28 U.S.C. § 1364
Section 1364 · Direct actions against insurers of members of diplomatic missions and their families
Amended 3 times on record
Applied in 32 court decisions — leading case Dimond v. District of Columbia (1986)
Most recently applied in Broidy Capital v. Benomar (December 2019)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
(a) The district courts shall have original and exclusive jurisdiction, without regard to the amount in controversy, of any civil action commenced by any person against an insurer who by contract has insured an individual, who is, or was at the time of the tortious act or omission, a member of a mission (within the meaning of section 2(3) of the Diplomatic Relations Act (22 U.S.C. 254a(3))) or a member of the family of such a member of a mission, or an individual described in section 19 of the Convention on Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations of February 13, 1946, against liability for personal injury, death, or damage to property.
(b) Any direct action brought against an insurer under subsection (a) shall be tried without a jury, but shall not be subject to the defense that the insured is immune from suit, that the insured is an indispensable party, or in the absence of fraud or collusion, that the insured has violated a term of the contract, unless the contract was cancelled before the claim arose.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Codification
Two other sections 1364 were renumbered sections 1365 and 1366 of this title.
Amendments
1987—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 100–204 inserted “, or was at the time of the tortious act or omission,” after “who is”.
1982—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 97–241 substituted “within the meaning of section 2(3) of the Diplomatic Relations Act (22 U.S.C. 254a(3))” for “as defined in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations”.
Effective Date of 1987 Amendment
Section 138(b) of Pub. L. 100–204 provided that: “The amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall apply to the first tortious act or omission occurring after the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 22, 1987].”
Effective Date of 1982 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 97–241 effective Oct. 1, 1982, see section 204 of Pub. L. 97–241, set out as an Effective Date note under section 4301 of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse.
Effective Date
Section effective at end of ninety-day period beginning on Sept. 30, 1978, see section 9 of Pub. L. 95–393, set out as a note under section 254a of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse.