Legal Opinion
Joan C. Burnham, Etc. v. The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America
Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
Decided May 3, 1989No. 88-2115PublishedCited by 150 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
SELYA, Circuit Judge.
This is a hard case — hard not in the sense that it is legally difficult or tough to crack, but in the sense that it requires us, like the court below, to deny relief to a plaintiff for whom we have considerable sympathy. We do what we must, for “it is the duty of all courts of justice to take care, for the general good of the community, that hard cases do not make bad law.” United States v. Clark, 96 U.S. 37, 49, 24 L.Ed. 696 (1877) (Harlan, J., dissenting) (quoting Lord Campbell in East Indian Co. v. Paul, 7 Moo. P.C.C. 111).
I
Plaintiff-appellant Joan C. Burnham is the…
2Cases cited17 opinions
- Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. v. BruchSupreme Court of the United States · 1989
- Pilot Life Insurance v. DedeauxSupreme Court of the United States · 1987
- Thomasina Mack v. The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, Inc.Court of Appeals for the First Circuit · 1989
- Horace Eugene Bayles v. Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension FundCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit · 1979
- Isaac Camacho v. Autoridad De Telefonos De Puerto RicoCourt of Appeals for the First Circuit · 1989
12 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by150 opinions
- Mary Jane Wickman v. Northwestern National Insurance CompanyCourt of Appeals for the First Circuit · 1990
- Max W. Perry v. Simplicity Engineering, a Division of Lukens General Industries, Inc., a Delaware CorporationCourt of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit · 1990
- United States v. Westlands Water DistrictDistrict Court, E.D. California · 2001
- Luis E. Rodriguez-Abreu v. The Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A.Court of Appeals for the First Circuit · 1993
- United Electrical, Radio and MacHine Workers of America v. 163 Pleasant Street Corporation, International Twist Drill (Holdings), Limited, United Electrical, Radio and MacHine Workers of America v. 163 Pleasant Street CorporationCourt of Appeals for the First Circuit · 1992
145 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.