Nix v. Hedden Nix v. Hedden Nix v. Hedden, 149 U.S. 304 (1893), was a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States that, under U.S. customs regulations, the tomato should be classified as a vegetable rather than a fruit. The Court's unanimous opinion held that the Tariff Act of 1883 used the ordinary meaning of the words "fruit" and "vegetable," instead of the technical botanical meaning. John Nix founded the John Nix & Co. fruit commission in New York City in 1839. The company became one of the largest sellers of produce in New York City at the time, and was
Norwich Pharmacal Co v Customs and Excise Comrs this, claiming that they had no authority to give such information. Norwich Pharmacal Co. brought proceedings against the Excise Commissioners, to force the Commissioners to disclose the names of the importers, which were the "Intended Defendants". In "Norwich Pharmacal Co. v Customs and Excise Commissioners" [1974] the House of Lords held that where an innocent third party has information relating to unlawful conduct, a court could compel them to assist the person suffering damage by giving them that information. The judgement is based on the 19th Century procedure known as the "bill of discovery". Lord Reid summarised what became known