Vella v. Ford Motor Co.
421 U.S. 1 · Decided April 15, 1975 · 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
Vella v. Ford Motor Co. was decided on April 15, 1975 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. 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
- 421 U.S. 1 · 95 S. Ct. 1381 · 43 L. Ed. 2d 682 · 1975 U.S. LEXIS 122
- Docket number
- 73-1994
- Decided
- April 15, 1975
- Argued
- February 18, 1975
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
Vella v. Ford Motor Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1974-079, docket 1974-079-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Election of remedies”
- Intercounty Construction Corp. v. Walter
- Day & Zimmermann, Inc. v. Challoner
- Scherk v. Alberto-Culver Co.
- United States v. United Continental Tuna Corp.
- Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. v. Ludwig
- Sea-Land Services, Inc. v. Gaudet
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Gulf Oil Corp. v. Copp Paving Co., Inc.
- Bowman Transportation, Inc. v. Arkansas-Best Freight System, Inc.
- Kelley v. Southern Pacific Co.
- Standard Pressed Steel Co. v. Department of Revenue of Washington
- Train v. City of New York
- Train v. Campaign Clean Water, Inc.
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