Scheidler v. National Organization for Women, Inc.

Summary

The Court held that the defendants' conduct did not constitute extortion under the Hobbs Act because they interfered with and deprived the respondents of control over their property but did not obtain or attempt to obtain property from them. Because the federal and state extortion predicates, and the related Travel Act predicates, could not support the RICO verdict, the Court reversed and vacated the injunction without deciding whether private plaintiffs may obtain injunctive relief under RICO. Justice Ginsburg, joined by Justice Breyer, concurred in resisting an expansive reading of RICO, while Justice Stevens, dissenting, would have upheld the broader understanding of property and obtaining applied below.