Beacon Theatres, Inc. v. Westover (1958)
- Docket
- 45
- Decided
- 1958-01-01
- Category
- General
Summary
Question: Does a case involving both equitable claims and legal claims have a right to trial by jury under the Seventh Amendment? Conclusion: Justice Hugo L. Black delivered the opinion of the 5-3 majority. The Court held that a case involving both equitable and legal claims must be tried by jury before the equitable damages can be accessed. Therefore, Beacon Theatre had a Seventh Amendment right to trial by jury. Fox West Coast’s injunction for permanent relief from Beacon could be assessed after the jury verdict. Justice Potter Stewart (joined by Justice John M. Harlan and Justice Charles E. Whittaker) wrote a dissenting opinion, arguing that the Court should have denied the writ of mandamus because the issues of this case were questions of law rather than fact, and that the trial judge should be granted deference.