''Bourdieu v. Pacific Western Oil Co.'', 299 U.S. 65 (1936), was a decision by the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

, which held that an inquiry into indispensability would be unnecessary where the complaint did not state a cause of action.

Background

Pacific Western Oil Corporation Pacific Western Oil Corporation was a holding company for the stock of the Pacific Western Oil Company. History In 1928, Pacific Western Oil was founded to acquire the oil producing properties and undeveloped oil properties in California of Petr ...

was established by Edward L. Doherty in 1928 before later coming under the control of

J. Paul Getty Jean Paul Getty Sr. (; December 15, 1892 – June 6, 1976) was an American-born British petroleum industrialist who founded the Getty Oil Company in 1942 and was the patriarch of the Getty family. A native of Minneapolis, he was the son of pi ...

and owned oil and gas drilling rights for large sections of Fresno County, California. An agricultural landowner had "mining" rights for the same area and sued. The oil companies asserted that, since their leases were issued by the

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

, that they could not be sued without including the U.S. government but the court disagreed.

Background

See also

Further reading