Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/boundvolumes/529bv.pdf
Page Number: 570.0

529US2

Unit: $U51

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Cite as: 529 U. S. 494 (2000)

495

Opinion of the Court

ment (Second) of Torts, § 876, Comment b, meaning an act that is inde-
pendently wrongful under RICO. The speciﬁc type of act that is analo-
gous to an act of a tortious character may depend on the underlying
substantive violation the defendant is alleged to have committed. Be-
cause respondents’ alleged overt act in furtherance of their conspiracy
was not an act of racketeering and is not independently wrongful under
any substantive provision of the statute, petitioner does not have a
cause of action under § 1964(c). Pp. 500–507.

162 F. 3d 1090, afﬁrmed.

Thomas, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Rehnquist,
C. J., and O’Connor, Scalia, Kennedy, Ginsburg, and Breyer, JJ.,
joined. Stevens, J., ﬁled a dissenting opinion,
in which Souter, J.,
joined, post, p. 507.

Jay Starkman argued the cause for petitioner. With him
on the briefs were Jane W. Moscowitz and Joel S. Magolnick.
Michael M. Rosenbaum argued the cause for respondents.
With him on the brief for respondents Bellezza et al. were
Donald P. Jacobs and Richard M. DeAgazio. Frederick
Mezey, pro se, ﬁled a brief as respondent.*

Justice Thomas delivered the opinion of the Court.
The Racketeer Inﬂuenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
(RICO), 18 U. S. C. §§ 1961–1968 (1994 ed. and Supp. IV), cre-
ates a civil cause of action for “[a]ny person injured in his
business or property by reason of a violation of section
1962.”
18 U. S. C. § 1964(c) (1994 ed., Supp. IV). Subsec-
tion (d) of § 1962 in turn provides that “[i]t shall be unlawful
for any person to conspire to violate any of the provisions of
subsection (a), (b), or (c) of [§ 1962].” The question before
us is whether a person injured by an overt act done in fur-

*Stephen M. Kohn, Michael D. Kohn, and David K. Colapinto ﬁled a
brief for the National Whistleblower Center as amicus curiae urging
reversal.

Briefs of amici curiae urging afﬁrmance were ﬁled for the American
Tort Reform Association et al. by Victor E. Schwartz, Mark A. Behrens,
and Jeffrey L. Gabardi; and for the Washington Legal Foundation et al.
by F. Joseph Warin, Daniel J. Popeo, and Paul D. Kamenar.