Barnhart v. Peabody Coal Co., 537 U.S. 149 (2003), was a Supreme Court of the United States case.
Coal Industry Retiree Health Benefit Act of 1992 stated that the Commissioner of Social Security "shall, before October 1, 1993," assign each coal industry retiree eligible for benefits under the Act to an extant operating company responsible for funding the beneficiary's benefits. The assignment to an operator binds the operator to pay an annual premium to the United Mine Workers of America Combined Benefit Fund, which administers the benefits. The question before the court was whether eligible retirees who were not assigned to an operator by the October 1st date could not be assigned after that, thus freeing the company they would have been assigned to of obligation. The mining companies argued the date in the statute limited the commissioner's ability to sign while the commissioner(s) argued it had been set as a spur to timely completion and could be assigned after that date.
The court, citing precedent, ruled that the assignments could be made after the date and interpreted that congress had intended the work to be done by that date not that it could not be done after that date.
Famous quotes containing the words coal co, peabody and/or coal:
“Mr. Christian, it is about time for many people to begin to come to the White House to discuss different phases of the coal strike. When anybody comes, if his special problem concerns the state, refer him to the governor of Pennsylvania. If his problem has a national phase, refer him to the United States Coal Commission. In no event bring him to me.”
—Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933)
“We shall make mistakes, but they must never be mistakes which result from faintness of heart or abandonment of moral principles. I remember that my old school master Dr. Peabody said in days that seemed to us then to be secure and untroubled, he said things in life will not always run smoothly, sometimes we will be rising toward the heights and all will seem to reverse itself and start downward. The great thing to remember is that the trend of civilization itself is forever upward.”
—Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)
“The discovery of Pennsylvania’s coal and iron was the deathblow to Allaire. The works were moved to Pennsylvania so hurriedly that for years pianos and the larger pieces of furniture stood in the deserted houses.”
—For the State of New Jersey, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)