BMW of North America, Inc. v. Ira Gore, Jr.
517 U.S. 559 · Decided May 20, 1996 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
BMW of North America, Inc. v. Ira Gore, Jr. was decided on May 20, 1996 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Punitive damages” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 517 U.S. 559 · 116 S. Ct. 1589 · 134 L. Ed. 2d 809 · 1996 U.S. LEXIS 3390
- Docket number
- 94-896
- Decided
- May 20, 1996
- Argued
- October 11, 1995
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Punitive damages
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Concurrence | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Concurrence | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
BMW of North America, Inc. v. Ira Gore, Jr.
SCDB identifiers: case 1995-052, docket 1995-052-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Punitive damages”
- Honda Motor Co., Ltd. v. Karl L. ObergLaw held unconstitutional
- Txo Production Corp. v. Alliance Resources Corp.
- Cooper Industries, Inc. v. Leatherman Tool Group, Inc.
- Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Company v. Cleopatra Haslip
- Kay Barnes, Etc. v. Jeffrey Gorman
- State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company v. Inez Preece Campbell and Matthew C. Barneck
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Jason Richards v. Jefferson County
- Montana v. James Allen Egelhoff
- Byron Keith Cooper v. OklahomaLaw held unconstitutional
- Tina B. Bennis v. Michigan
- Cinda Sandin v. Demont R. D. Conner
- James E. Gilbert v. Richard Homar
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Citizens Bank of Maryland v. David Strumpf
- William Field and Norinne Field v. Philip W. Mans
- Yamaha Motor Corporation, U. S. A. v. Lucien B. Calhoun
- Marjorie Zicherman, Etc. v. Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd.
- Lotus Development Corporation v. Borland International, Inc.
- Bank One Chicago, N. A. v. Midwest Bank & Trust Company
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error