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Mutual Life Ins. Co. of NY v. Johnson
Supreme Court of the United States (1934) | 293 U.S. 335; 55 S. Ct. 154; 79 L. Ed. 398; 1934 U.S. LEXIS 30
TL;DR: In a diversity case involving an insurance contract, the Supreme Court held that the federal court must apply Virginia's state law, which excused an incapacitated insured's failure to give notice of disability, rather than creating a conflicting federal rule.
Legal Significance: This case is a key precursor to *Erie v. Tompkins*. It demonstrates the Supreme Court's growing reluctance to apply general federal common law under *Swift v. Tyson*, instead deferring to state court decisions on matters of local contract law to promote uniformity and comity.