Atchison, T. & S.F. Railroad v. Scarlett

In Atchison, T. & S.F. Railroad v. Scarlett, 300 U.S. 471, 57 S.Ct. 541, 81 L.Ed. 748 (1937), the Supreme Court found that a railroad fully discharged its duties under the Federal Safety Appliance Act (FSAA) by complying with applicable regulations. The judgment of a trial court and jury as to what is safe cannot be substituted for the regulatory standards. Atchison involved a challenge, however, to the relative placement of ladders and structural features of the car. There was no claim that any of the equipment was defective.