Geo Group, Inc. v. Menocal · ¶27

Yearsley involved a suit by landowners against a federal contractor for fooding their property. The Government had hired the contractor to redirect the Missouri River in order to improve its navigation. The construction company, as specified in the contract, built dikes in a part of the river near where the Yearsleys owned a farm. The result, as expected, was to wash away almost 100 acres of their land. The Yearsleys did not dispute that the contractor's work was “all authorized and directed by the Government.” 309 U. S., at 20. Nonetheless, they sued the contractor for money damages.

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