Law Commons^™

Dykema V. Del Webb Communities, Inc., 132 Nev. Adv. Op. 82 (Dec. 29, 2016), Christopher Giddens

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined that a notice of completion’s recording date—not the date on which the notice is signed and notarized—signifies when the notice is “issued” to trigger “substantial completion” under NRS 11.2055(1)(b) for NRS Chapter 11’s construction defect statutes of repose.

Insuring Takings Claims, Christopher Serkin

Northwestern University Law Review

Local governments typically insure themselves against all kinds of losses, from property damage to legal liability. For small- and medium-sized governments, this usually means purchasing insurance from private insurers or participating in municipal risk pools. Insurance for regulatory takings claims, however, is generally unavailable. This previously unnoticed gap in municipal insurance coverage could lead risk averse local governments to underregulate and underenforce existing regulations where property owners threaten to bring takings claims. This seemingly technical observation turns out to have profound implications for theoretical accounts of the Takings Clause that focus on government regulatory incentives. This Article explores the impact …

Zoning’S Centennial: A Complete Account Of The Evolution Of Zoning Into A Robust System Of Land Use Law—1916-2016 (Part Iii), John R. Nolon

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

In land use, there are two things that Americans dislike: one is sprawl, the other is density. This catch-22 can be resolved by mitigating those aspects of urban living associated with density: congestion, bulky buildings, sameness, design incongruities, unsafe streets, inefficiency, and the sense that neighborhoods are not livable and pleasant. These characteristics of density cut against sustainability. They define places that people want to leave as soon as they can. To reduce vehicle miles travelled and carbon emissions, as well as to prevent sprawl, we must create places of enduring value, located next to transit in walkable and sustainable …

Legislative Exactions And Progressive Property, Timothy M. Mulvaney

Faculty Scholarship

Exactions — a term used to describe certain conditions that are attached to land-use permits issued at the government’s discretion — ostensibly oblige property owners to internalize the costs of the expected infrastructural, environmental, and social harms resulting from development. This Article explores how proponents of progressive conceptions of property might respond to the open question of whether legislative exactions should be subject to the same level of judicial scrutiny to which administrative exactions are subject in constitutional takings cases. It identifies several first-order reasons to support the idea of immunizing legislative exactions from heightened takings scrutiny. However, it suggests …

Unauthorised Fiduciary Gains And The Constructive Trust, Alvin W. L. See

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This article challenges the traditional assumption that all cases of unauthorised fiduciary gain warrant the same legal treatment, in particular the imposition of a constructive trust as a disgorgement remedy. It proposes a method of categorising the cases and ranking them based on the strength of the principal’s interest. It is suggested that in cases where the principal’s interest is not particularly strong, there is room for taking into account the interests of innocent third parties and affording them the necessary protection. For this purpose, the remedial constructive trust supplies the needed flexibility.

How New York Investors Financed The Looting Of Syria, Ukraine, And Iraq: The Need To Increase Civil Liabilities For "Current Possessors" Of Stolen Antiquities In The 21st Century, Lukas Padegimas

Global Business Law Review

This note argues that the U.S. should pass its own self-policing legislation that will make it less enticing for thieves to try to sell stolen antiquities to the U.S. market. Our world heritage is under threat from undeterred looting, which results in antiquities vanishing from museum storerooms and archeological sites before ending up in the storerooms of investors. Currently, source nations that attempt to have stolen antiquities returned are deterred by the high legal costs involved. As the biggest market for stolen cultural property, states within the U.S. should amend current replevin laws so that the possessors of stolen cultural …

Moving Forward By Looking Back: The Retroactive Application Of Obergefell, Lee-Ford Tritt

UF Law Faculty Publications

The recent Supreme Court decision of Obergefell v. Hodges has forever altered American jurisprudence. Not only did this decision make same-sex marriage legal in all fifty states, but it also required states to recognize same-sex marriages from other states in accordance with the 14th Amendment. The Court’s holding in Obergefell raises a fundamental question with serious legal and financial significance: when exactly do these once unrecognized marriages legally begin? And to what extent must courts apply Obergefell retroactively? The stakes are high and substantive financial effects are pending on the answer to this question — for, with marriage, comes wide-ranging …

Real Property, Linda S. Finley

Mercer Law Review

This Article looks at notable issues regarding Georgia real property law during the survey period, including legislation enacted by the Georgia General Assembly and case law decided in Georgia courts. The Author is happy to report she no longer feels compelled to begin the Survey by discussing the dire economic conditions of the state of Georgia or, indeed, the United States as a whole. At the time of the writing of this Survey, RealtyTrac, which reports national foreclosure statistics, released its mid-year 2016 foreclosure report showing that foreclosure activity affecting Georgia real property in the month of July 2016 was …

Restoring Hope For Heirs Property Owners: The Uniform Partition Of Heirs Property Act, Thomas W. Mitchell

Thomas W. Mitchell

For well over 125 years, many Americans have lost their tenancy-in-common property involuntarily in various legal proceedings. For example, courts throughout this country have often resolved partition actions, a legal proceeding in which a tenant in common seeks to exit a tenancy in common, by ordering a forced, partition sale of the property even when these courts could have ordered a remedy that would have preserved the property rights of the tenants in common. Though partition sales have negatively impacted a broad cross section of people in this country, the sales have particularly impacted poor and disadvantaged African-Americans, Hispanics, white …

Access, Exclusion, And Value, Sarah Schindler

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

The concepts of exclusion and access occupy the minds of many property scholars. We regularly debate the problems with, and benefits of, exclusion. We talk about how foundational the right to exclude is, and should be. We talk about whether and when the right to exclude should bend to accommodate other interests. And we talk about the value of exclusion. While these debates have filled many pages in law journals and hours of panel discussions, Professors Jonathan Klick and Gideon Parchomovsky noticed that something was missing from the discourse: empirical evidence.

Stop Shutting The Door On Renters: Protecting Tenants From Foreclosure Evictions, Eloisa Rodriguez-Dod

Eloisa C Rodríguez-Dod

This article discusses existing and proposed federal and state law affecting tenants’ rights in foreclosure. As “Foreclosure” signs rapidly join “For Sale” signs across the country, the national foreclosure crisis has not only displaced homeowners, but a plethora of renters as well. The approach taken by states concerning tenants affected by foreclosure varies greatly. Furthermore, a recently enacted Federal law, created specifically to help tenants in foreclosure, does not relieve the uncertainty in resolving this issue. In addition to being the first to critique the new federal law, this article offers recommendations for legislation that may better protect tenants from …

“I’M Not Quite Dead Yet!”: Rethinking Anti-Lapse Redistribution Of A Dead Beneficiary’S Gift, Eloisa Rodriguez-Dod

Eloisa C Rodríguez-Dod

Anti-lapse statutes create a category of substitute takers when a beneficiary prematurely dies. They are based on the legislature’s presumption of how a testator or settlor would want his property distributed in these circumstances. However, a testator’s or settlor’s intent may effectively be frustrated by this presumed intent. This Article critically examines the tension between an individual’s autonomy and societal goals in the context of anti-lapse statutes applicable to wills and trusts. It scrutinizes the current rules of construction regarding anti-lapse statutes and identifies their deficiencies in their application to wills and trusts. This Article analyzes and identifies the deficiencies …

Evaluating Katrina: A Snapshot Of Renters’ Rights Following Disasters, Eloisa Rodriguez-Dod, Olympia Duhart

Eloisa C Rodríguez-Dod

Hurricane Katrina destroyed the homes of many people living in parts of the Gulf Region. The storm displaced as many as 800,000 victims and it is still difficult for them to return home. Consequently, many homeowners have turned to renting because of the slow recovery process. Renters face added difficulties; they are often the last in line for government benefits and other assistance. There is much hostility towards the rights of renters, creating even more difficulties for them. This article focuses on the difficulties evacuee renters faced in New Orleans following the disaster. This article discusses legislation and attempted legislation …

“But My Lease Isn’T Up Yet!”: Finding Fault With “No-Fault” Evictions, Eloisa Rodriguez-Dod

Eloisa C Rodríguez-Dod

Historically, tenants could be evicted when their actions put them “at-fault.” Grounds for “at-fault” eviction (i.e., evictions for cause) include a tenant’s failure to pay rent, a tenant’s holding over after termination of the lease, a tenant’s material noncompliance with the lease agreement, and a tenant’s failure to maintain the premises materially affecting health and safety. Recently, some landlords have been evicting tenants for no fault of their own. This article focuses on three reasons for attempted “no-fault” evictions: foreclosure of the premises, proposed sale of the premises, or intended re-occupancy by the landlord. Part II of this article provides …

Respa - Questioning Its Effectiveness, Eloisa Rodriguez-Dod

Eloisa C Rodríguez-Dod

Purchasing real estate is a complicated process, especially for the average consumer. The closing procedure alone involves fees and documents that can be confusing to a borrower. The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) was enacted in 1974 in order to ease some of this confusion. This article discusses the enactment of RESPA and its purpose, which is mainly to "insure that consumers... are provided with greater and more timely information on the nature and costs of the settlement process and are protected from unnecessarily high settlement charges caused by certain abusive practices." The article also discusses disclosure requirements that …

Pacific Western Bank V. Eighth Jud. Dist. Ct., 132 Nev. Adv. Op. 78 (Nov. 3, 2016), Margarita Elias

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court concluded that funds contained in financial accounts under 26 U.S.C. § 529 (“529 accounts”) constitute a debt and that these funds are subject to execution and garnishment in Nevada despite their physical location elsewhere. Specifically, the Court adopted Section 68 of the Restatement (Second) of Conflict of Laws and concluded that funds contained in 529 accounts are a debt, not a chattel.

Real Estate Methods And Credits: A Summary Of Recent Developments And Strategies (Powerpoint), Brandon C. Carlton

William & Mary Annual Tax Conference

No abstract provided.

Optimal Property Rights For Emerging Natural Resources: A Case Study On Owning Atmospheric Moisture, Jianlin Chen

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This Article critically examines the design of property rights for emerging natural resources—naturally occurring substances that humans have only recently come to be able to exploit viably—through a case study of how the fifty states allocate ownership in, and regulate the use of, atmospheric moisture, an issue that has emerged in the context of weather modification (particularly cloud seeding). Building on the surprising finding that legislative declarations of state ownership have not resulted in greater regulatory control or other substantial restrictions on private use, this Article highlights a dimension of property rights design that has yet to receive concerted scholarly …

The Influence Of Exile, Sara K. Rankin

Maryland Law Review

Belonging is a fundamental human need, but human instincts are Janus-faced and equally strong is the drive to exclude. This exclusive impulse, which this Article calls “the influence of exile,” reaches beyond interpersonal dynamics when empowered groups use laws and policies to restrict marginalized groups’ access to public space. Jim Crow, Anti-Okie, and Sundown Town laws are among many notorious examples. But the influence of exile perseveres today: it has found a new incarnation in the stigmatization and spatial regulation of visible poverty, as laws that criminalize and eject visibly poor people from public space proliferate across the nation. These …

Singled Out, Michael Pappas

Maryland Law Review

David has been “singled out.” He is the only one in his neighborhood legally prohibited from building a house. In a town full of residences, his lot alone must remain vacant. This is unequal, but is it unconstitutional?

Courts have continually grappled with this sort of question, vigilantly defending against unfair and unjust singling out. So important is this concern that the Supreme Court has emphasized it as the heart of the Fifth Amendment takings jurisprudence, and an entire Equal Protection doctrine has emerged around it.

However, courts and scholars have yet to critically examine the concept of singling-out, and …

Restoring Hope For Heirs Property Owners: The Uniform Partition Of Heirs Property Act, Thomas W. Mitchell

Faculty Scholarship

For well over 125 years, many Americans have lost their tenancy-in-common property involuntarily in various legal proceedings. For example, courts throughout this country have often resolved partition actions, a legal proceeding in which a tenant in common seeks to exit a tenancy in common, by ordering a forced, partition sale of the property even when these courts could have ordered a remedy that would have preserved the property rights of the tenants in common. Though partition sales have negatively impacted a broad cross section of people in this country, the sales have particularly impacted poor and disadvantaged African-Americans, Hispanics, white …

Wills, Trusts, And Estates, J. William Gray Jr., Katherine E. Ramsey

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Zoning’S Centennial: A Complete Account Of The Evolution Of Zoning Into A Robust System Of Land Use Law—1916-2016 (Part Ii), John R. Nolon

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

The idea that local land use law can intelligently shape settlement patterns was not a familiar concept in the late 1960s when the Town of Ramapo, New York adopted an ordinance that delayed development permits until the Town could provide needed infrastructure. Ramapo was experiencing unprecedented growth as one of the closest northern suburbs of New York City. Developers, who in some cases had to wait years for services to their land, sued; they argued that these phased development controls were intended to prohibit subdivisions and restrict population growth, which is not authorized under the state’s zoning enabling legislation.

New …

Like-Kind Exchanges: A Popular Option For Property Transfers, Neil Harl

Neil E. Harl

In the decades since the like-kind exchange provision 1 was enacted, 2 the concept has become popular among property owners. Indeed, the concept has become so popular that calls are being heard for the Internal Revenue Code sections to be limited or even repealed. Those sentiments appear to be driven primarily by concerns over the impacts of like-kind exchanges on land values.

Compensation For Coal Seam Gas Occupation: Assessing The Harms, Michael Fibbens, Michael Y. Mak, Anthony Williams

Anthony Williams

Coal seam gas (CSG) extraction is expanding in eastern Australia. However, while the body of knowledge relating to compensation for partial taking is well established, the theory concerning the valuation of landholder compensation for occupation by CSG infrastructure is in an embryonic stage. In order to further the development of theory in this important area, this research investigates the harms that are inflicted upon landholders and their property by CSG occupation. As indicated in the Queensland mining case of Peabody West Burton Pty Ltd & Ors v Mason & Ors [2012] QLC 23, the assessment of compensation begins by enquiring …

Coal Seam Gas Extraction: Does Landholder Compensation Match The Mischief?, Michael Fibbens, Michael Y. Mak, Anthony Williams

Anthony Williams

Coal seam gas (CSG) extraction is set for expansion in New South Wales. However, controversy accompanies its introduction in that the present law grants miners access to private lands for the purposes of exploration and production. The NSW Petroleum (Onshore) Act 1991 regulates compensation for land access, and a number of questions have been raised about the adequacy of its compensation provisions. Additionally, compensation for coal seam gas poses a challenge for the valuation profession in that valuation theory has yet to be developed in this emerging sphere of practice. This paper compares the legal and physical impacts of coal …

Assessing Compensation For Landholders Affected By Coal Seam Gas Occupation, Michael Fibbens, Michael Y. Mak, Anthony Williams

Anthony Williams

Valuation theory in Australia has long established principles relating to compensation for the acquisition of part of property. However, the theory relating to assessing compensation for coal seam gas (CSG) occupation is relatively undeveloped and CSG activity in New South Wales (NSW) takes place in an environment where some confusion surrounds the subject of the assessment of landholder compensation. This paper applies a comparative study of the compensation assessment practices of courts in NSW, Queensland and Alberta. The research, reported in this paper, documents a trail of judicial decisions supporting the use of “piecemeal” and “before and after” approaches where …

Realigning The Governmental/Proprietary Distinction In Municipal Law, Hugh D. Spitzer

Seattle University Law Review

Lawyers and judges who deal with municipal law are perpetually puzzled by the distinction between “governmental” and “proprietary” powers of local governments. The distinction is murky, inconsistent between jurisdictions, inconsistent within jurisdictions, and of limited use in predicting how courts will rule. Critics have launched convincing attacks on the division of municipal powers into these two categories. Most articles have focused on problems with the distinction in specific areas of municipal law. In contrast, this article provides a comprehensive analysis of the governmental/proprietary distinction in seven specific doctrinal areas: legislative grants of municipal authority, government contracts, torts, eminent domain, adverse …

Taking State Property Rights Out Of Federal Labor Law, Jeffrey M. Hirsch

Jeffrey M. Hirsch

The National Labor Relations Board's current analysis of union organizers' right to access employer property relies heavily on an employer's right to exclude under state property law. If the employer possesses this right, an attempt to exclude organizers is generally lawful; if the employer lacks this right, the attempt is unlawful. This scheme makes little sense doctrinally, as an employer's property interests are usually irrelevant to the issue that should be the Board's primary concern— whether the removal of union organizers interferes with employees' federal labor rights. I propose eliminating consideration of state property rights from right-to-access cases. Instead, the …

Private Law In The Gaps, Jeffrey A. Pojanowski

Jeffrey A. Pojanowski

Private law subjects like tort, contract, and property are traditionally taken to be at the core of the common law tradition, yet statutes increasingly intersect with these bodies of doctrine. This Article draws on recent work in private law theory and statutory interpretation to consider afresh what courts should do with private law in statutory gaps. In particular, it focuses on statutes touching on tort law, a field at the leading edge of private law theory. This Article's analysis unsettles some conventional wisdom about the intersection of private law and statutes. Many leading tort scholars and jurists embrace a regulatory …