Title 28 — Judiciary and Judicial ProcedureRelease 119-73
§5001 Civil action for death or personal injury in a place subject to exclusive jurisdiction of United States
Title 28 › Part PART VI— - PARTICULAR PROCEEDINGS › Chapter CHAPTER 190— - MISCELLANEOUS › § 5001
Summary
You can sue for a wrongful death that happens in a place inside a state that the United States controls by itself, just like you could if that place were run by the state. Any civil lawsuit for injury that happened in that kind of U.S.-controlled place will follow the laws of the state where the place is located.
Full Legal Text
Title 28, §5001
Judiciary and Judicial Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)In the case of the death of an individual by the neglect or wrongful act of another in a place subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States within a State, a right of action shall exist as though the place were under the jurisdiction of the State in which the place is located.
(b)In a civil action brought to recover on account of an injury sustained in a place described in subsection (a), the rights of the parties shall be governed by the law of the State in which the place is located.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 500116 U.S.C. 457Feb. 1, 1928, ch. 15, 45 Stat. 54. In subsection (a), the words “civil action” are substituted for “action” for consistency in the revised title and with other titles of the United States Code.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
28 U.S.C. § 5001
Title 28 — Judiciary and Judicial Procedure
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73