Law Commons^™

Negligence - Duties Of Railroad - Landowner Toward Frequent Trespasser - Limitations On Rights Of Trespasser, William D. Keeler S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

The duties of a landowner toward one who enters the land without consent may no longer be determined, in many cases, by merely stating the fact that the intruder is a trespasser whose presence is unknown to the landowner. This comment will discuss an area in which the relationship of landowner and trespasser inter se has been greatly altered, and will deal in particular with a class of cases which serve to limit the expanded rights of the trespasser.

Contracts--Specific Performance-Defense Of Hardship Caused By Defendant's Improvements After Giving Option To Purchase, Robert E. Anstaett

Michigan Law Review

In a lease of plaintiff's corner lot to defendant corporation in 1941, the latter granted plaintiff a five-year option to purchase adjacent lots owned by defendant for $35,000, which was then a fair price. In 1945 defendant's officers, overlooking the option agreement, authorized construction of a warehouse on the adjacent property. After defendant had expended about $20,000 in the construction, plaintiff exercised her option by giving notice to defendant. Upon defendant's refusal to convey, plaintiff sued for specific performance. The trial court dismissed the complaint. Held, reversed and remanded with instruction to decree specific performance upon condition that plaintiff …

Insurance - Right Of Insurer To Be Subrogated To Claim Of Insured Against A Third Person Where It Has Paid A Claim On Which It Was Not Liable, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff paid insured for damage done to his building because of the defendant's negligence, and received a subrogation receipt from the insured. Plaintiff now sues for damages in its own name and for its own benefit. The policy provided that it should be void if the insured did not have sole and unconditional ownership of the property. Title to the damaged property was in the name of the insured's wife, and therefore the policy was void. Held, since the insurer was not obligated under the policy, it was a mere volunteer, and could not be subrogated to the insured's …

Landlord And Tenant - Covenant By Landlord To Repair - Liability Ex Contractu For Personal Injuries Of The Tenant's Wife, Reid J. Hatfield

Michigan Law Review

One of the terms under which certain premises were leased to plaintiff's husband was a covenant by the defendant lessor to keep the premises in repair. Defendant neglected to repair two of the porch steps, although often requested by plaintiff to do so, and because of their defective condition plaintiff fell and was hurt. She brought suit on two counts; in tort for negligence, and on the contract for its breach. Held, an action in tort would not lie, and, although this was a proper case for an action ex contractu, recovery was denied because the consequences were avoidable …

Torts - Liability Without Fault - Rylands V. Fletcher - Necessity For Control Of Premises, Charles F. Dugan

Michigan Law Review

Defendant, under a contract with the federal government to dredge the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, deposited the effluent material dredged from the canal upon a disposal area owned by the government. The work was carried on under government supervision, and neither the government inspectors nor defendant's employees knew, nor apparently could they have known, of any defect in the retaining wall which had previously been built by the government to hold back the material. Defendant had had nothing to do with prior dredging operations, by which the level of fixed earth behind the retaining wall had been raised considerably. After …

Municipal Corporations - Immunity Of City From Tort Liability - Attractive Nuisance

Michigan Law Review

The minor plaintiff, a child of eleven, was injured when she fell from a swing in a playground maintained by the defendant, and struck a jagged stone which protruded from the surface of the earth about eight feet beyond the base of the swing. She and her parents joined as plaintiffs in this suit, alleging that the defendant was negligent in failing to keep the ground around the swing in a reasonably safe condition and free from dangerous objects upon which a child might fall. Held, the defendant is liable for its failure to keep the earth around the …

Bailments - Innkeepers - Liability For Loss Of Baggage

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff, a guest at defendant's hotel, on his arrival there gave his trunk check to the head porter who, in turn, gave the check to a licensed expressman. Due to the expressman's negligence the trunk was stolen. At the trial it was shown that it was customary for the defendant to make a separate charge for trunk delivery. Held, defendant was liable for the negligent performance of the contractual duties by the expressman. Davidson v. Madison Corp. (N. Y. 1931) 177 N. E. 393.

Contracts-Rescission For Substantial Breach-Lien For Improvements Given Vendee

Michigan Law Review

For statement of facts see preceding note in this issue, Younger v. Caroselli, 251 Mich. 533, 232 N.W. 378.

According to the majority view in the United States, a builder, whose substantial breach of contract (the instant case can hardly be considered one of substantial performance) is merely negligent and in good faith, can recover the value of his labor and materials less the damage caused the promisee.

Mortgages-Foreclosure-Default In Interest

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff was a mortgagee of certain real property. A clause in the mortgage provided that the whole amount should become due after default for twenty days in the payment of any installment of interest. Through an arithmetical error of its clerk, the defendant corporation, owner of the equity of redemption, paid $401.87 less than the amount of interest due on one installment. The total interest due was $4621.56. The clerk discovered the error and notified the mortgagee that it would be corrected as soon as the president of the corporation, who alone was authorized to sign checks, returned from Europe. …

Recent Important Decisions, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

No abstract provided.

Recent Important Decisions, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Admiralty - Workmen's Compensation - Is a Hydroplane a Vessel? - Claimant was employed in the care and management of a hydroplane which was moored in navigable waters. The hydroplane began to drag anchor and drift toward the beach, where it was in danger of being wrecked. Claimant waded into the water and was struck by the propeller. Held, claimant is not entitled to compensation under the Workmen's Compensation Law, since a hydroplane while on navigable waters is a vessel, and therefore the jurisdiction of the admiralty excludes that of the State Industrial Commission. Reinhardt v. Newport Flying Service Corp. …

Recent Important Decisions, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Carriers of Passengers - Duty to Stop at Station to Permit Passenger to Alight-Contributory Negligence of Passenger Plaintiff's intestate was riding in the front end of a crowded vestibule car in the coach next to the tender of the eengine. When the train stopped at his station he tried to leave by the front end, but found the door from the vestibule closed. As he did not know how to open it, or was unwilling to be carried by his station, he stepped from his platform to the bumper of the tender and tried to follow it to the side …