Law Commons^™

Trusts-Charitable Trusts-Effect Of Nationalization Act On Gifts To English Hospitals, George D. Miller, Jr. S. Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Complainant held property under a trust created by a Rhode Island will, the validity of which had previously been determined by the Rhode Island court. Respondent hospitals were remainder beneficiaries of the trust, the gifts to them being subject to certain limitations on their use. Respondent churches were named in the trust deed as alternative legatees "in case any of my preceding gifts, specially my gifts to Public purposes, should fail .... " The remainder interests vested, and partial distribution of the corpus was made in 1939. In 1946 the National Health Service Act was passed in Great Britain which …

Conflict Of Laws-Validity Of A Contract-Application Of Renvoi, R. Lawrence Storms S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff (British actor, James Mason) and defendant signed an agreement in England contemplating the formation of an American company for producing motion pictures. Plaintiff was to give his exclusive services to the company, and defendant was to make all financial arrangements and generally to manage the company. A dispute arose as to the legal effect of the agreement. Plaintiff won a judgment that the agreement was not a valid contract because of its indefiniteness as to essential terms. On appeal, held, affirmed. Mason v. Rose, (2d Cir. 1949) 176 F. (2d) 486.

Conflict Of Laws-Refugee Government Property Conservation Decrees In The Courts Of The United States, Robert D. Ulrich

Michigan Law Review

In the Feuchtwanger case, a French government decree of April 24, 1940, as amended May 10, 1940, defined as prohibited exportation of capital "the acts of allowing to remain outside of French territory, or keeping in foreign exchange or foreign currencies, or of not collecting within the territories fixed by decree or instruction of the Minister of Finance, all or part of the proceeds of the exportation of merchandise, or of the remuneration for services, as well as all or part of all proceeds or income abroad."

In May 1939, plaintiff, then a resident of France, purchased a number of …

Conflict Of Laws-Corporations-Effect Of Soviet Dissolution On Status Of Russian Corporations Abroad

Michigan Law Review

A Russian insurance company, driven from its domicil by the revolution and subsequent nationalization decrees of the Soviet government, was attempting to gather assets located without Russia through the surviving directors, who constituted less than a quorum of the last board. For the purpose of suit in New York the directors authorized an assignment to the plaintiff, an American corporation, of a claim against the defendant, a British corporation, arising out of a contract made in England. In the subsequent suit it was held that the directors' authority was limited to that of conservators, and did not include the power …

Collateral Attack Upon Foreign Judgments The Doctrine Of Pemberton V. Hughes, Fowler Vincent Harper

Michigan Law Review

In Pemberton v. Hughes the action was brought in England, by one Sarah E. Pemberton claiming to be the widow of Francis Alexander Pemberton, for certain property rights incident to widowhood. Whether plaintiff was the widow of Pemberton depended upon the validity of their alleged marriage, which in tum depended upon the validity of a Florida divorce of the lady from a former husband. In the divorce action in question, service of summons had been made upon the present plaintiff one day less than the statutory period before appearance. Under the law of Florida, such a defective service rendered the …

Conflict Of Laws-Renvoi Doctrine

Michigan Law Review

H, an Englishman, married W in England. On separation H acquired a domicil in Germany. A child was thereafter born to Y, a woman with whom H was living in Germany. H subsequently divorced W in Germany and married Y. Whether the child was legitimate determined whether H had validly exercised a power of appointment in an English settlement. Held, legitimacy is to be determined by the law of the domicil, including its rules of private international law. Germany, referring the matter to English law, found a remittance which Germany accepted and applied German municipal law. The child, by …

Acquisition Of Foreign Domicil And The Doctrine Of Renvoi

Michigan Law Review

A recent English decision has virtually overruled the leading case of In re Johnson, and revived interest in problems raised by application of the much discussed doctrine of renvoi.