Mefford v. Gardner’s Empirical Analysis
383 F.2d 748 · 1967
Citation profile
26 federal appellate · 3 district · 3 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 55 later decisions (2 by the Supreme Court) — most recently January 2020 · most notably Richardson v. Perales (1971), Sullivan v. Hudson (1989)
26 federal appellate · 3 district · 3 state decisions
Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.
Relationships
Relies on Universal Camera Corp. v. National Labor Relations Board · Thomas v. Celebrezze · Kerner v. Flemming · Butler v. Flemming · Miracle v. Celebrezze
Most-quoted passages
The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 55 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
““Such a statement as Dr. London’s cannot be considered substantial evidence in view of the fact that he never saw or examined appellee, and in face of the medical evidence of physicians who not only treated him over a long period of time but also examined him and came to the determination that he was totally and permanently disabled.” Mefford v. Gardner, 383 F.2d 748, 759 (6th Cir. 1967).”
3 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority““Merely because a physician states that an applicant is not suffering from an impairment that precludes him from engaging in substantial gainful activity; that he has only a slight limitation of activity; and that he should be able to do some work, is not substantial evidence that applicant can engage in substantial gainful activity, when viewed in the light of the evidence of other doctors who had continuously treated applicant, and testified to the contrary, and in the light of the facts reflected in the transcript as a whole. “The foregoing authorities clearly enunciate the law to the effect that it is the duty of courts to examine meticulously the evidence, no matter how burdensome that duty is, because of the helter-skelter nature of the records in these cases, and not adopt the facile way of disposing of an injured applicant’s case by reference to, and reliance upon, the statements of one or two physicians, as against the considered statements of many physicians and surgeons who have had more opportunity of examining and treating the applicant, more occasions of making medical reports upon him, and more expertness in diagnosis, as well as upon consideration of the facts reflected in the transcript as a whole.””
2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority“[0]n the remand of a case after appeal, it is the duty of the lower court . to comply with the mandate of the court and to obey the directions therein without variation and without departing from such directions . . . . Moreover, if the cause is remanded with specific directions, further proceedings in the trial court . . . must be in substantial compliance with such directions; and if the cause is remanded for a specified purpose, any proceedings inconsistent therewith is error .”
2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.