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Chazakah: Judaic Law's Non-Adverse Possession, Joshua A. Klarfeld

Cleveland State Law Review

This article questions the current doctrine of adverse possession. Rather than viewing adverse possession as a method of acquiring land, adverse possession should instead create a rebuttable presumption of ownership. Section II of this article describes adverse possession and outlines its elements. This section, in describing how the doctrine works, provides a framework for discussing how and why the law should change. Section III of this article describes chazakah. Unlike adverse possession, chazakah serves not as a tool by which a person acquires land, but instead creates a presumption of ownership. The true owner, however, may rebut that presumption. Chazakah …