CSX v. Hensley

Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA): Norfolk presented the question whether a plaintiff who has asbestosis but not cancer can recover damages for fear of cancer under the FELA without proof of physical manifestations of the claimed emotional distress. Our answer is yes, with an important reservation. We affirm only the qualification of an asbestosis sufferer to seek compensation for fear of cancer as an element of his asbestosis-related pain and suffering damages. It is incumbent upon such a complainant, however, to prove that his alleged fear is genuine and serious; when this Court in Ayers held that certain FELA plaintiffs can recover based on their fear of developing cancer, it struck a delicate balance between plaintiffs and defendants—and it did so against the backdrop of systemic difficulties posed by the “elephantine mass of asbestos cases.” Id., at 166 (internal quotation marks omitted). Jury instructions stating the proper standard for fear-of cancer damages were part of that balance, id., at 159, n. 19, and courts must give such instructions upon a defendant’s request (U.S.S.Ct., 01.06.09, CSX v. Hensley, Per Curiam).

Loi sur la responsabilité des employeurs fédéraux : un demandeur qui souffre de la maladie asbestosis mais non pas de cancer peut-il prétendre à des dommages-intérêts fondés sur la crainte de développer un cancer, cela en l’absence de preuve de manifestations physiques de sa détresse émotionnelle ? La réponse est affirmative, mais assortie d’une importante réserve. Il incombe au demandeur de prouver que sa crainte alléguée est authentique et sérieuse. Les conditions – favorables au demandeur – permettant d’obtenir des dommages-intérêts doivent être communiquées au jury dans le cadre des instructions qui lui sont données, mais cette communication n’est à faire que si le demandeur la sollicite.