Pennzoil Company v. Texaco, Inc.
United States Supreme Court
481 U.S. 1 (1987)
Relevant factsFree
After a Texas jury awarded Pennzoil over $11 billion against Texaco for tortiously inducing Getty to break its stock-purchase agreement, Texaco sued Pennzoil in federal court in New York the day before judgment was entered, arguing Texas's bond-and-lien enforcement procedure was unconstitutional since it could not afford the required $13 billion supersedeas bond without further destabilizing its finances, and obtained a preliminary injunction that the Second Circuit affirmed.
IssueFree
Whether it is appropriate for a federal court to determine the constitutionality of a state's administration of its judicial procedures if that determination could be made in state court.