Digital Commons Network^™

Appeal And Error - Reviewability Of An Order Granting A New Trial, Robert M. Warren

Michigan Law Review

When a trial court sets aside a verdict and grants a new trial, the order may or may not be reviewable depending on the jurisdiction. In some jurisdictions which permit a review, the aggrieved party must save an exception to the order and assign this ruling as error when an appeal is ultimately taken from a subsequent appealable decision. In other jurisdictions, he may take an appeal directly from the order.

This comment will discuss (1) the common-law practice which permitted no review of an order granting a new trial; (2) the practice allowing the aggrieved party to save an …

Contracts - Vendor's Agreement Not To Compete - Construction Of The Areement, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

A South Carolina statute prohibited labor of employees in enumerated manufacturing and mercantile establishments for more than fifty-six hours per week or more than twelve hours in any one day. Plaintiffs were druggists who brought suit to restrain the commissioner of labor from enforcing the statute. A temporary restraining order was issued and the commissioner of labor appealed. Held, the statute was unconstitutional as in violation of the due process and equal protection clauses in both state and federal constitutions. Gasque, Inc. v. Nates, (S. C. 1939) 2 S. E. (2d) 36.

Libel And Slander - Publication - Common Interest In Subject Matter, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Attorneys for plaintiff wrote a letter to a bus company claiming damages for an injury resulting from the negligence of the bus company. This letter was referred to the insurer of the bus company. Insurer, in reply, wrote a letter charging the plaintiff with an attempt to defraud, calling him a shyster lawyer, and making other disparaging remarks. Although intended for the bus company, this letter was inadvertently sent to plaintiff's attorneys. In a libel action brought against the bus company and the insurance company, the defendants moved to dismiss, claiming that the communication was privileged. Held, between the …

Taxation - Federal Estate Tax - Life Insurance Payable To Specific Beneficiary, Roy L. Steinheimer

Michigan Law Review

Six life insurance policies were taken out by decedent upon his own life between March 19, 1925 and January 2, 1929. On July 20, 1932 the decedent, by an instrument in writing, made an assignment of the policies to his wife and named her the beneficiary under the policies. From the date of the assignment until the date of his death, the decedent did not possess any incidents of ownership of the policies though he continued to pay the premiums. The wife of the decedent sued to recover the amount of the tax, assessed and paid on the net proceeds …

Inconsistencies In Public Utility Depreciation, Robert D. Haun

Michigan Law Review

Depreciation is a matter of valuation and of the determination of the cost of rendering public service. It is only incidentally related to replacements, and accounting for depreciation will not necessarily provide for replacements. Since depreciation does have to do primarily with valuation and determination of the cost of rendering service, and since capital devoted to public utility use is subject to regulation, it would seem that consistency in principles is not only desirable but attainable. It is the purpose of this article to examine the cases decided by the courts and by the regulatory commissions of the various jurisdictions …

Bankruptcy - Corporate Reorganization - Section 77b - Chapter X Of The Chandler Act - Right Of Creditor To Question The Good Faith Of A Reorganization Petition, Edmund O'Hare

Michigan Law Review

Appellants, two creditors of debtor, objected to the approval of a reorganization petition filed under section 77B by appellees, who were also creditors of debtor, claiming that the petition was not filed in good faith. Held, that appellants had sufficient standing to question the approval of the petition, since any single creditor may raise the issue of the good faith of the petitioners. Snyder v. Fenner, (C. C. A. 3d, 1939) 101 F. (2d) 736.

Constitutional Law- State Regulation Of Hours Of Labor - Police Power And Due Process, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

A South Carolina statute prohibited labor of employees in enumerated manufacturing and mercantile establishments for more than fifty-six hours per week or more than twelve hours in any one day. Plaintiffs were druggists who brought suit to restrain the commissioner of labor from enforcing the statute. A temporary restraining order was issued and the commissioner of labor appealed. Held, the statute was unconstitutional as in violation of the due process and equal protection clauses in both state and federal constitutions. Gasque, Inc. v. Nates, (S. C. 1939) 2 S. E. (2d) 36.

Evidence - Criminal Law And Procedure - Admissibility Of Recording Made On Device At Receiving End Of Telephone Conversation, William H. Klein

Michigan Law Review

In a prosecution for conspiracy to violate the narcotic laws, defendant objected to the admission of a recorded telephone conversation between himself and an informer, taken down by the latter on a device attached to the receiver. Defendant contended that this was inadmissible under the rule of Nardone v. United States. Held, the evidence was not intercepted, therefore not within the purview of the Federal Communications Act and, consequently, admissible despite the Nardone decision. United States v. Yee Ping Jong, (D. C. Pa. 1939) 26 F. Supp. 69.

Limitation Of Actions - What Is A "Written" Contract Within Statute?, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff sued on a clause in a deed in which the grantee assumed and agreed to pay a mortgage indebtedness therein specified. This obligation in the deed, being unsigned by the party to be charged, was held to be an unwritten contract by the lower court, and therefore barred by the six-year statute of limitations. Plaintiff appealed. Held, the contract, though unsigned by the party to be charged, was "in writing," and therefore the statutory fifteen-year period of limitations applied. McCormick v. Taft, (Ohio App. 1938) 22 N. E. (2d) 510.

Municipal Corporations - Indebtedness - Use Of Mandamus To Compel Payment Of Judgment, John L. Rubsam

Michigan Law Review

Petitioner sought a peremptory order directed to the council of the city of Long Beach, to compel them to include in the 1939 budget a sum sufficient to pay a judgment obtained for materials furnished to the city. Held, the denial of application by the lower court was not an abuse of discretion, since payment of the judgment would have given the petitioner a preference over other creditors of the same class inasmuch as there were insufficient funds available to pay all claims of such class without crippling the city or working unusual hardship on taxpayers. Coombs v. Edwards …

Negligence - Escalator Not An Attractive Nuisance, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff, a four-year-old child, accompanied his mother into defendant's department store. Having wandered over to a nearby escalator, he inserted his hand into the aperture where the steps go under the floor, and suffered the loss of two fingers for which injury this action was brought. Held, defendant's motion to dismiss the action was properly granted below, since an escalator, being an ordinary, common instrumentality constructed for ordinary and common use, is not an attractive nuisance. Kataoka v. May Department Stores Co., (D. C. Cal. 1939) 28 F. Supp. 3.

Sales - Implied Warranty By Victualler, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff purchased a meal at defendant's restaurant, in connection with which he was served contaminated drinking water obtained from defendant's well; he became ill from drinking the water. Plaintiff sued on the theory of implied warranty by defendant of the fitness of the water sold under the Uniform Sales Act, and on the ground that the service of the contaminated water in violation of the Ohio Pure Food Law constituted negligence by defendant. Held, plaintiff may recover on either theory. Yochem v. Gloria, Inc., 134 Ohio St. 427, 17 N. E. (2d) 731 (1938).

Torts - Adjoining Landowners - Duty Of Adjacent Owner To Airport Operator - Dangerous Instrumentalities, Jerome Dick

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff operated an airport which was adjacent to defendant public utility's uninsulated electric power transmission line. Since the airplane could not enter or leave the airport without flying low over defendant's adjacent right-of-way, the wire constituted an obstruction to their means of ingress and egress; in addition there was the danger of electrocution from contact with the wires. Plaintiff contends that this constitutes an interference with his business and seeks damages. Held, for defendant; under the statute plaintiff is a trespasser because he interferes with the reasonable use of defendant's property and a landowner is under no obligation to …

Usury - Nuisances - Injunctions - Repeated Violations Of The Usury Laws Enjoinable As Public Nuisance, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

The defendant conducted a small loan office which advertised extensively in the community. The loans ranged from $5 to $50 in amount, and were originally made for terms ranging from one to six months. The borrowers were predominantly wage earners and they were required to give promissory notes far in excess of the sums received. The interest rates of 590 loans made by the defendant averaged well over three hundred per cent per annum, making the business almost exclusively usurious. The Minnesota statute set the maximum interest rate at six per cent with a provision allowing a maximum of eight …

Monthly Periodical Index, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This department lists the articles and comments which appear in twenty-five leading law reviews.

Book Notes, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This department undertakes to list and, when possible, describe briefly current books on law and matters closely related thereto.

Taxation - Jurisdiction To Tax - Multiple Taxation Of Intangibles, Richard Brawerman

Michigan Law Review

In two recent decisions of the United States Supreme Court, Curry v. McCanless, and Graves v. Elliott, a majority of the justices refused to adhere to the doctrine that the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits taxation of intangibles by more than one state, and subscribed instead to the view that control and benefit are together the only test of jurisdiction of the states to tax. In Curry v. McCanless, the decedent, a resident of Tennessee, had created a trust of intangibles, reserving control over the income during her life and power to revoke the trust by will. The trust …

Libel And Slander - Defamation Of Attorney - Words Not Actionable Per Se, Roy L. Steinheimer Jr.

Michigan Law Review

The defendant, during the course of a public address, said of the plaintiff, an attorney: "They are throwing the bum out. The politicians . . . pick up a bum in a gin mill and send him over here to break up the audiences . . . . " Plaintiff alleges that, by innuendo, these words charge him with being a habitual drunkard, which constitutes slander per se because the words prejudiced him in his profession. Held, that the words were not actionable per se. Weidberg v. La Guardia, 170 Misc. 374, 10 N. Y. S. (2d) 445 …

Trade Restraints- Equitable Servitude On Chattels - Radio Broadcast Of Electrical Transcriptions, Roy L. Steinheimer

Michigan Law Review

A popular orchestra leader made certain electrical transcriptions (not records) of unique interpretations of different musical numbers which were distributed, for a consideration, for radio broadcast on the Ford Motor Program. A notice appears on the transcription that it is to be used only by a distributee station and then only on the Ford Program. Defendant, who is not a distributee, broadcast one of these transcriptions without the plaintiff's consent. Plaintiff sued to enjoin rendition of the transcriptions. Held, that the injunction should be granted because there was a proprietary interest in the plaintiff's rendition of these musical numbers, …

Monthly Periodical Index, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This department lists the articles and comments which appear in twenty-five leading law reviews.

Dean Bates And The Michigan Law School, Edwin C. Goddard

Michigan Law Review

From its opening in October, 1859, the Law School of the University of Michigan has been fortunate in the continuity of the service of the members of its faculty. The original faculty consisted of that remarkable trio, James V. Campbell, Charles I. Walker and Thomas M. Cooley. Instruction was given by lecture, and almost continuously for twenty-five years those three continued to expound the principles of the law to the students who flocked to the school.

Retroactive Application Of Law-A Problem In Constitutional Law, Edward S. Stimson

Michigan Law Review

May an overruling decision be applied to ascertain the legal effect of prior conduct? In cases arising under the diversity of citizenship jurisdiction, the United States Supreme Court has held that the federal courts should apply earlier state court decisions, and not a decision overruling them, whenever the retroactive application of the new rule would adversely affect a party who had changed his position in reliance on the decisions overruled. In the absence of such reliance and change of position it has sustained the retroactive application of a new rule. If the basis of the first principle is elemental fairness …

Constitutional Law - Fourteenth Amendment - Privileges And Immunities Clause - Civil Liberties - The Hague Case, John N. Seaman

Michigan Law Review

The decisions of the United States Supreme Court in recent years, interpreting the first section of the Fourteenth Amendment, have manifested two striking changes in trend. The first is towards less judicial restraint on governmental regulation of business; that is, towards tolerance of diminished "business liberty." The other is towards greater judicial restraint on governmental interference with individual liberty, commonly called civil liberty. A recent case/ which upheld freedom of speech and assembly and invalidated a city ordinance requiring the obtaining of a permit as prerequisite to a public meeting, not only illustrates the latter of these trends, but is …

Public Utilities - Rate Regulation - Validity Of Temporary Rate Order, Thomas K. Fisher

Michigan Law Review

Of interest to students of public utility rate regulation will be the case of Driscoll v. Edison Light & Power Co. in which the United States Supreme Court side-stepped a reconsideration of the fair value rule as announced in Smyth v. Ames, and a determination of the constitutionality of temporary rates based on the prudent investment theory.

Banks And Banking - Stockholder's Statutory Liability For Additional Assessment - Statute Of Limitations, Charles F. Dugan

Michigan Law Review

The plaintiff, receiver of the Bank of Saginaw, a Michigan state bank, sought to collect an assessment of one hundred per cent on ninety-six shares of stock of the bank, held by the respondent as trustee for Gardner Grout Rose. On August 31, 1933, the Commissioner of the Michigan State Banking Department, with the approval of the Governor, ordered the then conservator to levy an assessment on stockholders of the bank. On October 31, 1933, the conservator was replaced by a receiver. On September 5, 1934, the Michigan State Banking Commissioner, also with the approval of the Governor, made an …

Constitutional Law - Carriers - Supersedure Of State Regulations By Federal Regulations - Regulation Of Hours Of Service Of Motor Vehicular Drivers - Effect Of Federal Motor Carrier Act Of 1935, Fred C. Newman

Michigan Law Review

Defendant, whose business was chiefly interstate, violated a statute of New Hampshire which regulated the hours of service of drivers of certain motor vehicles. The violation occurred after the passage of the Federal Motor Carrier Act of 1935, which, among other things, conferred authority upon the Interstate Commerce Commission "to establish reasonable requirements with respect to . . . maximum hours of service of employees" of common and contract carriers by motor vehicle in interstate commerce. At the time of the breach of the state statute, the Interstate Commerce Commission had not prescribed regulations as to hours of service. Defendant …

Book Notes, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This department undertakes to list and, when possible, describe briefly current books on law and matters closely related thereto.

A Footnote On Dangerous Animals, Mary Coate Mcneely

Michigan Law Review

Much has been said and written by courts and authors on different aspects of the question of liability for injuries by animals, but there remains the task of fitting all these pieces into a complete pattern. The general subject of liability of the possessor of harm-producing animals has been treated on two separate and independent theories: (1) trespass, for injuries by marauding cattle; (2) case, for harms caused by animals other than trespassing cattle. The explanation for the separation of these two bodies of law is in part historical, the possessor of straying cattle being historically so identified with them …

Federal Courts - Substance And Procedure - Effect Of Erie Railroad V. Tompkins And Rule 8 (C) Of The Federal Rules Of Civil Procedure Upon Burden Of Proof Of Contributory Negligence, John H. Uhl

Michigan Law Review

The case of Erie Railroad v. Tompkins has wrought a great change in the relationship between the state and federal courts. Prior to its decision, the federal courts under the rule of Swift v. Tyson did not have to apply the state non-statutory law. They could apply their own notions as to what the law was in matters of general law relating to substance. The Conformity Act compelled the federal courts to follow the practice, pleading, and forms and modes of proceeding in like causes in the courts of the state within which the federal district courts were held. In …

Constitutional Law - Discriminatory State Game Legislation - Constitutionality As To Non-Resident Landowner, Russel T. Walker

Michigan Law Review

A non-resident landowner and his assignee brought an action to enjoin enforcement of a Louisiana statute which denied them the right to secure licenses to trap furbearing animals or alligators on the former's land until they had resided in the state for not less than one year. Held, the statute, discriminating as it did against landowners purely on the basis of non-residence, was unconstitutional as a deprivation of property and a denial of equal protection of the law. Pavel v. Patterson, (D. C. La. 1938) 24F. Supp. 915.