Digital Commons Network^™

The Work Product Doctrine In The State Courts, John S. Holbrook Jr.

Michigan Law Review

When the modem Federal Rules of Civil Procedure were adopted in 1938, considerable doubt and controversy arose concerning the broad provisions for deposition and discovery. That controversy can be fairly described as a conflict both of emotion and of basic philosophy. Many lawyers engaged in the daily maneuvering of the adversary process naturally tended to defend a system which put a high premium on their individual abilities. Others were able to stand back and look at the trial practice of the day with some concern for basic incongruities. Too often, they felt, the obtaining of truth in fair trials was …

Management And Labor Appraisals And Criticisms Of The Arbitration Process: A Report With Comments, Dallas L. Jones, Russell A. Smith

Michigan Law Review

Although arbitration as a means of resolving disputes arising under collective bargaining agreements has received widespread acceptance in this country/ in recent years there has been some evidence of increasing criticism of the process. As part of a research project dealing with the impact of the 1960 Supreme Court decisions in the Warrior & Gulf "trilogy" and the 1962 Sinclair "trilogy," we decided to ascertain how parties are appraising the arbitration process. We report here the more significant results of this survey along with our evaluation of the criticisms and suggestions which were received.

Voluntary Payments To Widows Of Corporate Executives: Gifts Or Income?, Paul A. Rothman

Michigan Law Review

The solicitude of hardhearted corporations for the widows of corporate executives has given rise to an abundance of cases involving the question whether payments to these widows constitute gifts or income. In the cases to be considered in this comment, payments are made by the corporation to the decedent's widow on a purely voluntary basis. In the typical situation, the board of directors adopts a resolution eulogizing the decedent and authorizing payments to his widow in recognition of his long and faithful service. In most cases, these payments are measured by the decedent's salary and continue for periods ranging from …

The Extraterritorial Effect Of Foreign Exchange Control Laws, F. David Trickey

Michigan Law Review

Article VIII section 2(b) of the International Monetary Fund Articles of Agreement makes "exchange contracts" which are contrary to approved foreign exchange regulations of members "unenforceable" and provides that member nations may further agree upon measures to enforce each other's foreign exchange laws. The recent New York Court of Appeals decision in Banco do Brasil, S.A. v. A. C. Israel Commodity Co. illustrates the serious shortcomings of IMF provisions for enforcing foreign exchange controls. The case also suggests that general conflict of laws rules can be used to effectuate the policies underlying exchange control laws.

Civil Procedure- Venue-Effect Of Contract Provision Fixing Venue As To Future Litigation, Robert C. Bonges

Michigan Law Review

Defendants, residents of Harris County, Texas, executed in Harris County a conditional sale contract to purchase a food freezer from plaintiff's assignor. One of the contract provisions was that any suit on the contract was to be tried in Travis County, Texas. Plaintiff subsequently brought an action on the contract in Travis County, and defendants, contrary to their agreement, requested the trial court to transfer the action to a court of proper jurisdiction in Harris County, which was the proper county for suit under the applicable venue statute. In response, plaintiff argued that, since the contract created an obligation performable …

Constitutional Law-Federal Criminal Procedure-Right To Counsel Under Section 2255 Of The Judicial Code, Gerald J. Laba

Michigan Law Review

Petitioner, seeking to attack a conviction for illegal possession of narcotics, was granted leave to sue in form a pauperis under 28 U.S.C. section 2255, but his request that counsel be appointed for him was denied. Petitioner's section 2255 motion to vacate judgment was denied. Petitioner then entered a second section 2255 petition alleging basically the same errors but adding that the court had erred in not appointing counsel for his first petition. The second motion was denied without a hearing on the ground that it was "the second or successive motion for similar relief .... " Petitioner appealed in …

Constitutional Law-Search And Seizure-Retrospective Application Of Mapp V. Ohio, Timothy D. Wittlinger

Michigan Law Review

On February 15, 1960, the Louisiana Supreme Court affirmed petitioner's conviction for simple burglary. The conviction was obtained through the use of evidence unlawfully seized from petitioner in violation of the fourth amendment of the United States Constitution. In December 1961 the District Court for the Parish of West Feliciana denied petitioner's writ of habeas corpus filed after the Supreme Court decision of Mapp v. Ohio, which forbade introduction at state trials of evidence seized by state officers in violation of the fourth amendment. The denial of the writ was affirmed by the Louisiana Supreme Court, and certiorari was …

Periodical Index, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This index includes articles, comments and some of the longer notes which have appeared in leading law reviews since the publication of the last issue of this Review.

Taxation-Federal Tax Liens-Section 6321 Of The Internal Revenue Code As Basis For Injunction Binding Assets Of Foreign Branch Of American Bank, Gerald J. Laba

Michigan Law Review

The Commissioner of Internal Revenue issued jeopardy assessments against the taxpayer, Omar, S.A., a Uruguayan corporation. To avoid payment, Omar began to liquidate its American-held assets by transferring receipts out of the country. Pursuant to its statutory right, under section 6321 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, to impose a lien upon all property of a delinquent taxpayer, the United States brought suit against Omar and various New York banks in the domestic and foreign branches of which Omar's funds were deposited. The district court granted a preliminary injunction restraining certain of the banks from transferring any property whether …

Torts-Joint Tort-Feasors--Release Of One Not Release Of All, Karen M. Swift

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff, a woman who had been struck by a taxicab, underwent treatment by defendant-physician. After eight months under defendant's care, she accepted his assurances that she would fully recover, and executed a general release in favor of the taxi driver. Plaintiff subsequently discovered, however, that the defendant had been negligent in his treatment of her both before and after the execution of the release. In a malpractice action before the Supreme Court of New York judgment was entered in favor of the plaintiff, and defendant appealed. The Appellate Division dismissed the original complaint, holding that the general release discharging the …

Canon Of Professional Ethics-Cooperation In Preparation Of News Articles As Advertising In Violation Of Canon 27, Joseph F. Mcdonald

Michigan Law Review

Two recent decisions were the first to construe the prohibition against indirect advertising embodied in Canon 27 of the Canons of Professional Ethics. Although the facts and issues involved were substantially alike, the holdings were divergent.

At the request of a local Miami newspaper, respondent submitted to an interview which formed the basis of a full page article in the "Sunday Supplement." The article see forth a complimentary biography of respondent and described the internal workings of his firm. Respondent was found guilty of violating Canon 27 by the Grievance Committee of the Florida State Bar Association. The recommendation was …

Criminal Law-Aiding And Abeiting-Criminal Liablity For Knowingly Furnishing Racing Results To Bookmakers, John H. Blish

Michigan Law Review

Appellant, who received a weekly salary for distributing horse-racing results by telephone to some twenty bookmakers, was convicted of aiding and abetting bookmaking activities in violation of section 986 of the New York Penal Law. He admitted knowing that the information would be used by his employer's customers in violation of section 986, but no actual evidence of bookmaking was presented to the court. On appeal, held, reversed, one judge dissenting. Knowingly transmitting racing results to bookmaking establishments by telephone does not, without proof of acceptance of bets on a professional basis, constitute aiding and abetting bookmaking in violation …

Eminent Domain-Urban Renewal-Broader Powers To Take Private Property For Public Use, Roger L. Mcmanus

Michigan Law Review

Defendant city instituted a comprehensive urban redevelopment plan under which condemnation and purchase of blighted property would be followed by extensive demolition and clearance. This land was then to be sold subject to certain use restrictions to private developers, chiefly for light industry. Plaintiff, an owner of real estate described as "improved and enhanced with . . . a good, sound, sanitary, modem and well-kept building," brought an action in a lower state court seeking a declaratory judgment against the constitutionality of the Washington Urban Renewal Law, and an injunction to prevent defendant city from condemning his property under the …

Periodical Index, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This index includes articles, comments and some of the longer notes which have appeared in leading law reviews since the publication of the last issue of this Review.

Crimes Against Humanity And The Principle Of Nonextradition Of Political Offenders, Manuel R. Garcia-Mora

Michigan Law Review

It is thus the purpose of this article to discuss the nature of crimes against humanity in an effort to determine whether they can be classified as political offenses. It is hoped that from the uncertainty and confusion which appear to underlie the practice of the State, some useful legal principles may be extracted.

The Realization Requirement And Tax Avoidance, E. George Rudolph

Michigan Law Review

Consider, for a moment, the plight of G. E. Hall. During 1947 Hall incurred a gambling debt to the Las Vegas Club variously estimated at between 145,000 and 478,000 dollars. The debt came into the sole ownership of one Binion, a partner in the club, and was eventually settled by Hall transferring to Binion an undivided one-half interest in certain cattle located in Arizona and Montana. Thereafter, Hall and Binion engaged in the ranching business as partners. At this point the Internal Revenue Service came forward with a claim that Hall, in the course of this disastrous chain of events, …

Copyrights-Liabilty Of Store Owner For Sale Of Infringing Phonograph Records By Concessionaire, Terrence L. Croft

Michigan Law Review

Defendant H. L. Green Company licensed defendant Jalen Amusement Company as concessionaire of the record departments in twenty-three of its stores. The licensing agreement required Jalen's employees to follow all Green's rules and regulations and empowered Green to discharge any employee found to be conducting himself improperly. The gross receipts of the record department were collected by Green, Jalen receiving only the amount remaining after deductions for the license fee, salaries, and taxes. Although Jalen ordered and paid for the records and its employees made all the sales, record purchasers were unaware of Jalen's autonomy in the record department. Plaintiff, …

Administrative Law-Rate-Making-Authority Of Fpc To Limit Rate Of Return On Tax Reserves Resulting From Liberalized Depreciation, Harry T. Edwards

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff, a natural gas pipeline company, filed a petition for review of a Federal Power Commission ruling in a rate proceeding under section 4(e) of the Natural Gas Act. Plaintiff argued that Congress did not intend tax deferrals arising from liberalized depreciation to be shared by producers and consumers and that, consequently, accumulated tax reserves should be included in the company's rate base at an ordinary rate of return. The FPC ruled that the petitioner could include its tax reserves in the rate base, but that the rate of return on the reserves would be limited to one and one-half …

Antitrust Civil Process Act-Requirements For A Civil Investigative Demand, Mary Mandana Long

Michigan Law Review

Petitioner sought an order from the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota modifying or setting aside a Civil Investigative Demand served upon it by the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice. The demand was issued pursuant to the Antitrust Civil Process Act, which provides a compulsory pre-complaint procedure through which the Department of Justice may obtain documentary information upon which it can make a determination of whether there has occurred a violation of the antitrust laws. Section 1312(b) of the act requires that the demand state the nature of the conduct constituting the alleged violation, recite …

Criminal Law-Reiterated Contempt Of Court, Robert C. Bonges

Michigan Law Review

The defendant was found guilty of criminal contempt of court in a civil proceeding for giving "don't remember" answers, after having been granted immunity from prosecution, to questions concerning his activities, asked during a grand jury investigation of an attempted homicide. For his refusal to testify, the defendant was given the maximum penalty provided for criminal contempt under the applicable statute. After paying the fine and serving the sentence, the defendant was brought before the same grand jury thirty-five days later and was asked the same questions. The defendant repeated the "don't remember" answers and was again fined and incarcerated. …

Stein & Hay: Cases And Materials On The Law And Institutions Of The Atlantic Area, Homer G. Angelo

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Cases and Materials on the Law and Institutions of the Atlantic Area Edited by Eric Stein and Peter Hay.

Farnsworth: Introduction To The Legal System Of The United States, Luke K. Cooperrider

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Introduction to the Legal System of the United States By Allan Farnsworth.

Securities Regulation-Applicability Of Exchange Act Section 10(B) To Transaction Effected By Means Of Intrastate Telephone Call, Michael A. Warner

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff alleged that he had been defrauded in a sale of securities to the defendant. Plaintiff attempted to invoke section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1984, which prohibits various fraudulent practices in securities trading. In order to state a cause of action under 10(b), it was necessary for plaintiff to allege that a means or instrumentality of interstate commerce had been used directly or indirectly in connection with the sale. The sale in this case had been effected through telephone conversations over wires located within the city of Philadelphia. However, the wires carrying the calls could be used …

Recent Books, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

A List of Books Received by Michigan Law Review

Maritime Contiguous Zones, Lloyd C. Fell

Michigan Law Review

During the past two centuries, various states which had previously limited their claims of full sovereignty to narrow marginal seas have also asserted special types of jurisdiction over high seas zones outside what they claimed (or what others accepted) as territorial waters. This comment deals with such claims to contiguous zones of the high seas over which the littoral state asserts authority: which may affect the interests of other states.

Radiation Injuries: Statute Of Limitations Inadequacies In Tort Cases, Samuel D. Estep, Thomas W. Van Dyke

Michigan Law Review

Some injuries from overexposure to radiation may manifest themselves within existing statutory limitations periods, at least under some liberal ( or loose) judicial interpretations. Many injurious manifestations, however, will not arise for a great many years after exposure; it is the thesis of this article that some new legislative solutions must be adopted. Limiting the right to sue to the existing time periods as construed by many courts will be manifestly unfair to plaintiffs. A blanket, unconditional extension of the time period to as much as thirty years for all cases regardless of the local rule as to when the …

Child Custody In A Federal System, Leonard G. Ratner

Michigan Law Review

Among the most difficult of judicial functions is the determination of a child's custody after its parents have separated. The difficulties are acute enough when all the parties remain in the same place; when the parties are in different states, an additional perplexing problem arises as to which state should have authority to make the custody decision. This broad question can be resolved into three distinct though interrelated issues: (1) what state may initially determine custody; (2) what state may later modify that determination; (3) to what extent is such a determination binding on other states.

Uniform Commercial Code Article 9 Filing Procedures For Railroad, Utility, And Other Corporate Debtors: Some Suggestions, Daniel R. Elliott Jr.

Michigan Law Review

After a brief discussion of the provisions of Article 9 peculiarly applicable to the long-term mortgage, a portion of this comment will review the relevant statutes and case authority in force prior to the effective date of the Code in various states and still applicable in others. More specifically, it will examine the special treatment accorded certain types of corporate indentures, particularly those securing the debt of railroads and other public utilities. Second, an attempt will be made to explain the probable solutions to the problems raised by the filing requirements of Article 9 as promulgated in each jurisdiction and …

Federal Criminal Procedure-Collateral Relief Under 28 U.S.C. Section 2255- Discretion Of Sentencing Court To Dismiss Successive Application Without Hearing, Richard B. Rogers

Michigan Law Review

Prisoner, sentenced by a United States district court, filed two successive motions to vacate his sentence under 28 U.S.C. section 2255, which provides for a compulsory motion procedure for federal prisoners in lieu of habeas corpus. Under this section, a prisoner is required to petition the court which sentenced him in order to test the legality of his detention. The motion must be given a prompt hearing, "unless the motion and the files and records of the case conclusively show that the prisoner is entitled to no relief. .. " If a successive motion is filed for "similar relief" the …

New And Comprehensive Duties Of Securities Sellers To Investigate, Disclose, And Have An "Adequate Basis" For Representations, Willoughby C. Johnson

Michigan Law Review

The duties of investigation and disclosure imposed upon securities salesmen have been significantly enlarged by several recent cases generated by the Second Circuit's 1963 decision of Berko v. SEC. In a hearing before the Securities and Exchange Commission it was found that Berko was a salesman working out of an acknowledged "boiler room." His employer had provided its salesmen, including Berko, with fraudulent sales brochures, some of which were subsequently distributed by Berko. The action by the Commission against Berko arose out of the sale of a specific security to a customer who had received fraudulent sales brochures and …