Opinion ID: 242089
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The United States as Indispensable Party

Text: 44 The holding that the United States was an indispensable party applies, as we understand the opinion below, only in so far as the plaintiffs seek to recover money from the defendant, and not to the request for injunctive or mandamus relief. We do not pass on the necessity for joining the United States as defendant, since we think a money recovery is precluded by other considerations. Restitution of overcharges would require determination of the tolls that should have been set. Although the district court might reconstruct the tolls which the defendant corporation should have promulgated, there is no way of knowing whether or not the President would have approved them. Moreover, there is no statutory authority for utilizing the defendant's facilities for measuring the amount of money to be awarded the plaintiffs in suits to recover overcharges. See Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. v. Northwestern Public Service Co., 341 U.S. 246, 253-255, 71 S.Ct. 692, 95 L.Ed. 912. We find no evidence of a congressional intent to allow recovery of overcharges. 45