Tampa Electric Co. v. Nashville Coal Co.

United States Supreme Court

365 U.S. 320 (1961)

Relevant factsFree

Tampa Electric's (plaintiff) 20-year exclusive coal-supply contract with Nashville Coal (defendant) required Tampa Electric to buy all its coal needs (at least 225,000 tons yearly) from Nashville Coal; Nashville Coal repudiated the contract as illegal under antitrust law, and the lower courts agreed it violated § 3 of the Clayton Act.

IssueFree

Whether an exclusive-dealing arrangement violates § 3 of the Clayton Act if the arrangement will not substantially exclude competition in the affected market.

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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