January 1, SCOTUS Shields Post Office From Mail Lawsuits

Wyatt’s Take

• Supreme Court rules 5-4 that you can’t sue USPS for intentionally skipping mail delivery.
• Justice Thomas says sovereign immunity blocks claims over lost or miscarried letters, even on purpose.
• Sotomayor dissents, claiming exception covers only slip-ups, not mean-spirited acts.

The high court sided with the government in U.S. Postal Service v. Konan. Texas landlord Lebene Konan said workers in Euless withheld her tenants’ mail on purpose, hurting her wallet and feelings.

Her complaints flopped, so she sued under state laws like nuisance and interference. A lower court tossed it due to postal rules, but appeals court revived for intentional acts.

Justices reversed that, saying old meanings of loss and miscarriage cover any mail not arriving, no matter why.

A ‘miscarriage of mail’ includes failure of the mail to arrive at its intended destination, regardless of the carrier’s intent or where the mail goes instead, Thomas wrote.

The United States enjoys sovereign immunity and cannot be sued without its consent, he added, noting the FTCA exception.

Specifically, the FTCA’s postal exception retains sovereign immunity for all claims ‘arising out of the loss, miscarriage, or negligent transmission of letters or postal matter.’

We hold that the postal exception covers suits against the United States for the intentional nondelivery of mail, Thomas concluded.

Today, the majority concludes that the postal exception captures, and therefore protects, the intentional nondelivery of mail, even when that nondelivery was driven by malicious reasons, Sotomayor dissented.

This narrows when folks can chase damages for mail messes by postal staff. Justice Gorsuch joined the three liberals against.

Hardworking landlords depend on reliable mail for rent checks and business. Share your post office headaches below.

Wyatt Matters

Uncle Sam shields his workers while everyday renters take the hit from missing mail checks. Time for accountability that puts working folks first over bureaucracy.

Full court details here.