Estate of Floyd Cowart v. Nicklos Drilling Company
505 U.S. 469 · Decided June 22, 1992 · 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
Estate of Floyd Cowart v. Nicklos Drilling Company was decided on June 22, 1992 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability, miscellaneous” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 505 U.S. 469 · 112 S. Ct. 2589 · 120 L. Ed. 2d 379 · 1992 U.S. LEXIS 3697
- Docket number
- 91-17
- Decided
- June 22, 1992
- Argued
- March 25, 1992
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority |
Full case caption
Estate of Floyd Cowart v. Nicklos Drilling Company, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1991-107, docket 1991-107-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability, miscellaneous”
- Bob Reves v. Ernst & Young
- Jeffery Antoine v. Byers & Anderson, Inc.
- Jeanne Farrey v. Gerald J. Sanderfoot
- Eastern Airlines, Inc. v. Floyd
- McDermott International, Inc. v. Jon C. Wilander
- McDermott, Inc. v. Amclyde and River Don Castings Ltd.
Cases on the same legal provision: Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act
- Southwest Marine, Inc. v. Byron Gizoni
- Bath Iron Works Corporation v. Director
- Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company v. Nancy J. Schwalb and William McGlone
- Director v. Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company
- Metropolitan Stevedore Company v. John Rambo
- Ingalls Shipbuilding, Inc. v. Director
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Southwest Marine, Inc. v. Byron Gizoni
- Union Bank v. Herbert Wolas
- Kenneth Hilton v. South Carolina Public Railways Commission
- Hunter v. Bryant
- Shirley M. Molzof v. United States
- Aletha Dewsnup v. Louis L. Timm
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