McDermott, Inc. v. AmClyde and River Don Castings, Ltd.
United States Supreme Court
511 U.S. 202 (1994)
McDermott, Inc. (plaintiff) suffered $2.1 million in damages from a Gulf of Mexico construction accident involving several defendants, including AmClyde and River Don Castings (defendants). Before trial, McDermott settled with three other defendants for $1 million. At trial, the jury found AmClyde 32 percent responsible and River Don 38 percent responsible for the damages. The lower courts applied a dollar-for-dollar credit for the settlement amount, and McDermott appealed the method used to calculate the non-settling defendants' remaining liability.
Whether, in a case involving settling and non-settling defendants where the jury has calculated the non-settling defendants' proportionate responsibility, their liability should be based on that proportionate share.