Sibbach v. Wilson & Co.

Sibbach v. Wilson & Co., 312 U.S. 1 (1941), was a decision by the United States Supreme Court in which the Court held that under American law important and substantial procedures are not substantive, rather they are still considered procedural, and federal law applies.

Sibbach v. Wilson & Co.
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued December 17, 1940 Decided January 13, 1941
Full case name	Sibbach v. Wilson & Company, Incorporated
Citations	312 U.S. 1 (more) 61 S. Ct. 422; 85 L. Ed. 479; 1941 U.S. LEXIS 1032
Case history
Prior	108 F.2d 415 (7th Cir. 1939); cert. granted, 309 U.S. 650 (1940).
Holding
In a diversity jurisdiction case, important and substantial procedures are considered "Procedural" not "Substantive" and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure apply.
Court membership
Chief Justice Charles E. Hughes Associate Justices James C. McReynolds · Harlan F. Stone Owen Roberts · Hugo Black Stanley F. Reed · Felix Frankfurter William O. Douglas · Frank Murphy
Case opinions
Majority	Roberts, joined by Hughes, McReynolds, Stone, Reed
Dissent	Frankfurter, joined by Black, Douglas, Murphy

This was a post-Erie decision, and thus the decision whether to apply the law of the state of jurisdiction or uniform federal rules depended on whether the rule in question was procedural or substantive in nature.

See also

• Erie doctrine
• List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 312

External links

• Text of Sibbach v. Wilson & Co., 312 U.S. 1 (1941) is available from: Justia Library of Congress