In this case under Section 301 of the Labor Management Relations Act, plaintiff Phillip Hilliard sued his employer Armco Steel and his union after being discharged for repeated absenteeism and alcohol-related violations of a prior conditional reinstatement agreement. The court found that the union had not breached its duty of fair representation by declining to pursue arbitration of the discharge. The reasoning centered on evidence that the union had fairly processed earlier grievances, that the collective bargaining agreement permitted discharge for unreported absences, and that the union's actions reflected good-faith judgment rather than arbitrary or discriminatory conduct, even in light of testimony about alcoholism as a potential illness.
This case concerned whether Consolidation Coal was entitled to coverage as an additional insured under Liberty Mutual's policy issued to contractor Long's Hauling for a settlement paid to Long's employee Mazjer, who was injured in a workplace accident on Consolidation's premises allegedly caused by Consolidation's negligence, as well as Liberty's counterclaim for reimbursement of workers' compensation benefits paid to Mazjer. The court analyzed the scope of the additional insured endorsement limiting coverage to 'acts or omissions of the named insured' in connection with Long's operations. It reasoned that the policy language, interpreted in light of similar indemnity contract provisions under Pennsylvania law, requires clear and unambiguous terms to extend coverage to the additional insured's own negligence, which was not present here. The court also considered subrogation rights under the Pennsylvania Workmen's Compensation Act.
business & regulatorylabor & employmenttorts & liability
The case involved Cyclops Corporation, an accrual-basis taxpayer, seeking refunds of corporate income taxes for 1962-1966 after the IRS disallowed deductions for contingent, delayed, and additional delayed obligations to contribute to trusts under supplemental unemployment benefit plans negotiated with the Steelworkers Union. The court decided that only amounts actually paid into the trusts during each tax year were deductible as ordinary and necessary business expenses under IRC section 162(a). The core reasoning applied the "all events" test from Treas. Reg. 1.461-1(a)(2), under which deductions are allowed only in the year when the fact of liability is fixed and the amount can be determined with reasonable accuracy; here, uncertainties about the timing, identity of recipients, and ultimate payment of the deferred obligations prevented accrual in the years the obligations were incurred, consistent with the approach in the related Lukens Steel litigation.
The case involves plaintiff Jackson, a former University of Pittsburgh lab technician laid off in 1970, who brought a class action alleging sex discrimination in employment against the university, its officials, and a class of board members, claiming they conspired to deny her and other women rehire or transfer opportunities under various federal civil rights laws. The court addressed defendants' motion to dismiss six counts of the amended complaint. It dismissed Count I under 42 U.S.C. § 1981 because that statute applies only to race discrimination and not sex discrimination, as confirmed by Supreme Court and prior circuit precedents. It denied the motion to dismiss Count II under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, finding the requisite state action based on a related case holding. The opinion also indicated dismissal of Count III under Executive Order 11246 due to lack of a private right of action and addressed conspiracy and Title VII claims with procedural requirements like exhaustion.
The case involved a labor dispute at Latrobe Steel where members of Steelworkers Local 1537 refused to cross a picket line set by another local representing office and technical workers, halting production. The company sued under section 301 of the Labor-Management Relations Act, claiming the refusal violated the collective bargaining agreement's express no-strike clause and mandatory grievance-arbitration provisions. The court granted a preliminary injunction ordering the workers back to their jobs and compelling arbitration, finding the dispute arbitrable, the stoppage illegal, and that the company would suffer irreparable harm from lost production and customers. The decision applied the Boys Markets exception to the Norris-LaGuardia Act's anti-injunction rules after determining that the union's defenses, including questions of arbitrability and equitable factors, did not bar relief.
The case involved defendant Bennie Graves, who was indicted on two federal charges: making a false statement to a licensed firearms dealer by denying a prior felony conviction when purchasing a shotgun, and unlawfully receiving and possessing that firearm after a state felony conviction for auto larceny. The parties stipulated to the key facts, including the prior conviction, the false certification, and the gun's interstate transport. Graves moved for acquittal, arguing that his juvenile-to-adult certification hearing violated due process requirements under Kent v. United States and related precedent, rendering the predicate conviction invalid for the federal charges. The court rejected this challenge, found that the stipulated facts satisfied all elements of both offenses including the interstate commerce requirement, and adjudged Graves guilty on both counts.
