Law Commons^™

Bankruptcy - Uniform Trust Receipts Act - Rights Of Entruster To A Lien Interest In The General Assets Of Bankrupt Trustee, Barry I. Fredericks

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff, a credit corporation, used a trust receipt arrangement to finance a car dealer, who thereafter sold a number of the entrusted cars (out of trust sales) without remitting the proceeds to plaintiff. In order to restore some of these proceeds, which had been dissipated in the course of running his business, the car dealer gave plaintiff a trust receipt on ten unencumbered trucks in its possession, in release of part of plaintiff's security interest under the first trust receipts. Plaintiff later sold these ten trucks. Subsequently, in the course of bankruptcy proceedings filed against the car dealer, plaintiff sought …

Civil Rights - Due Process - Action For Civil Conspiracy Based On Section 1983, James B. Blanchard

Michigan Law Review

In an action for damages based on sections 1983 and 1985 of the Civil Rights Act, plaintiff alleged that a county health officer and his deputy, pursuant to a conspiracy, forcibly took plaintiff to a mental hospital and confined him there for a period of two months in willful violation of a state court order requiring plaintiff to be brought before the court for a sanity hearing. Plaintiff also alleged a false return of citation to the court by the officers and an intentional suppression of facts by the officers and the examining physician regarding plaintiff's illegal detention. Plaintiff contended …

Civil Procedure - Interstate Interpleader Compact, Louis Frey

Michigan Law Review

Five states have passed the Interstate Interpleader Compact, but Senate bills aimed at obtaining the necessary congressional consent have not been reported out of committee. The compact, designed to eliminate the problem of obtaining jurisdiction over an out-of-state claimant in a state interpleader action, would remedy situations in which the stakeholder may be subject to multiple vexation or possible double liability. The most important section of the compact provides: "Service of process sufficient to acquire personal jurisdiction may be made within a state party to this compact, by a person who institutes an interpleader proceeding or interpleader part of a …

Labor Law - Labor-Management Relations Act - Constitutionality Of The Emergency Strike Provisions, James N. Adler

Michigan Law Review

In an effort to settle a nationwide steel strike the President invoked the "national emergency" provisions of the Taft-Hartley Act. Having made the requisite finding that the strike would "imperil the national health or safety," he appointed a board of inquiry to investigate the dispute. Upon receipt of the board's report the President directed the Attorney General to seek an injunction against the strike. Basing its determination largely upon the strike's hindrance of the national defense program, the district court found the strike would "imperil the national health or safety" and granted the injunction The court of appeals, affirming, rejected …

Torts - Wrongful Death - Expected Inheritance As An Element Of Damages, James Cripe

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff, the widow of a railroad employee who was killed as the result of the defendant's negligence, instituted this action under the Federal Employers' Liability Act to recover damages for his death. The lower court in awarding a judgment refused to include the plaintiff's expectancy of inheritance in the measure of damages. On appeal, held, reversed. The expectance of an inheritance from the deceased is a pecuniary benefit which the beneficiary of the action might reasonably have received if the deceased had not died of his injuries. Martin v. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company, (5th Cir. 1959) 268 …

Legislation - Survey And Analysis Of Criminal And Tort Aspects Of Shoplifting Statutes, Wilbur J. Markstrom S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Shoplifting not only results in heavy financial losses for the merchant but also poses special problems in criminal law and general law enforcement. One such problem arises from the fact that most such thefts involve relatively small amounts, with the result that the public does not seem extremely concerned about the matter when an individual case comes up for prosecution. Another peculiar difficulty is that perhaps more than any other single crime shoplifting is an offense committed by amateurs, both adult and juvenile. This serves to make both detection and prosecution difficult. Finally, the right of the individual to be …

Bills And Notes - Acceptance - Payment By Drawee Of Raised Check Precludes Recovery Under Section 62 Of The Uniform Negotiable Instruments Law, Louis A. Kwiker

Michigan Law Review

Defendant, collection bank and presenter, paid the face amount of a raised check, executed its unqualified indorsement thereon, transmitted the check through regular banking channels, and received payment from drawee bank. Upon discovery of the overpayment plaintiff, surety, reimbursed the drawee and sought recovery from the defendant. The trial court sustained defendant's demurrer. On appeal, held, affirmed. Under section 621 of the Uniform Negotiable Instruments Law, a drawee bank which pays a raised but otherwise genuine check to a non-negligent holder in due course cannot recover the amount by which the instrument was raised because payment constitutes an acceptance …

Constitutional Law - Due Process - Retroactive Application Of Uniform Principal And Income Act, Thomas E. Kauper S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

The trustee of a trust created prior to the 1957 enactment of the Uniform Principal and Income Act petitioned for instructions as to whether a stock dividend received by it subsequent to the passage of the act should be allocated to principal or income. The Uniform Act provides a rule for the treatment of stock dividends contrary to the judicial rule previously adopted in Wisconsin, and is expressly made applicable to trusts existing on its date of enactment. The county court, finding the act could not be constitutionally applied to trusts created prior to its enactment, ordered the allocation of …

Unfair Trade Practices- Robinson-Patman Act - "Per Se" Nature Of Section 2(E), Charles R. Sharp S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

The Federal Trade Commission, finding that a manufacturer and seller of dress patterns discriminated between competing purchasers in violation of section 2 (e) of the Clayton Act, as amended by the Robinson-Patman Act, by paying transportation costs and donating storage cabinets and monthly catalogues to its large variety store customers while charging its smaller fabric store customers for the same services and facilities, issued a cease and desist order against these practices. The commission held that neither the absence of competitive injury nor the presence of cost justification are available as defenses to section 2 (e). On petition for review, …

Air Law - The Federal Aviation Act Of 1958, John W. Gelder S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

On August 23, 1958 the President signed into law the most important piece of aviation legislation to come out of Congress in the past two decades. After several study groups had worked on the air safety problem, the President acted in February 1956 by appointing Edward P. Curtis as his Special Assistant for Aviation Facilities Planning. In May 1957 the now famous Curtis Report was submitted to Congress in which it was suggested that an independent aviation agency be set up by 1959. It took several major air tragedies, however, to awaken Congress and the nation to the need for …

Bankruptcy--Section 70c--Recent Reactions To Constance V. Harvey, George Sidney Buchanan Jr.

Michigan Law Review

Renewed interest in section 70c has developed recently, primarily because of several significant decisions in the federal courts. It is the purpose of this comment to consider the impact of these developments on the power of the trustee to avoid otherwise valid security devices.

Administrative Law - Powers Of Agencies - The Interstate Commerce Commission And Discontinuance Of Railroads Under The Transportation Act Of 1958, Robert A. Smith

Michigan Law Review

The Transportation Act of 1958 amended the Interstate Commerce Act by authorizing railroad discontinuance of interstate train or ferry operations by posting advance notices thereof. The Interstate Commerce Commission can investigate such discontinuances either upon complaint or its own motion, and may require continuance of service if, after hearing, it finds such operation required by public convenience and necessity and not unduly burdensome to interstate commerce. Public Law 85-625, August 12, 1958, 72 Stat. 568.

The National Labor Relations Act And Collective Bargaining, Nathan P. Feinsinger

Michigan Law Review

The purpose of this paper has been to review the policy-making decisions of the National Labor Relations Board in seeking to effectuate the duty "to bargain collectively" under the National Labor Relations Act, in order to ascertain and appraise their direction.

"Federal Question" Jurisdiction -- A Snare And A Delusion, Ernest J. London

Michigan Law Review

Poorly defined criteria in the area of jurisdiction are especially wasteful, generating as they often do expensive and protracted litigation over threshold issues, rather than promoting the speedy determination of lawsuits on their merits. One of the most perplexing exercises in American law practice is the effort to define with certainty the original jurisdiction of the lower federal courts in matters where there is no diversity of citizenship. Although this general head of federal jurisdiction has persistently and pervasively been characterized as "federal question" jurisdiction, it is doubtful whether there is, in fact, original jurisdiction in the lower federal courts …

Admiralty - Death On The High Seas Act - Effect On Workmen's Compensation Recoveries, Thomas E. Kauper S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Decedent, aboard an airliner in his capacity as flight service supervisor, was killed when the plane crashed into the Pacific. Respondent airlines, decedent's employer, filed an application with the California Industrial Accident Commission to determine its liability under the California Workmen's Compensation Act. The commission awarded decedent's widow a death benefit despite the widow's objection to the commission's jurisdiction. Prior to the award the widow as administratrix of decedent's estate initiated this action under the Death on the High Seas Act (DHSA) in admiralty. On motion for summary judgment in respondent's favor, held, motion granted. DHSA is applicable to …

Insurance - Motor Vehicle Accident Indemnification Corporation Law - Compensation Assured For Innocent Automobile Accident Victims, Bartlett A. Jackson

Michigan Law Review

A 1958 New York statute requires the organization of an Indemnification Corporation by companies selling automobile liability insurance within the state. The corporation will assess members in order to establish a fund which will be used to reimburse persons who are injured in a motor vehicle accident and are unable to collect from the person causing the injury. In order to qualify, the injured party must not be covered by a policy of automobile insurance nor may he own an uninsured motor vehicle. He must secure a judgment against the financially irresponsible driver and petition the court to order the …

Labor Law - Labor Management Relations Act - Linking "Employer Free Speech" To No-Solicitation Rule, Barbara Burger

Michigan Law Review

During an organizational campaign the employer prohibited any dissemination of literature on company property and soliciting or campaigning on company time by employees while itself distributing within the plant non-threatening, anti-union literature. General Counsel for the NLRB contended that by this conduct the employer "interfered with, restrained or coerced" employees in their exercise of the right to self-organization. This contention was rejected by the NLRB, but on appeal was accepted by the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. On certiorari to the United States Supreme Court, held, reversed, two justices dissenting. Even if an employer could commit …

Atoms And The Law, E. Blythe Stason, Samuel D. Estep, William J. Pierce

Books

Early in 1951 a group of interested members of the faculty of The University of Michigan Law School conceived the idea of a research project, the purpose of which would be to investigate the principal unique legal problems being created and likely to be created in the future by peaceful uses of atomic energy. The group planned the preparation and publication of a series of manuscripts which might ultimately emerge as one or more printed volumes dealing with the legal problems affecting this new form of energy. Many phases of the subject were scrutinized, including the rule-making and licensing powers …

Patents - Standard Of Invention - Effects Of Sections 103 And 282 Of Patent Act Of 1952, John F. Powell S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Defendant counterclaimed for patent infringement in a declaratory judgment action. The trial court, holding the patent invalid for lack of "invention," dismissed the counterclaim. On appeal, held, reversed. The patent in question was valid, this conclusion being based on an independent study of the pertinent prior art and on the additional factors of industry acquiescence, commercial success, and the statutory presumption of validity of a duly issued patent. Georgia-Pacific Corp. v. United States Plywood Corp., (2d Cir. 1958) 258 F. (2d) 124, cert. den. 27 U.S. LAW WEEK 3147 (1958).

Acquisition And Protection Of Water Supplies By Municipalities, Wilbert L. Ziegler

Michigan Law Review

Among the prime functions of a municipal government is the furnishing of a potable supply of water for its inhabitants. In view of the increasing demand for water and the shortage of available supply, a number of problems have been or will be encountered by municipalities in fulfilling that function, apart from the problem of financing.

Future Interests - Rule Against Perpetuities - Recent Statutory Amendment In New York, Paul K. Gaston S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

After 128 years of criticism and confusion and enormous amounts of litigation, New York has amended its statutory rule against perpetuities. The old rule provided that the absolute power of alienation could not be suspended for longer, than "two lives in being" at the creation of the estate plus a minority exception in some cases. Under the new rule the absolute power of alienation can be suspended for a period measured by any number of "lives in being" at the creation of the estate so long as they are not "so designated or so numerous as to make proof of …

Loss & Cowett: Blue Sky Law, Homer D. Crotty

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Blue Sky Law. By Louis Loss and Edward W. Cowett.

Unfair Competition - False Advertising - Scope Of Federal Jurisdiction Under Section 43(A) Of Lanham Act, John D. Kelly S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff brought suit in a state court seeking injunctive relief, alleging unfair competition by defendant in manufacturing and selling slavish copies of plaintiff's swimsuits. One of the six causes of action alleged in the complaint was based on a violation of section 43 (a) of the Lanham Act. Defendant had the suit removed to federal district court. On motion to remand, held, denied. The alleged violation of section 43 (a) created a federal right of action within the original jurisdiction of the federal courts. Catalina, Inc. v. Gem Swimwear, Inc., (S.D. N.Y. 1958) 162 F. Supp. 911.

Criminal Procedure On The American Frontier: A Study Of The Statutes And Court Records Of Michigan Territory 1805-1825, William Wirt Blume

Michigan Law Review

The area north and east of Lake Michigan, organized in 1805 as Michigan Territory, was first organized in 1796 as Wayne County of the Northwest Territory. In 1800 the western half of the county, and in 1803 the eastern half, became parts of Indiana Territory, and so remained until July 1805. In 1818 Michigan Territory was expanded westward so as to include all of the area north of Illinois to the Mississippi River.

Wills - Testamentary Additions To The Corpus Of An Inter Vivos Trust-Recent Judicial And Legislative Developments, Richard I. Singer S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

The shape of the law relating to testamentary additions to the corpus of an inter vivos trust was outlined in 1951 by Professor George E. Palmer in an article entitled "Testamentary Dispositions to the Trustee of an Inter Vivos Trust." It is the purpose of this comment to consider recent developments in this area. A generalized formulation of the problem to be dealt with is-may a valid bequest be made to the trustee of an inter vivos trust without setting out the terms of the trust in the will?

Scientific Investigation And Defendants' Rights, B. J. George Jr.

Michigan Law Review

Advances in science, medicine and industry have made much of the world a more pleasant place in which to live. In general more men are living a physically more satisfying life in more comfortable surroundings than preceding generations. But with this has come a parallel increase in criminality to the point that the term "crime wave" is heard with increasing frequency. Many crimes are facilitated in their commission by adaption or application of new scientific discoveries by criminal elements. A natural consequence is that already overburdened police departments turn as quickly as is financially possible to new scientific techniques in …

Constitutional Law - Civil Rights - Recent New York City Ordinance Bans Discrimination In Certain Private Housing Facilities, W. Stanley Walch

Michigan Law Review

A recent New York City ordinance is the first anti-discrimination legislation affecting the sale and rental of privately-owned housing to minority groups. The ordinance contains three principal provisions: It (1) forbids racial or religious discrimination by private owners in the selection of tenants or buyers for any "housing accommodation which is located in a multiple dwelling," (2) bans discrimination in the selection of purchasers by a seller of ten or more contiguous housing units, and (3) prohibits the owner or lessor of housing accommodations covered by the ordinance from discriminating because of race or religion in setting the terms of …

A New Deal For Fiduciaries' Stock Transfers, Alfred F. Conard

Michigan Law Review

For nearly one hundred years, executors and administrators have been struggling with the excessive documentation which corporations demand as a condition of recording stock transfers. For almost as long, legislatures have been passing laws in the hope-generally vain-of alleviating the burden.

In 1957, at least three states (and possibly four) opened a door through which estate representatives can emerge from their long bondage. For the first time, identical acts were passed in different states, and interstate recognition of simplification measures began. For the first time acts were passed which get to the root of the transfer agent's problem.

Jury - Pre-Trial Selection - Suggested Improvements, Edward B. Stulberg

Michigan Law Review

Over the course of the past twenty years, the desirability of trial by jury has been a subject of constant debate. In contrast, the matter of jury selection has been given little direct attention. Yet it is obvious that if consideration is given to improvements in selection procedure aimed primarily at raising the calibre of the jury panel, disappointment in the judicial process due to the general ineptness of jurors can be decreased. It is true that the fate of a litigant often is entirely within the discretion of the jury. This is not necessarily a reason for the abandonment …

Atomic Energy - Indemnity Legislation - Anderson Amendments To The Atomic Energy Act Of 1954, Dudley H. Chapman S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

The Anderson Amendments were enacted to encourage private industry to enter the atomic energy field by removing the risk of excessive liability for a major nuclear reactor disaster. Such a disaster could result in liability far in excess of available insurance coverage. The solution provided by the new legislation has three aspects: (1) After private financial protection, geared to the amount of available insurance, is obtained by a person licensed by the Atomic Energy Commission, (2) the Commission will execute an agreement to indemnify (not insure) the licensee and "any other person who may be liable for public liability" to …