Havana Docks Corporation, Petitioner v. Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd., et al.

The Supreme Court vacated the Eleventh Circuit's decision and sent the case back. The syllabus says the lower court's counterfactual approach was difficult to understand and apply. The Court's full reasoning is not yet available.

Result

Vacated

This affects U.S. nationals with claims to Cuban property and companies that use that property. For example, Havana Docks says cruise lines used the Havana Cruise Port Terminal for nearly a million passengers. Congress's 1996 law created a private right of action (ability to sue) over confiscated property. The Supreme Court vacated the Eleventh Circuit's decision and sent the case back. The dispute asks whether suing depends on the confiscated-property claim or the original interest's duration. That could shape future damages claims and Title III cases involving Cuban seizures.

Not official Court text.

Vote split

8-1

Majority author

Clarence Thomas