37 S. Ct. 170, 61 L. Ed. 358, Ann. Cas. 1918B, 54. "This is not like the matter of repairs upon a road permanently devoted to commerce among ......
  • Maxie v. Gulf Mobile & Ohio R.R. Co., No. 40231.
    • United States
    • United States State Supreme Court of Missouri
    • June 9, 1947
    ...or closely or substantially affected such commerce. Federal Employers' Liability Act, sec. 51; Minneapolis & St. L.R. Co. v. Winters, 242 U.S. 353, 37 S. Ct. 170, 61 L. Ed. 358; Toussaint v. Cleveland, C.C. & St. L. Ry. Co., 104 S.W. (2d) 263; P.F. Collier & Son Co. v. Hartfiel, 72 Fed. (2d......
  • Request a trial to view additional results

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