Piper Aircraft Co. v. Reyno
454 U.S. 235 · Decided December 8, 1981 · 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
Piper Aircraft Co. v. Reyno was decided on December 8, 1981 by a vote of 4–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Venue” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 454 U.S. 235 · 102 S. Ct. 252 · 70 L. Ed. 2d 419 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 133
- Docket number
- 80-848
- Decided
- December 8, 1981
- Argued
- October 14, 1981
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 4–3
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Venue
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr., Sandra Day O'Connor.
Full case caption
Piper Aircraft Co. v. Reyno, Personal Representative of the Estates of Fehilly et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-013, docket 1981-013-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Venue”
- Stafford, U.S. Attorney v. Briggs
- Leroy v. Great Western United Corp.
- Citizens & Southern National Bank v. Bougas
- Radzanower v. Touche Ross & Co.
- American Motorists Insurance Co. v. Starnes
- National Bank of North America v. Associates of Obstetrics and Female Surgery, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Leeke v. Timmerman
- Fair Assessment in Real Estate Association, Inc. v. McNary
- Valley Forge Christian College v. Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Inc.
- Princeton University v. Schmid
- Tully v. Mobil Oil Corp.
- Consolidated Freightways Corporation of Delaware v. Kassel
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