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Federal Procedure - Juries - Attacking Release For Fraud In Action At Law, James W. Beatty S.Ed. Dec 1954

Federal Procedure - Juries - Attacking Release For Fraud In Action At Law, James W. Beatty S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff brought an action to recover damages for personal injuries. Defendant filed an answer and asserted that plaintiff had executed a release in full for all claims against the defendant. In his reply plaintiff admitted that he had executed the release, but claimed that it was obtained by fraud on the part of the defendant. The district court granted defendant's motion to deny a jury trial on the ground that the matter of determining the validity of a release was properly cognizable in equity and that therefore plaintiff was not entitled to a jury trial on this issue. On appeal …


Federal Procedure - Venue - Right Of Alien Under Diversity Of Citizenship Clause Of 28 U.S.C. § 1391 (A), Richard M. Adams Dec 1954

Federal Procedure - Venue - Right Of Alien Under Diversity Of Citizenship Clause Of 28 U.S.C. § 1391 (A), Richard M. Adams

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff, a citizen of France and resident of New York City, sought a declaratory judgment and restraining order against several defendants residing in different states. On the theory that a suit involving a citizen of France and citizens of the United States constituted "diversity of citizenship" under 28 U.S.C. § 1391 (a), and therefore could be brought where all of the plaintiffs or all of the defendants resided, the action was laid in the federal district court of New York where the plaintiff resided. Defendant moved for dismissal on the ground that this was "alienage," not "diversity of citizenship" as …


Civil Procedure - Venue - Forum Non-Conveniens, Richard S. Weinstein S.Ed. Nov 1954

Civil Procedure - Venue - Forum Non-Conveniens, Richard S. Weinstein S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff, an Indiana corporation not authorized to do business in New York, brought an action in New York, aided by attachment, against Indiana residents on a contract that was made, was to be performed, and allegedly was breached in Indiana. On the basis of the doctrine of forum non conveniens the defendants moved to vacate the warrant of attachment and to dismiss the complaint. The lower court denied the motion. On appeal, held, reversed. Under the doctrine of forum non conveniens, the lower court should have exercised its discretion to refuse to entertain the action. Central Pub. Co. vs. …


Hearsay And Conspiracy: A Reexamination Of The Co-Conspirators' Exception To The Hearsay Rule, Joseph H. Levie Jun 1954

Hearsay And Conspiracy: A Reexamination Of The Co-Conspirators' Exception To The Hearsay Rule, Joseph H. Levie

Michigan Law Review

The expansion of the law of conspiracy and the increasing number of prosecutions for its violation have been much commented on lately. Many kinds of anti-social conduct directed principally against the public welfare are now frequently punished by prosecution for conspiracy instead of prosecution for the substantive offense. Conspiracy is an ideal way to deal with organized crime and has been used extensively against quasi-treasonous activities. Similarly the Sherman Act's criminal sanctions are primarily couched in terms of conspiracy and the civil conspiracy action for divestiture or dissolution is the usual method of enforcing the antitrust laws. This emphasis on …


Federal Procedure - Counterclaim To A Counterclaim Under The Federal Rules, Elizabeth Gaspar Brown Jun 1954

Federal Procedure - Counterclaim To A Counterclaim Under The Federal Rules, Elizabeth Gaspar Brown

Michigan Law Review

With one exception the cases decided in the federal courts under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure have held that the plaintiff is free to plead a counterclaim in the reply, although in every instance the counterclaim in the reply under consideration was one related to the subject matter of the counterclaim pleaded in the defendant's answer.


Venue-The Need For A Change In The Venue Provisions Of The Federal Employers' Liability Act, S. I. Shuman S.Ed. Jun 1954

Venue-The Need For A Change In The Venue Provisions Of The Federal Employers' Liability Act, S. I. Shuman S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

In response to the need created by a highly dangerous era of railroad employment, and subsequent to the passage of similar legislation in Europe, there was enacted in 1906 a Federal Employers' Liability Act. The attempted coverage of the first FELA was too broad to withstand the constitutional scrutiny of a five-to-four Supreme Court, and it consequently remained for the Congress of 1908 to enact valid legislation for the protection of the railroad employee. Whether or not: the FELA is the most efficacious solution to the problem of the injured railroad employee continues to be warmly debated, but for the …


Federal Procedure-Mandamus-Review Of Federal District Court Order Of Severance And Transfer Pursuant To 28 U.S.C. §1406 (A), Judson M. Werbelow S.Ed. May 1954

Federal Procedure-Mandamus-Review Of Federal District Court Order Of Severance And Transfer Pursuant To 28 U.S.C. §1406 (A), Judson M. Werbelow S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Petitioner instituted a treble damage suit alleging violation of the antitrust laws in the Federal District Court for the Southern District of Florida, naming the insurance commissioner of Georgia, the insurance commissioner of Florida, and four insurance companies residing and doing business in the Southern District of Florida as defendants. The Georgia insurance commissioner, who was personally served in the Northern District of Florida, entered a special appearance to dismiss the action for improper venue. Petitioner contended that the Georgia commissioner was "found or has an agent" in the Southern District of Florida on the theory that co-conspirators are each …


Evidence-Privilege-Right Of Third Person To Assert Privilege As To Accident Report Made Confidential By Statute, Richard W. Young S.Ed. May 1954

Evidence-Privilege-Right Of Third Person To Assert Privilege As To Accident Report Made Confidential By Statute, Richard W. Young S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff brought a negligence action for injuries sustained when the automobile in which she was a passenger collided with that operated by the defendant. Defendant questioned a police officer, who had filed the accident report, concerning statements made to him by the driver of the vehicle in which the plaintiff was riding. The trial court permitted this testimony over the plaintiff's objection that these statements were privileged under an Iowa statute purporting to make written accident reports confidential and inadmissible in evidence. On appeal after a verdict was returned in favor of the defendant, held, reversed. The statute can …


Corporations-Shareholders-Settlement Of Derivative Suits Under The Federal Rules, George S. Flint Mar 1954

Corporations-Shareholders-Settlement Of Derivative Suits Under The Federal Rules, George S. Flint

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff, a minority stockholder in the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation, objected to the approval by a federal district court of a settlement in a stockholder's derivative action against various directors of the company and several firms in which they were interested. The compromise covered a series of similar suits filed in state and federal courts, involving contracts negotiated by the directors with defendant companies and alleged manipulations through security purchases preceding a projected issue of stock in 1948. The court had approved the compromise under rule 23(c) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Plaintiff contended that the settlement was collusive and …


Federal Procedure - Appellate Practice - Duty Of The Court Of Appeals To Grant Rehearings En Banc, Raymond R. Trombadore S.Ed. Feb 1954

Federal Procedure - Appellate Practice - Duty Of The Court Of Appeals To Grant Rehearings En Banc, Raymond R. Trombadore S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

In a suit for accounting, petitioners were denied relief in the district court and a division of the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed by a two-to-one vote. Petitioners then applied for a rehearing before the court of appeals en bane. With one dissent, the rehearing was denied by the division, and the request that the rehearing be en bane was stricken as "being without authority in law or in the rules or practice of the court.'' Petitioners moved to vacate the order denying the request for a rehearing en bane on the ground that such a request …


Civil Procedure - Power Of State To Enjoin Its Citizens From Suing In Another State Under The Federal Employers' Liability Act, John S. Slavens S.Ed. Jan 1954

Civil Procedure - Power Of State To Enjoin Its Citizens From Suing In Another State Under The Federal Employers' Liability Act, John S. Slavens S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Petitioner was injured in the course of employment with respondent, an interstate railroad, in Ben Hill County, Georgia, the residence of petitioner. Invoking the Federal Employers' Liability Act, petitioner filed suit in Jefferson County, Alabama, where respondent was doing business. Respondent, relying on section 1404(a) of the Judicial Code, initiated an equity action in Ben Hill County, Georgia, to restrain petitioner from continuing his action in Alabama. The trial court sustained a demurrer to respondent's petition. The Georgia Supreme Court reversed, holding that Georgia law gave its courts power to prevent its citizens from bringing vexatious suits. On certiorari from …


Federal Procedure - Venue Of Corporations - Inapplicability Of 28 U.S.C. §1391 (C) To Removal Actions, George B. Berridge S.Ed. Jan 1954

Federal Procedure - Venue Of Corporations - Inapplicability Of 28 U.S.C. §1391 (C) To Removal Actions, George B. Berridge S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff, a resident of Florida, brought a libel action in a Florida court against the publisher of Look, an Iowa corporation. Defendant maintained no office in Florida, and sold its magazines to two independent wholesale companies for distribution to . Florida retailers; it was on an agent of one of these wholesalers that process was originally served. However, defendant did employ a "circulation road man," who traveled throughout several states including Florida to check retail outlets for complaints and to see that proper displays were maintained. Defendant removed the action to the Federal District Court for the Southern District …