American Export Lines, Inc. v. Alvez
446 U.S. 274 · Decided May 12, 1980 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
American Export Lines, Inc. v. Alvez was decided on May 12, 1980 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Election of remedies” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 446 U.S. 274 · 100 S. Ct. 1673 · 64 L. Ed. 2d 284 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 34
- Docket number
- 79-1
- Decided
- May 12, 1980
- Argued
- February 26, 1980
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Election of remedies
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Jurisdictional dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Jurisdictional dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Jurisdictional dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
American Export Lines, Inc. v. Alvez et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-080, docket 1979-080-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Election of remedies”
- Sun Ship, Inc. v. Pennsylvania
- Thomas v. Washington Gas Light Co.Altered precedent
- Bloomer v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Co.
- Potomac Electric Power Co. v. Director
- Rodriguez v. Compass Shipping Co., Ltd.
- Mobil Oil Corp. v. Higginbotham
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Transamerica Mortgage Advisors, Inc. v. Lewis
- P. C. Pfeiffer Co., Inc. v. Ford
- United States v. Kubrick
- Ferri v. Ackerman
- McLain v. Real Estate Board of New Orleans, Inc.
- Hatzlachh Supply Co., Inc. v. United States
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error