Robin Free v. Abbott Laboratories, Inc.
529 U.S. 333 · Decided April 3, 2000 · 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
Robin Free v. Abbott Laboratories, Inc. was decided on April 3, 2000 by a vote of 4–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The Justices were equally divided, which leaves the lower court's judgment in place without setting precedent.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 529 U.S. 333 · 120 S. Ct. 1578 · 146 L. Ed. 2d 306 · 2000 U.S. LEXIS 2378
- Docket number
- 99-391
- Decided
- April 3, 2000
- Argued
- March 27, 2000
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Equally divided vote
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 4–4
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Equally divided vote |
Did not participate: Sandra Day O'Connor.
Full case caption
Robin Free, et al. v. Abbott Laboratories, Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1999-045, docket 1999-045-01.
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