Dolan v. Postal Service, 546 U.S. 481 (2006)

In Dolan v. Postal Service, 546 U.S. 481 (2006), the underlying dispute arose from an incident where Barbara Dolan tripped and fell on her porch due to mail that had been left there by postal employees. Dolan sustained injuries from the fall and subsequently filed a claim for administrative relief with the United States Postal Service (USPS). After her claim was denied, Dolan and her husband initiated a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, asserting that the negligent placement of mail by the USPS made the government liable under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA). The procedural history of the case began with the District Court dismissing Dolan's lawsuit, which was then affirmed by the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Both lower courts concluded that Dolan's claims were barred by an exception to the FTCA's waiver of sovereign immunity, specifically under 28 U.S.C. §2680(b). The case was brought before the Supreme Court on a writ of certiorari, where the justices were tasked with determining whether Dolan's suit could proceed despite the lower courts' rulings. The relevant background context includes the Postal Reorganization Act, which established the USPS as an independent entity of the executive branch and provided it with significant governmental powers, including a limited waiver of sovereign immunity. The FTCA allows for lawsuits against the federal government for tort claims, but it also contains specific exceptions that can limit this waiver. The Supreme Court's decision ultimately addressed the applicability of these exceptions to Dolan's claims, allowing her case to move forward.

Whether the Federal Tort Claims Act's waiver of sovereign immunity applies to claims against the United States Postal Service for negligence in the placement of mail, or whether such claims are barred by an exception to that waiver.

The judgment is reversed.