Thompson V. National Railroad Passenger Corp‪.‬

The plaintiffs in these consolidated cases are passengers who sustained injuries in the derailment of a National Railroad Passenger Corp. (Amtrak) train in Tennessee on October 1, 1975. The train was being operated at the time by employees of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co. (hereinafter L & N) and the derailment occurred on track owned by L & N. Amtrak stipulated that it was liable for compensatory damages to all plaintiffs except Thompson, an employee of L & N, who was traveling on a pass issued by Amtrak which contained a limitation of liability. The cases were tried by the court without a jury. The District Judge found L & N negligent and awarded all plaintiffs compensatory damages against both defendants. He rejected plaintiffs' claims for punitive damages.