Sedima, S.P.R.L. v. Imrex Co.
E942131
Sedima, S.P.R.L. v. Imrex Co. is a landmark 1985 U.S. Supreme Court decision that broadly interpreted civil RICO, making it easier for private plaintiffs to sue for damages arising from racketeering activity.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
United States Supreme Court case
ⓘ
civil RICO case ⓘ |
| characterization | landmark civil RICO decision ⓘ |
| citation | 473 U.S. 479 ⓘ |
| citationStyle | Sedima, S.P.R.L. v. Imrex Co., 473 U.S. 479 (1985) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| court | Supreme Court of the United States ⓘ |
| decisionDate | 1985 ⓘ |
| dissentingOpinionBy |
Harry A. Blackmun
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
John Paul Stevens NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| docketNumber | No. 84-648 ⓘ |
| holding |
A civil RICO plaintiff need not allege a separate racketeering injury distinct from the injury caused by the predicate acts.
ⓘ
A civil RICO plaintiff need not show a prior criminal conviction of the defendant to bring a civil RICO action. ⓘ Injury to business or property by reason of a RICO violation is sufficient to confer standing under 18 U.S.C. § 1964(c). ⓘ The civil RICO cause of action is to be liberally construed in accordance with the statute’s remedial purposes. ⓘ |
| impact |
Expanded availability of civil RICO actions for private plaintiffs.
ⓘ
Led to increased civil RICO litigation in federal courts. ⓘ |
| issue |
Whether civil RICO requires a prior criminal conviction as a prerequisite to a civil action.
ⓘ
Whether civil RICO requires a showing of a special racketeering injury distinct from the harm caused by predicate acts. ⓘ |
| jurisdiction | federal question jurisdiction ⓘ |
| keyConcept |
injury to business or property
ⓘ
liberal construction of remedial statutes ⓘ pattern of racketeering activity ⓘ |
| legalArea |
civil RICO
ⓘ
federal civil procedure ⓘ |
| lowerCourt | United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| lowerCourtHolding | Imposed additional requirements for civil RICO standing, including racketeering injury and prior conviction. ⓘ |
| majorityJusticesJoining |
Lewis F. Powell, Jr.
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Sandra Day O’Connor NERFINISHED ⓘ Thurgood Marshall NERFINISHED ⓘ Warren E. Burger NERFINISHED ⓘ William H. Rehnquist NERFINISHED ⓘ William J. Brennan, Jr. NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| majorityOpinionBy | Byron R. White NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| petitioner | Sedima, S.P.R.L. NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| proceduralPosture | Appeal from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ⓘ |
| relatedStatuteSection |
18 U.S.C. § 1962
GENERATED
ⓘ
18 U.S.C. § 1964(c) GENERATED ⓘ |
| remedyDiscussed |
attorney’s fees for prevailing civil RICO plaintiffs
ⓘ
treble damages under civil RICO ⓘ |
| respondent | Imrex Co., Inc. NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| statuteCitation | 18 U.S.C. §§ 1961–1968 ⓘ |
| statuteInterpreted | Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| subjectMatter | private civil remedies for racketeering activity ⓘ |
| SupremeCourtDisposition | Reversed and remanded ⓘ |
| term | 1984 Term ⓘ |
| vote | 8-1 ⓘ |
| yearDecided | 1985 ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO)
→
notableUseInCase
→
Sedima, S.P.R.L. v. Imrex Co.
ⓘ
subject surface form:
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act