Frustrated by missing mail, one American took the Postal Service to court

"As a general rule, it's difficult to sue the U.S. Postal Service for lost, delayed or mishandled mail. But a case before the U.S. Supreme Court involving a Texas landlord who alleges her mail was deliberately withheld for two years is looking to challenge that, in a proceeding the cash-strapped Postal Service says could prompt a deluge of lawsuits over the very common, if frustrating, phenomenon of missing mail."

"The federal tort law allows a private individual to sue the federal government for monetary damages if a federal employee hurts them or damages their property by acting negligently. But Congress created multiple exceptions to the law, including one for the Postal Service, shielding it from lawsuits over missing or late mail. The exception says the post office can't be sued for "loss, miscarriage or negligent transmission of letters or postal matter.""

Suing the U.S. Postal Service for lost, delayed or mishandled mail is generally difficult. A Texas landlord alleges her mail was deliberately withheld for two years, prompting litigation that challenges the Postal Service's exemption under the Federal Tort Claims Act. The statutory exception bars suits for "loss, miscarriage or negligent transmission of letters or postal matter." The Justice Department warns narrowing the exemption could prompt many lawsuits over missing mail, especially during high-volume periods like the holidays. Definitions of the exemption's key terms are central to the Supreme Court's decision.

Read at Boston.com