Feres Doctrine Law and Legal Definition
Feres doctrine refers to a principle whereby a member of the military is barred from recovering damages from the United States on a claim brought under the Federal Tort Claims Act for injuries sustained in military service. The standard was set in the Supreme Court case Feres v. United States, 340 U.S. 135 (U.S. 1950). The Federal Tort Claims Act allows persons intentionally or negligently wronged by a government employee to sue the government for their injuries. However Feres decision bars suits involving injuries to members of the armed forces. Even though the doctrine has long been criticized as unfair to service members it continues to be in force.
