Supreme Court bars suits against the Postal Service
WASHINGTON— The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the U.S. Postal Service cannot be sued even if its employees intentionally fail to deliver the mail.
Inside The court ruled 5-4. In 1946, Congress prohibited lawsuits “arising from the loss, miscarriage, or negligent forwarding of letters or postal materials,” which included mail stolen or misdirected by postal workers.
Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the court, said the law generally prohibits complaints about lost or missing mail.
“‘Poor mail’ involves the failure of mail to reach its intended destination, regardless of the carrier’s intent or where the mail goes,” he said.
While the decision is a setback for black Texas real estate agent Lebene Konan, it is not a final defeat. He filed a lawsuit alleging that white mail carriers refused to deliver his mail to two houses where he rented rooms.
He didn’t live at either property but said he stayed there “from time to time.”
She first complained to the post office in Euless, Texas, after learning that the mail carrier had changed the registered owner’s name on a central mailbox from Konan’s name to the tenant’s name.
After two years of frustration, he filed a lawsuit against the United States in 2022, alleging that the Postal Service deliberately and incorrectly withheld his mail. She sought damages for emotional distress, loss of rental income, and racial discrimination.
The racial bias claim was rejected by a federal judge and a U.S. appeals court and was not included in the Supreme Court’s decision.
But the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the case could proceed, claiming he was the victim of intentional misconduct by postal employees.
The Biden and Trump administrations have urged the court to hear the case and dismiss lawsuits against the Postal Service based on allegations of willful misconduct.
They said the 5th Circuit’s decision “could open the floodgates of the case.” They noted that the Postal Service delivers about 113 billion pieces of mail a year and receives about 335,000 complaints about lost mail and other issues.
“We believe the postal exception covers claims against the United States for intentional non-delivery of mail,” Thomas said. “We are not deciding whether to dismiss all of Konan’s claims.”
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. was among those who joined Thomas in limiting lawsuits against the Postal Service. and Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr., Brett M. Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
Dissenting, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the law meant that mail would be “lost” or “miscarried,” suggesting negligence.
“Today, the court holds that an exception—the mail exception—precludes individuals from recovering for injuries resulting from willful misconduct by a postal employee, including when an employee maliciously withholds their mail,” Sotomayor wrote.
He was joined by Justices Elena Kagan, Neil M. Gorsuch and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
