1188, that held that in an action in a federal court, except as to matters governed by the U.S. Constitution and acts of Congress, the law to be applied in any case is the law of the state in which the federal court is situated. Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins SCOTUS - 1938 Facts: Tompkins (PA) was injured by a passing train of Erie Railroad (NY corporation). Not so. 367. A 1938 landmark decision by the Supreme Court, Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins, 304 U.S. 64, 58 S. Ct. 817, 82 L. Ed. Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins. Click the citation to see the full text of the cited case. Opinion. 1188, 114 A. L.R. 3 No. Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins SCOTUS - 1938 Facts: Tompkins (PA) was injured by a passing train of Erie Railroad (NY corporation). We are to determine the disputed issue of Pennsylvania law. Erie contended that its liability should be determined in accordance with PA law. Erie R. Co. v. Tompkins Case Brief - Rule of Law: The term "laws" in Section 34 in the Judiciary Act of 1789 (the "Rules of Decision Act") refers to the decisions of local tribunals as well as state statutes, their interpretations by the courts, and the rights and titles to things having a permanent locality. 1. Cited Cases . Related Rules . The defendant contends that Tompkins, while walking on a longitudinal, beaten path upon its right of way, was a trespasser to whom it owed no duty of care, since his presence there was not discovered until after the accident. Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins2 was the most important federalism de-cision of the twentieth century. Learn about the facts and law in … Erie v Tompkins deals with the common law that a federal court will apply when hearing state cases under its diversity jurisdiction. No. The Erie doctrine is based on the Supreme Court's holding in Erie R. Co. v. Tompkins, 304 U.S. 64 (1938). The case revolved around a man, Tompkins, who was walking along a well-used footpath near a Pennsylvania railroad right-of-way, when a train passed by. Erie R.R. Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins. Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins 304 U.S. 64, S. Ct. 817, 82 L. Ed. In Erie Railroad Co v Tompkins, 304 U.S. 64 (1938), the U.S. Supreme Court held that federal district courts in diversity jurisdiction cases must apply the law of the states in which they sit, including the judicial doctrine of the state’s highest court, where it does not conflict with federal law. . TOP. Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins. 367. In Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins (1938), the U.S. Supreme Court changed the way federal courts decided cases based on state law. Erie R.R. The liability of a railroad company for injury caused by negligent operation of its train to a pedestrian on a much-used, beaten path on its right-of-way along and near the rails, depends, in the absence of a federal or state statute, upon the unwritten law of the State where the accident occurred.