Reynoldsville Casket Company v. Hyde (1994)
- Docket
- 94-3
- Decided
- 1994-01-01
Summary
Question: Can Ohio apply its unconstitutional tolling provision to claims that accrued prior to Bendix ? Conclusion: No. In a unanimous decision, Justice Stephan G. Breyer wrote for the majority, holding that the Bendix rule must be retroactively applied. Hyde conceded that the Supreme Court had already decided in Harper v Virginia Dept. of Taxation , 509 U.S. 86 (1993) that when the court applies a new legal rule courts must treat the new rule as retroactive. The Court rejected Hyde's claim that applying the rule would unfairly deny her a remedy. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote a special concurrence stating that Bendix did not announce a new rule and merely applied existing precedent. Following this reasoning, the discussion of retroactivity was unnecessary.