Williams v. Kleppe

A secluded stretch of Cape Cod beach called Brush Hollow was popular for skinny-dipping, prompting nearby homeowners to complain of environmental damage, congestion, litter, and trespassing. The government banned all public nude bathing at the seashore by people over age 10. Stephen Williams and other skinny-dipping supporters (plaintiffs) sued the Secretary of the Interior, Kleppe (defendant), seeking a declaration that the ban violated their constitutional rights and an injunction against enforcement. The district court upheld the regulation, and on appeal the court first had to address the $10,000 amount-in-controversy requirement.

Whether, when a plaintiff's claim is non-monetary, the amount-in-controversy requirement may be satisfied by considering the defendant's claimed financial burden if the plaintiff prevails.