Kossick v. United Fruit Co.
365 U.S. 731 · Decided April 17, 1961 · 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
Kossick v. United Fruit Co. was decided on April 17, 1961 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice John M. Harlan II wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Election of remedies” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 365 U.S. 731 · 81 S. Ct. 886 · 6 L. Ed. 2d 56 · 1961 U.S. LEXIS 1955
- Docket number
- 96
- Decided
- April 17, 1961
- Argued
- February 20, 1961
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- John M. Harlan II
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- 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 Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent |
Full case caption
Kossick v. United Fruit Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1960-073, docket 1960-073-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Election of remedies”
- Nolan v. Transocean Air Lines
- Schilling v. Rogers
- Richards v. United States
- Calbeck v. Travelers Insurance Co.
- Hess v. United States
- Goett v. Union Carbide Corp.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Michalic v. Cleveland Tankers, Inc.
- Waterman Steamship Corp. v. Dugan & McNamara, Inc.
- New York v. Henagan
- Thomas v. Virginia
- United States v. Mississippi Valley Generating Co.
- Lewis v. Manufacturers National Bank of Detroit
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