Sea-Land Services, Inc. v. Gaudet
414 U.S. 573 · Decided January 21, 1974 · 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
Sea-Land Services, Inc. v. Gaudet was decided on January 21, 1974 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. 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
- 414 U.S. 573 · 94 S. Ct. 806 · 39 L. Ed. 2d 9 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 43
- Docket number
- 72-1019
- Decided
- January 21, 1974
- Argued
- November 7, 1973
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William O. Douglas
- 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 William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent |
Full case caption
Sea-Land Services, Inc. v. Gaudet, Administratrix
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-042, docket 1973-042-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Election of remedies”
- Scherk v. Alberto-Culver Co.
- Executive Jet Aviation, Inc. v. City of Cleveland
- Vella v. Ford Motor Co.
- Intercounty Construction Corp. v. Walter
- The Bremen v. Zapata Off-Shore Co.
- Andrews v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co.Altered precedent
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Merrill Lynch v. Ware
- North Dakota State Board of Pharmacy v. Snyder's Drug Stores, Inc.Altered precedent
- National Railroad Passenger Corp. v. National Association of Railroad Passengers
- Federal Power Commission v. New England Power Co.
- Teleprompter Corp. v. Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc.
- United States v. General Dynamics Corp.
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