The rights as defined by the tariff cannot be varied or enlarged by either contract or tort of the carrier.

—the United States Supreme Court held that a private shipper could not recover treble damages against railway companies that had set rates that were filed with and approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC).

If a shipper could recover under Section 7 of the Anti-Trust Act for damages resulting from the exaction of a rate higher than that which would otherwise have prevailed, the amount recovered might, like a rebate, operate to give him a preference over his trade competitors.

"The legal rights of shipper as against carrier in respect to a rate are measured by the published tariff. Unless and until suspended or set aside, this rate is made, for all purposes, the legal rate, as between carrier and shipper...."

The fact that these rates had been approved by the [ICC] would not, it seems, bar proceedings by the Government.

The filed-rate doctrine insulates from judicial attack utility rates that have been filed with a state or federal regulatory agency, even when the plaintiffs allege that the rates are unreasonable due to "fraud upon the regulatory agency."

—establishing filed rate doctrine and holding that when Interstate Commerce Commission has approved railroad rates and found them reasonable and nondiscriminatory, private shipper may not recover damages for loss of benefit of lower rate it would have enjoyed but for conspiracy between carriers fixing rate; finding carrier's published tariff to be the legal rate as …

—the Supreme Court determined that regardless of the fact that the rates had been established by collusion rather than competition, once they were filed and approved by the ICC they were no longer subject to attack under either federal or state antitrust laws.

—if a shipper were permitted to recover under the Anti-Trust Act, the amount recovered might, like a rebate, operate to give him a preference over his trade competitors.'Uniform treatment would not result, even if all sued, unless the highly improbable happened, and the several juries and courts gave to each the same measure of relief.'

The filed rate doctrine was first applied to rates filed with the Interstate Commerce Commission under the Interstate Commerce Act