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Federal Procedure-Jurisdiction-Diversity Of Citizenship Required In Stockholder's Derivative Suit, Morris G. Shanker

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff, a citizen of New York, instituted a stockholder's suit on behalf of a New York corporation in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Individual officers and directors of the corporation, all citizens of Connecticut, were charged with mismanagement and were joined with it as party defendants. Since plaintiff and defendant corporation were both citizens of New York, requisite diversity did not exist, and the district court dismissed the claim for lack of jurisdiction. Upon appeal, held, judgment affirmed. The section of the Federal Judicial Code providing that "any civil action by a …

Federal Procedure-Venue-Waiver Of Title 28, United States Code, Section 1391(A), Under Nonresident Motorist Statutes, Nolan W. Carson S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

A Connecticut resident brought a suit based on diversity of citizenship in a United States district court in Massachusetts against an Ohio corporation, alleging a cause of action arising from an automobile collision upon a Massachusetts highway. Plaintiff secured personal jurisdiction over the defendant by serving process upon the Registrar of Motor Vehicles for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and by giving notice to defendant in accordance with the Massachusetts nonresident motorist statute. Upon defendant's motion, the action was dismissed for improper venue. Held, defendant is not a Massachusetts resident for purposes of federal venue as defined by Title 28, …

Landlord And Tenant-Liability Of Landlord To Persons On The Premises-Breach Of Covenant To Repair, Thomas P. Segerson

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff, a carpenter, hired by tenant, suffered personal injuries in a fall caused by a defective railing on the rear porch of premises leased by defendant to tenant. By the terms of the lease, tenant was given exclusive possession of the premises, while defendant agreed to keep the rear porch in repair. Defendant had failed to repair the railing on being notified of its defective condition. From a judgment holding defendant liable to plaintiff for the injuries sustained; defendant appealed. Held, reversed. In the absence of control of the premises, a lessor is not liable in tort for personal …

Usury And Purchases On Credit, Harold G. Christensen S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Defendant purchased goods of the plaintiff on credit, giving his note, secured by a chattel mortgage, for the balance of the purchase price. The total price included a "time price differential" which exceeded the lawful rate of interest computed on the unpaid balance. Defendant defaulted in payment of the note and plaintiff sued to recover the goods. Defendant pleaded that the mortgage and note included usurious interest. Held, there was a bona fide sale on credit and the note was not usurious. Brown v. Crandall, (S.C. 1950) 61 S.E. (2d) 761.

Smith: Labor Law: Cases And Materials, Harry Shulman

Michigan Law Review

A Review of LABOR LAW: CASES AND MATERIALS. By Russell A. Smith.

Wills-Discovery Of Will Following Adjudication Of Intestacy-Rights Of Intervening Purchasers, Patrick J. Ledwidge

Michigan Law Review

At the time of his death in 1945, decedent was the owner of the real estate in question. His estate was administered in the belief that he had died intestate, and the administrator was discharged in August 1946. Thereafter, the property was conveyed by decedent's heirs to buyer, and by buyer in February 1947, to the defendant, a bona fide purchaser. Subsequently, decedent's will was discovered and admitted to probate in December 1947. By the terms of the will, the plaintiff was entitled to a one-half interest in the land. Plaintiff's complaint, asking partition of the land, was dismissed by …

Notes, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

The information given in the notes is derived from inspection of the books, publishers' literature, and the ordinary library sources.

Virtue: Survey Of Metropolitan Courts: Detroit Area, Stephen H. Clink

Michigan Law Review

A Review of SURVEY OF METROPOLITAN COURTS: DETROIT AREABy Maxine Boord Virtue.

Front Matter, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Front Matter for Volume 49, Issue 6 of Michigan Law Review

The Voluntary Arbitration Of Labor Disputes, George W. Taylor

Michigan Law Review

Diverse conceptions about the relationship between collective bargaining and arbitration are at the root of some important current problems about the use of voluntary arbitration to resolve labor disputes. Should voluntary arbitration be considered, in any degree, as an extension of collective bargaining, or should it be basically conceived as an alternative to collective bargaining? In other words, does any part of the criterion of mutual acceptability-the very essence of collective bargaining-carry over when arbitration is invoked, or does "arbitration" connote a process through which employment terms are imposed upon the parties without any regard to the acceptability factor. There …

Union Powers And Workers' Rights, Clyde W. Summers

Michigan Law Review

The plight of the Highland group is not the product of labor strife, but of collective bargaining; not of employer discrimination, but of union power. It symbolizes in an extreme form the potential fate of an individual worker within the structure of unionization and collective bargaining. It sharply reminds us that contracts apply to workers, and that unions consist of members. It warns us that we must not become so obsessed with the glamor of studying mass action that we ignore the fate of those who make up the mass and in whose name the action is taken.

Such cases …

The Limitation Of Taxation Of Transfers In Contemplation Of Death By The Revenue Act Of 1950, Edmund W. Pavenstedt

Michigan Law Review

The Revenue Act of 1950 amended the estate tax provision dealing with transfers in contemplation of death, which has been on the books ever since the estate tax first appeared as a war emergency measure during World War I, by eliminating from this category all transfers made more than three years prior to the date of death. All transfers made within that period are deemed under the new law to have been made in contemplation of death (and hence are includible in the transferor's gross estate) unless the contrary is shown. Such a rebuttable presumption formerly was limited by the …

Extraterritorial Effects Of Confiscations And Expropriations, Ignaz Seidl-Hohenvelden

Michigan Law Review

The study of the problem of extraterritorial effects of confiscations and expropriations from the point of view of Comparative Law has special practical importance. There are hardly any codified rules applicable to foreign confiscations and expropriations, either in statutory law countries or in common law countries. Hence, decisions have to be based largely on generally accepted rules of public and private international law. Such general acceptance can only be proved by a comparative analysis of foreign as well as of domestic precedents.

Habeas Corpus-Jurisdiction Of Federal Courts To Review Jurisdiction Of Military Tribunals When The Prisoner Is Physically Confined Outside The United States, Willis B. Snell S. Ed.

Michigan Law Review

The question of the power of federal courts to issue the writ of habeas corpus for a prisoner confined outside the territorial United States has not as yet been completely answered. Until recently, there were few instances in which anyone was confined outside the United States under the authority of the United States. However, during and since World War II, American military tribunals have exercised power over citizens and aliens, civilians and military personnel, in many parts of the world, and especially in Germany and Japan. Because of this extended use of military tribunals, the question of the power of …

Jurisdiction-Basis And Range Of Process-Recent Developments, Thomas Hartwell S. Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Since Pennoyer v. Neff, holding that mere notice was an insufficient basis for in personam jurisdiction, it has generally been held that an in personam judgment requires service, as distinguished from notice, on a defendant present or domiciled within the jurisdiction. With the increased tempo of interstate activities, however, it has become expedient to relax the concept of physical power as being the basis of jurisdiction, which prompted the Pennoyer decision. Presence has assumed a more elaborate meaning, while service has become more closely equated with adequate notice. Illustrative of this development is the recent decision of Traveler's Health …

Unemployment Compensation-Effect Of The Merits Of A Labor Dispute On The Right To Benefits, Robert H. Frick S. Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Every state and territorial unemployment compensation act contains a provision disqualifying persons from receiving benefits whose unemployment is the result of a labor dispute or some form thereof. In most states these provisions have been applied to deny benefits to striking or locked-out workers regardless of the merits of the particular controversy. A few states have adopted provisions permitting at least a limited investigation into the question of fault. It is the purpose of this comment to discuss the extent to which the merits of labor disputes are and should be considered in determining workers' rights to benefits.

Constitutional Law-Freedom Of Speech, Alan C. Boyd S. Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Defendant addressed a crowd of people, white and Negro, on a public sidewalk for the purpose of urging them to attend a certain meeting. During the course of his speech he "'called Mayor Costello [of Syracuse] a champaign [sic] sipping bum and President Truman a bum. He referred to the American Legion as Nazi Gestapo agents-he also said the fifteenth Ward was run by corrupt politicians and that horse rooms were operating.'" He also appealed to the Negroes to rise up and fight for equal rights. The police were called but at first merely observed the gathering. Angry …

Corporations--Stockholders' Rights--Majority Discretion As Bar To Derivative Suit, Richard Darger

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiffs, minority stockholders of defendant corporation, brought an equitable action against certain directors thereof alleging the following wrongs: profits made by purchasing the corporation's notes at a discount; carrying out a plan to gain stock control; settlement of anti-trust suits out of court; excessive compensation of directors under management contracts alleged to violate anti-trust laws; paying excessive film rentals to another corporation. Plaintiffs unsuccessfully demanded that the board bring action against the directors on these grounds and then make a like demand at a stockholders' meeting. The stockholders voted not to sue, approved all actions alleged to be wrongs and …

Criminal Law-Confessions And Due Process, Harold G. Christensen S. Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Petitioner was arrested on suspicion of robbery and the next day confessed the theft of a car owned by a person who had been found dead a month previous. On the following evening, after a four and one-half hour "interview" with two F.B.I. agents, he "broke down and confessed the killing." Other confessions were made the next day and finally, after a detention of five days from the day of arrest, petitioner was taken before a committing magistrate. He was found guilty of murder at a trial in which these confessions were used against him. He sued out a writ …

Labor Law-Breach Of No-Strike Covenant-Damage Suits Against Unions, Bernard L. Goodman S. Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff corporation and defendant union entered into a collective bargaining agreement which provided that there should be no strikes by members of the union until the grievance procedure prescribed therein was exhausted. A walkout in violation of this agreement occurred and the plaintiff sought damages for the consequent loss of profits. A statute provided that ''Whenever any unincorporated . . . association . . . shall be formed in this state . . . actions . . . may be brought by or against such associations. . . " On de novo hearing, held, the defendant was amenable to …

Municipal Corporations-Validity Of Agreement By Municipal Employees To Accept Less Than Statutory Salary, John T. Gallagher

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff firemen sued the City of Chattanooga to recover the difference between the salary actually paid them during the depression years and the minimum salary provided by statute. The city, as a defense, relied upon certain instruments voluntarily executed by the plaintiffs by which they authorized the city auditor to reduce their salaries by a specified amount each month during these years so that the city could meet its budget without being compelled to exercise its legal right to reduce the fire force. The plaintiffs claimed that the reductions were illegal because of the minimum salary fixed by law. On …

Partnership--Partner's Right To Compensation For Services To Partnership As A Going Concern, C. E. Lombardi, Jr.

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff and defendant bought a fishing boat, which they operated in partnership for a number of years, under an agreement embodied in a series of informal letters. Both plaintiff and defendant at times ran the boat, but apparently they never operated it together. The partner in charge received the customary share of the crew's two-thirds of the "catch," plus compensation for services rendered as captain; each of them received half of the ''boat's share" of the catch. Defendant bought materials for some special nets, which he designed and constructed; he informed. plaintiff that he was doing so, and that it …

Process--Immunity From Service--Person Entering A State To File An Action, Patrick J. Ledwidge

Michigan Law Review

Petitioner, a resident of Missouri, entered California to gain custody of his child from its maternal grandmother. After eight days of fruitless negotiation he commenced habeas corpus proceedings. While attempting to serve the writ of habeas corpus, petitioner was served with a summons in an action brought by the grandmother for support of the child. When the trial court denied petitioner's motion to quash the service of summons on him, he sought a writ of prohibition from the district court of appeals to prevent further prosecution of the second action. Held, petition denied; petitioner's eight day delay justified inference …

Real Property-Validity Of Regulations Or Conditions Imposed Upon Subdivision Planning, Alan C. Boyd S. Ed.

Michigan Law Review

The plaintiff, wishing to subdivide its land fronting on Long Island Sound, submitted its plan to the town planning and zoning board whose approval was required by ordinance before land could be subdivided and sold. The board rejected plaintiff's plan as not in conformance with a preliminary town plan, adopted in 1936 pursuant to a state statute, providing for the prospective construction of a road along the shore of the sound. The plaintiff appealed to the board of zoning appeals, which affirmed the decision of the town planning and zoning board. On appeal to the Supreme Court of Errors of …

Regulation Of Business-Robinson-Patman Act-Defense Of Meeting A Competitor's Price, Willis B. Snell S. Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Standard Oil sold gasoline to "jobber" customers at a price lower than that at which it sold to other customers in the area. The price differentials were not justified by lower costs. The jobbers made both wholesale and retail sales of the gasoline; some of them passed on the reduced prices by sales at less than the prevailing rates in the area. The F.T.C. held that Standard's price differential violated section 2(a) of the Clayton Act, as amended by the Robinson-Patman Act. Standard contended that the differential was established in good faith to meet an equally low price of a …

Taxation-Percentage Depletion Allowance On Income Received From The Reworking Of Dumps And Tailings Deposits, Charles Horning

Michigan Law Review

A dump of waste material and low-grade ore resulted from mining operations by a lessee in the American Mine. London Extension owned an undivided one-half interest in the claims which made up the mine. In 1940 London acquired the lease on the property. Chicago Mines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of London, then took a lease on the dump, agreeing to pay to London a royalty of twenty per cent of the net smelter returns. Chicago worked the dump for a few months, after which it was worked by London. In filing its income tax return for the year, Chicago claimed a …

Torts-False Imprisonment-Detention Of Insane Person, John A. Hellstrom S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff sued defendant doctor for false imprisonment arising out of her detention as an insane person. Defendant had examined plaintiff at the request of the plaintiff's husband, called the police, and advised that she be detained as dangerous. Plaintiff was released ten days later but there was evidence to the effect that she was of unsound mind when originally detained. The arrest and detention of insane persons without a warrant is authorized by a District of Columbia statute on the affidavits of two responsible persons supported by certificates from two doctors or when such a person is found in a …

Torts-Strict Liability For Ultra-Hazardous Activities, Harold G. Christensen S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff brought action for damage to his land caused by concussion and vibration resulting from defendant's blasting operations in the construction of a public highway. Defendant demurred for failure to state a cause of action in that plaintiff did not properly plead negligence. Held, demurrer sustained. Fault is a requisite to liability. Reynolds v. W. H. Hinman Co., (Me. 1950) 75 A. (2d) 802.

Wills-Statute Requiring Wills To Be Signed At The End Thereof-Facts Constituting Compliance, Roger D. Anderson

Michigan Law Review

Testator had properly executed his will in all respects except that following his and witnesses' signatures there appeared a clause appointing executors. New York statute law provided that to be valid a will must be signed at the end by the testator. Surrogate Court had denied probate. On appeal, held, affirmed. The statute was not complied with, for the end of a will is not found until the last word of all the provisions is reached. In re Winter's Will, 98 N.Y.S. (2d) 312 (1950).

Nims: Pre-Trial, John W. Reed

Michigan Law Review

A Review of PRE-TRIAL. By Harry D. Nims.