Sedima, S.P.R.L. v. Imrex Co., Inc.
473 U.S. 479 · Decided July 1, 1985 · 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
Sedima, S.P.R.L. v. Imrex Co., Inc. was decided on July 1, 1985 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Statutory construction of criminal laws, fraud” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 473 U.S. 479 · 105 S. Ct. 3275 · 87 L. Ed. 2d 346 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 119
- Docket number
- 84-648
- Decided
- July 1, 1985
- Argued
- April 17, 1985
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Statutory construction of criminal laws, fraud
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- 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 | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Sedima, S.P.R.L. v. Imrex Co., Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-159, docket 1984-159-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Statutory construction of criminal laws, fraud”
- American National Bank & Trust Company of Chicago v. Haroco, Inc.
- Liparota v. United States
- Carpenter v. United States
- Schmuck v. United States
- Raymond J. Moskal, Sr. v. United States
- United States v. Maze
Cases on the same legal provision: Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO)
- Russello v. United States
- Agency Holding Corp. v. Malley-Duff & Associates, Inc.
- H. J. Inc. v. Northwestern Bell Telephone Co.
- United States v. Turkette
- Tafflin v. Levitt
- Robert G. Holmes, Jr. v. Securities Investor Protection Corporation
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Florida v. Rodriguez
- Thompson v. Louisiana
- Luce v. United States
- United States v. Abel
- United States v. Powell
- Garcia v. United States
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