Wells v. Simonds Abrasive Co.
345 U.S. 514 · Decided May 18, 1953 · 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
Wells v. Simonds Abrasive Co. was decided on May 18, 1953 by a vote of 5–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability, miscellaneous” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 345 U.S. 514 · 73 S. Ct. 856 · 97 L. Ed. 2d 1211 · 1953 U.S. LEXIS 2087
- Docket number
- 394
- Decided
- May 18, 1953
- Argued
- January 7, 1953
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- Fred M. Vinson
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Article IV, Section 1 (full faith and credit clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Dissent |
Did not participate: Tom C. Clark.
Full case caption
Wells, Administratrix, v. Simonds Abrasive Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1952-088, docket 1952-088-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability, miscellaneous”
- Calmar Steamship Corp. v. Scott
- Alaska Steamship Co., Inc. v. Petterson
- Maryland Casualty Co. v. Cushing
- Isbrandtsen Company, Inc. v. Johnson
- First National Bank of Chicago v. United Air Lines, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Halcyon Lines v. Haenn Ship Ceiling & Refitting Corp.
Cases on the same legal provision: Article IV, Section 1 (full faith and credit clause)
- May v. Anderson
- Sutton v. Leib
- Carroll v. LanzaAltered precedent
- Johnson v. Muelberger
- Armstrong v. Armstrong
- Rice v. Rice
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Sanford v. Kepner
- Lloyd A. Fry Roofing Co. v. Wood
- F. W. Woolworth Co. v. Contemporary Arts, Inc.
- Steele v. Bulova Watch Co., Inc.
- American Trucking Associations, Inc. v. United States
- Pennsylvania Railroad Co. v. O'Rourke
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