Filed Date: 1994
Clearinghouse coding in progress
[This summary is temporary while we research the case further.] In 1994, three African-American individuals filed nearly a lawsuit against the United States in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The plaintiffs sued for damages due to the enslavement of African Americans in the United States and the subsequent discrimination against African Americans. In addition to damages, plaintiffs asked for an apology and an acknowledgement of discrimination.
Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong plaintiffs' dismissed the complaint. Plaintiff appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. There, the case was consolidated with Cato v. United States, a nearly identical lawsuit against the federal government seeking damages for slavery and racial discrimination.
On December 4, 1995, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the lower court's decision to dismiss both complaints.
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/9846026/parties/patterson-v-united-states/
Armstrong, Saundra Brown (California)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/9846026/patterson-v-united-states/
Last updated Aug. 7, 2025, 11:41 p.m.