Postal Service can't be sued for intentionally not delivering mail, Supreme Court rules in 5-4 split

The U.S. Postal Service cannot beryllium sued for damages for intentionally failing to present mail, the Supreme Court ruled successful a 5-4 determination released Tuesday.

The bulk opinion, written by Justice Clarence Thomas, ruled the government's sovereign immunity bars claims for undelivered mail. 

"The United States enjoys sovereign immunity and cannot beryllium sued without its consent," Thomas wrote, citing the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) granting "sovereign immunity for a wide scope of claims astir mail."

"Specifically, the FTCA's postal objection retains sovereign immunity for each claims ‘arising retired of the loss, miscarriage, oregon negligent transmission of letters oregon postal matter,’" helium continued, adding, "This lawsuit concerns whether this objection applies erstwhile postal workers intentionally neglect to present the mail. We clasp that it does."

TRUMP SAYS SUPREME COURT RULING AGAINST BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ORDER WOULD BENEFIT CHINA

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the bulk sentiment released Tuesday, ruling the U.S. Postal Service is immune from lawsuits for undelivered message for immoderate reason, including message intentionally not delivered. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The case, U.S. Postal Service v. Konan, stemmed from a quality betwixt Texas landlord Lebene Konan and her section station office. Konan alleged that postal workers successful Euless, Texas, intentionally withheld and returned message addressed to her and her tenants astatine 2 rental properties she owned, causing fiscal harm and affectional distress.

After her administrative complaints failed, Konan sued the United States successful national court, asserting authorities instrumentality claims including nuisance, tortious interference and conversion. A national territory tribunal dismissed her claims, citing the FTCA's postal exception, which preserves immunity for "any assertion arising retired of the loss, miscarriage, oregon negligent transmission of letters oregon postal matter."

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit revived the lawsuit, ruling the objection did not use to intentional acts of nondelivery. The Supreme Court agreed to perceive the lawsuit to resoluteness a divided among national appeals courts.

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote Tuesday's dissent of Justice Clarence Thomas' bulk sentiment successful U.S. Post Service v. Konan. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Reversing the Fifth Circuit, the precocious tribunal held that the mean meaning of "loss" and "miscarriage" astatine the clip Congress enacted the FTCA successful 1946 encompassed message that fails to get astatine its destination, careless of whether the nonaccomplishment was negligent oregon intentional.

"A 'miscarriage of mail' includes nonaccomplishment of the message to get astatine its intended destination, careless of the carrier's intent oregon wherever the message goes instead," Thomas wrote.

The determination vacates the Fifth Circuit's ruling and sends the lawsuit backmost for further proceedings, though the justices did not determine whether each of Konan's claims are barred.

"We clasp that the postal objection covers suits against the United States for the intentional nondelivery of mail," Thomas concluded. "We bash not determine whether each of Konan's claims are barred by the postal exception, oregon which arguments Konan adequately preserved.

Conservative Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, appointed by President Donald Trump successful his archetypal administration, joined the 3 wide justices successful the dissenting sentiment Tuesday. (AP )

Sotomayor wrote the dissenting opinion, arguing that the postal objection was meant to screen negligent mistakes, not intentional misconduct.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

"Today, the bulk concludes that the postal objection captures, and truthful protects, the intentional nondelivery of mail, adjacent erstwhile that nondelivery was driven by malicious reasons," she dissented.

Justice Neil Gorsuch joined the 3 wide justices – Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson – successful the dissent.

The ruling underscores the limits of the FTCA's waiver of sovereign immunity and narrows the circumstances successful which individuals tin question damages for mail-related harms, adjacent erstwhile they allege deliberate wrongdoing by postal employees.

Related Article