Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee Corp.

United States Supreme Court

464 U.S. 238 (1984)

Relevant factsFree

Karen Silkwood was severely contaminated at Kerr-McGee's (defendant) federally regulated plutonium plant, and her father (plaintiff) won a jury verdict including $500,000 for personal injuries, $5,000 for property damage, and $10,000,000 in punitive damages; the Tenth Circuit reversed all but the property-damage award, reasoning workers' compensation law capped personal injury recovery and federal nuclear regulation preempted punitive damages.

IssueFree

Whether an award of punitive damages for nuclear incidents is preempted by federal law.

Holding & reasoning

The court resolved the question by applying the controlling rule to the facts and explaining precisely why the outcome followed. Its reasoning ties the doctrine to the record so you can reproduce the analysis on an exam.

Procedural history, concurrence & dissent

This section traces the case from the trial court through appeal and lays out how each opinion lands. Separate writings sharpen the majority's limits and flag the arguments most likely to resurface in class.

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