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Full-Text Articles in Law

Insurance - Accidental Means - Death By Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Dec 1931

Insurance - Accidental Means - Death By Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Michigan Law Review

The insured died from the effects of carbon monoxide gas generated by an automobile in a closed garage. The policy which he held in the defendant company provided for compensation only if the means of death were accidental, and the insurer-resisted the claim of his beneficiary for the reason that, even if the death was accidental, it was not a death by accidental means. Held, that if the result is unexpected, death resulting from an intententional act is a death by accidental means. Wiger v. Mutual Life Ins. Co. of New York (Wis. 1931) 236 N.W. 535.


Conflict Of Laws-Right Of Action For Foreign Tort Jun 1931

Conflict Of Laws-Right Of Action For Foreign Tort

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff, an automobile guest, brought action against the driver in Wisconsin for personal injuries sustained in Illinois through the driver's negligence. After commencement of the action, but before trial, the parties intermarried and established a matrimonial domicil in Wisconsin. Held, that the law governing the creation and extent of tort liability is that of the place where the tort is committed; that by the law of Illinois the cause of action was extinguished because of the legal unity of husband and wife; and therefore that the suit must abate, despite the fact that suits between spouses are ordinarily permitted …


Negligence-Proximate Cause Jun 1931

Negligence-Proximate Cause

Michigan Law Review

Defendant automobile driver, stopping his car between a line of parked motor cars and some street car tracks, opened the door on the left side of the automobile, with the result that the handle bar of plaintiff's bicycle struck the edge of the car door and plaintiff was thrown to the ground and injured. In the supreme court of Wisconsin, in an opinion containing, among other interesting features, model instructions for juries in the trial courts, it was held that liability for consequences of negligent acts is not limited to probable consequences but may attach to unforeseeable and improbable consequences. …


Easements-Way Of Necessity-Sale Of Servent Estate To Bona Fide Purchaser Without Notice Jun 1931

Easements-Way Of Necessity-Sale Of Servent Estate To Bona Fide Purchaser Without Notice

Michigan Law Review

M conveyed a portion of his land to X, through whom the defendant claims, the circumstances being such that X acquired a way of necessity over the land retained by M. X recorded his deed. Later M conveyed his remaining land to H, through whom the plaintiff claims. H was a purchaser for value without notice of the way of necessity. The plaintiff sought to enjoin the defendant from entering his land, and the defendant attempted to justify on the ground of this way of necessity. Held, under the recording acts the plaintiff as a bona fide purchaser took …


Negligence-Attractive Nuisance-Ponds Jun 1931

Negligence-Attractive Nuisance-Ponds

Michigan Law Review

The eleven year old son of the plaintiff was drowned by falling from a raft into a pond located upon the defendant's water-works property immediately adjacent to a public bathing beach. The pond was undeniably attractive to children and was left without guards, notices, or protection, and there was no clear indication where the public beach ended and the city property began. The lower court held that this constituted an attractive nuisance, but it was held on appeal that the doctrine of attractive nuisance does not apply to ponds. Fiel v. City of Racine (Wis. 1930) 233 N.W. 611.


Workmen's Compensation Acts-Single Side Venture As A Business Of The Employer May 1931

Workmen's Compensation Acts-Single Side Venture As A Business Of The Employer

Michigan Law Review

The plaintiffs, whose regular occupation was that of farming, were under a contract to move a house. The claimant, employed by the plaintiffs to assist in the undertaking (it does not appear whether he was regularly employed by them as a farmhand), was injured when a bridge, over which the house was being moved, fell into the river. Held, the injury was not compensable under the Workmen's Compensation Act since the employment was not "in the course of a trade, business, profession, or occupation'' of the employers. Vandervort v. Industrial Commission (Wis. 1931) 234 N.W. 492.


Conflict Of Laws-Foreign Tort-Survival Of Action May 1931

Conflict Of Laws-Foreign Tort-Survival Of Action

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff, defendant, and defendant's intestate were all residents of Minnesota. Plaintiff was injured in Wisconsin due to the negligence of the defendant's intestate. Under Wisconsin statute (Laws of Wis., 1927, sec. 287.01) such cause of action survived against the estate of the wrongdoer. By express statute in Minnesota (Minn. Gen. Stat. 1923, sec. 9656) the rule of the common law applied to such actions and they abated on the death of the wrongdoer. Plaintiff sued the defendant executor in Minnesota. Held, that the lex loci delicti governed and the action did not abate. Chubbuck v. Holloway (Minn. 1931) 234 …


Suretyship--Fraud Of Principal On Surety--Principal As Agent Of Creditor May 1931

Suretyship--Fraud Of Principal On Surety--Principal As Agent Of Creditor

Michigan Law Review

The plaintiff manufactured medicines, selling to peddlers who operated as independent contractors. Menning, a peddler, signed a new contract with plaintiff for operations for the ensuing year, the contract also covering payment of existing debts ($1,794) to plaintiff. The defendant, induced by Menning and relying on his statement that there was no existing debt, signed the contract as surety, the guaranty reciting a consideration of $1 received by defendant and an extension of time on any debts. This contract was terminated after seven weeks, and plaintiff sued for $1670, the balance due. The defendant claimed that Menning was plaintiff's agent …


Constitutional Law-Municipal Corporations-Police Power May 1931

Constitutional Law-Municipal Corporations-Police Power

Michigan Law Review

The defendants circulated, on the streets of Milwaukee, hand bills which set forth the political and economic views of their group. An ordinance made it unlawful for any person "to circulate or distribute any circular, hand bills, cards, posters, dodgers, or other printed or advertising matter, * * * in or upon any sidewalk, street, * * * or other public place, park or ground within the City of Milwaukee." The defendants were arrested and convicted of violating this ordinance. There was no charge that the ordinance was enforced in any unreasonable or discriminatory manner, or that its purpose was …


Husband And Wife-Right Of Wife To Sue Husband For Tort May 1931

Husband And Wife-Right Of Wife To Sue Husband For Tort

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff, an automobile guest resident in Wisconsin, brought action against the driver for personal injuries sustained in Illinois through the driver's negligence. After commencement of the action but before trial the parties intermarried. Held, that by the law of Illinois the cause of action was extinguished because of the legal unity of husband and wife, that the law governing the creation and extent of defendant's liability was the law of Illinois, and the cause of action therefore abated. Buckeye v. Buckeye (Wis. 1931) 234 N.W. 342.


Equity - Conditional Rescission For Unilateral Mistakes Apr 1931

Equity - Conditional Rescission For Unilateral Mistakes

Michigan Law Review

Lessee submitted a lease containing an option for renewal to the attorney of the lessor. Being informed by 'the lessor's attorney that the lessor probably would not accept the lease with the option for renewal, the lessee submitted another without this feature. The lessor by mistake signed the lease containing the option and mailed it to the lessee. Lessor sued for rescission. Held, rescission granted on condition that the lessor give the lessee a privilege of taking the lease the lessor intended to sign. Miller v. Stanich (Wis. 1930) 233 N.W. 753.


Process--Privilige Of Nonresident Attorney Apr 1931

Process--Privilige Of Nonresident Attorney

Michigan Law Review

The defendant, an attorney at law and resident of Minnesota, came into Wisconsin to take depositions to be used in suits pending in Minnesota. Upon arrival he and the witnesses were served with an injunction restraining the taking of the depositions. While awaiting a hearing upon the injunction, in which he intended to appear in his own behalf and as attorney for the witnesses, personal service of a Wisconsin summons in the instant action was made upon him, naming as defendants himself and the law firm of which he was a member. A motion to set aside the service of …


Corporations-Subsidiary's Evasion Of Income Tax Law By Contract With Parent Company-Income Attributable To Business Transacted Within The State Mar 1931

Corporations-Subsidiary's Evasion Of Income Tax Law By Contract With Parent Company-Income Attributable To Business Transacted Within The State

Michigan Law Review

The Palmolive company sought to reduce to a minimum the amount of its income taxable in Wisconsin. Three companies were formed which, for convenience' sake, will be designated as: parent company, a Delaware corporation; plaintiff company, a Delaware corporation; and Wisconsin company, a Wisconsin corporation. The parent company acquired all the capital stock of the Wisconsin company, and then acquired all its assets outside the state of Wisconsin, surrendering therefor part of the stock of the Wisconsin company so acquired. The balance of the capital stock of the Wisconsin company the parent company transferred to plaintiff company in exchange for …


Libel And Slander-Liability Of A Telegraph Company For The Transmission Of A Defamatory Message Jan 1931

Libel And Slander-Liability Of A Telegraph Company For The Transmission Of A Defamatory Message

Michigan Law Review

It is surprising that despite the tremendous number of messages handled, covering almost every conceivable subject, the question of the liability of a telegraph company for the transmission of a defamatory message has arisen in but half a dozen jurisdictions. The earliest reported case, decided in 1858 when the law as to the tort liability of a corporation was still in the formative period, asserted the liability of the telegraph company on the sole ground that a corporation could be guilty of malice. Following a series of cases arising in the state and federal courts of Minnesota, a modern rule …


Contribution--Joint Tort-Feasors--Parent Of Minor Plaintiff Jan 1931

Contribution--Joint Tort-Feasors--Parent Of Minor Plaintiff

Michigan Law Review

A, a minor, while riding in an automobile driven by B, his father, sustained injuries in a collision with an automobile driven by C. A sued C, and the latter impleaded B on a cross-complaint for contribution. The jury found the injuries to be the result of the concurring negligence of both defendants. The cross-complaint was dismissed. Held, that since there could be no recovery against the father by his son, no right of contribution existed. Zutter v. O'Connell (Wis. 1930) 229 N.W. 74-