United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

1 district · 1 state decisions

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 14 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “The record clearly shows that this trust was created to provide for retired miners who became “orphans” by not being covered under some other plan. During negotiations preceding the 1978 Wage Agreement, BCOA tried to eliminate the 1974 Benefit Plan and Trust, but UMWA insisted that the 1978 Wage Agreement continue contributions to the 1974 plan to provide benefits to pensioners, who would otherwise lose benefits when benefits were changed from a multi-employer plan, covering all active and retired miners, to an individual company plan. As a result of collective bargaining the 1978 Wage Agreement provided for a continuation of payments by the employers into the 1974 plan for the purpose of providing for retired miners not covered by some other plan. This trust is the safety net intended to catch the plaintiffs, and it may not be removed by the trustees, now that it is needed.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Albright v. United Mine Workers of America Health & Retirement Fund · Schifano v. United Mine Workers of America 1974 Benefit Plan & Trust

2. “In Article I of the 1974 Wage Agreement, Allied agreed that its coal mining operations ‘... [would] not be sold, conveyed, or otherwise transferred ... to any successor without first securing the agreement of the successor to assume [Allied’s] obligations under this contract.’ It breached this agreement by selling its Harewood and McDowell County coal operations without passing along its pensioner obligations to the successors. The majority is not disturbed by this breach because Allied provided a form of alternative performance that guaranteed the pensioners’ benefits for the life of the 1978 contract. Article I of the 1978 Wage Agreement, however, guaranteed pensioners more than the rights of benefits for the life of the contract; ... Allied abided by the terms of Article I Armco and Shannon would have entered the 1981 negotiations as the last responsible employers of the retirees. As such, they would have been obligated to negotiate with the Union concerning the continual funding of the 1974 Benefit Fund. The companies may have succeeded in bargaining away these obligations or modifying the benefit arrangements but the pensioners’ rights would have been finally decided by the same process that created them, collective bargaining.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the dissent
   e.g. 603 F. Supp. 1038 - International Union, UMWA v. Eastover Min. Co.

3. “The District Court found Armco and Shannon-Pocahontas had breached Article I of the 1978 Wage Agreement by púrchasing mines from Allied and not assuming Allied’s obligations to the plaintiffs. The language of Article I is not susceptible to such construction. The clear language applies only to employers who sell, convey and transfer mines covered by the agreement. Buyers or purchasers of the mines are nowhere mentioned. At the time of the transfer, neither Shannon-Pocahontas nor its predecessor in name were signatory to the 1978 agreement. After acquiring the mines, Shannon-Pocahontas did execute the agreement. Armco was a signatory at the time of the transfer of the Allied mine, but it does not follow that Armco is prevented from buying from Allied if it suspected Allied might be in violation of Article I which such violation caused no loss or damage to anyone.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 603 F. Supp. 1038 - International Union, UMWA v. Eastover Min. Co.