Honda Motor Co., Ltd. v. Karl L. Oberg
512 U.S. 415 · Decided June 24, 1994 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. v. Karl L. Oberg was decided on June 24, 1994 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Punitive damages” in the Economic Activity area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 512 U.S. 415 · 114 S. Ct. 2331 · 129 L. Ed. 2d 336 · 1994 U.S. LEXIS 4825
- Docket number
- 93-644
- Decided
- June 24, 1994
- Argued
- April 20, 1994
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- Harry A. Blackmun
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Punitive damages
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Honda Motor Co., Ltd., et al. v. Karl L. Oberg
SCDB identifiers: case 1993-082, docket 1993-082-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Punitive damages”
- Txo Production Corp. v. Alliance Resources Corp.
- BMW of North America, Inc. v. Ira Gore, Jr.
- Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Company v. Cleopatra Haslip
- Browning-Ferris Industries of Vermont, Inc. v. Kelco Disposal, Inc.
- Cooper Industries, Inc. v. Leatherman Tool Group, Inc.
- Kay Barnes, Etc. v. Jeffrey Gorman
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Jonathan Dale Simmons v. South Carolina
- Clarence Victor v. Nebraska
- Kevin Albright v. Roger Oliver, Etc.
- Charles J. Reich v. Marcus E. CollinsLaw held unconstitutional
- Cinda Sandin v. Demont R. D. Conner
- Leonard Heller v. Samuel Doe
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company v. Harris Trust and Savings Bank
- Department of Revenue of Oregon v. Acf Industries, Inc.
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation v. John H. Meyer
- Luther R. Campbell aka Luke Skyywalker v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.
- Oregon Waste Systems, Inc. v. Department of Environmental Quality of the State of OregonLaw held unconstitutional
- Central Bank of Denver, N. A. v. First Interstate Bank of Denver, N. A. and Jack K. Naber
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