Odrick v. United States of America

Plaintiff Maurice Odrick was struck by a United States Postal Service truck while crossing a street in New York. He sued the federal government under the Federal Tort Claims Act, alleging negligence by the postal driver. The district court dismissed the case, ruling that the driver's actions fell within the discretionary function exception, which shields the government from liability for policy-based decisions. On appeal, the Second Circuit reversed, holding that a driver's everyday operational decisions—such as yielding to pedestrians—do not involve the kind of policy judgment protected by the exception. The case was remanded for further proceedings.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed the district court's dismissal and remanded the case, allowing Odrick's negligence lawsuit to proceed.

Whether the postal driver's failure to avoid hitting a pedestrian constituted a discretionary function immune from suit under the Federal Tort Claims Act.

The ruling clarified the limits of the discretionary function exception, making it harder for federal agencies to claim immunity for ordinary operational negligence. It reinforced accountability for government employees' routine driving errors and has been cited to constrain similar defenses in FTCA litigation.