October Term 2022 · Docket 22-381

Does a RICO injury occur where the victim lives or where the property sits?

The parties dispute whether a civil RICO injury happens at the victim's home state or at the location of the damaged property.

Official caption
Yegiazaryan v. Smagin
Latest argument session
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Decided
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Verified source milestones

  1. — An official oral-argument transcript was verified.
  2. — An official oral-argument transcript was verified.
  3. — An official Court opinion was verified.

The arguments, in order

This case may have been argued more than once. Each entry below uses that session's official transcript. Later arguments do not erase earlier ones.

  1. Argument 1 ·

    What happened at the argument

    Mr. Levy argued that RICO injury occurs at the plaintiff's domicile.

    Mr. Kennedy argued that RICO injury occurs where the property is located.

    Justice Thomas questioned whether all property injuries accrue at the domicile.

    Justice Jackson asked about the relevance of the Chattanooga case.

    Read the official transcript for this argument · Official argument details

    Sources used for this argument breakdown

A citizen's guide to the whole case

What this case is about

This case tests the geographic scope of civil RICO claims. The Court must define where an injury occurs for jurisdictional purposes.

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How the case got here

The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on April 25, 2023.

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What each side wants

the side that brought the case wants the Court to hold that injury occurs at the victim's domicile.

the opposing side wants the Court to hold that injury occurs where the property is located.

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What each side says

the side that brought the case argues that RICO injury attaches to the victim's home state under common law.

the opposing side argues that RICO injury attaches to the location of the damaged property.

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What the justices asked

Justice Jackson asked if the principle from RJR Nabisco directs injury to the person.

Chief Justice Roberts asked why the injury cannot be considered domestic given the connections.

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Why it matters

This dispute defines the geographic reach of federal civil RICO jurisdiction. It determines which state courts hear these specific economic claims. It shapes the balance between domestic and foreign property interests.

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What happens next

This article currently covers the argument record. Use the official docket link for later case activity.

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Official Court provenance

Official docket and case history · Official Supreme Court oral-argument detail page

Verified official opinions and orders

Title and summary sources

Revision history

  1. Revision 1 · Post Opinion ·

    Correction: Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.

  2. Revision 2 · Post Opinion ·

    Correction: Migrated to the dated official Court activity contract without model use.

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