Property Law and Real Estate Commons^™

The Shifting Sands Of Property Rights, Federal Railroad Grants, And Economic History: Hash V. United States And The Threat To Rail-Trail Conversions, Danaya C. Wright

UF Law Faculty Publications

This Article is an analysis of a federal circuit case from 2005 that has spawned some disturbing precedents in the area of federal transportation and railbanking policy. Specifically, the National Trails System Act (NTSA) provides a mechanism for preserving unused railroad corridors for future reactivation while allowing interim recreational trail and mixed utility use along the corridor. Converting rail corridors to recreational trails is a very popular process and communities across the country are demanding more and more conversions, as people seek the amenities of linear parks and greenways.

Hash v. United States, however, deals with the property rights …

The "Middle Ground" Perspective On The Expropriation Of Indian Lands, Eric Kades

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Condominium Arrangements In International Practice: Reviving An Abandoned Concept Of Boundary Dispute Resolution, Joel H. Samuels

Articles

No abstract provided.

Practitioners Need Broader Expertise: Real Estate Law Is Undergoing Profound Changes, John R. Nolon, Shelby D. Green

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This article discusses the sweeping modifications to real estate law practice as legislators, courts, and lawyers attempt to accommodate a number of real world challenges. The authors’ discussion analyzes several of these transitioning influences, such as an increase in environmental concerns, shifts in environmental legislation, the subprime mortgage crisis, the effect Kelo v. New London has on the lawyers’ role in facilitating redevelopment, as well as the influence of new E-sign laws has on drafting real estate documents.

Residential Protectionism And The Legal Mythology Of Home, Stephanie M. Stern

All Faculty Scholarship

Residential real estate has achieved an exalted status and privileged position in American property law. The notion of the home as a special object deserving heightened protection is widely accepted within the case law and scholarship. Influential scholars, most notably Margaret Radin, have argued that the home is critical for an individual's very identity and ability to flourish in society. Other commentators have expounded a communitarian vision of the home as rooting individuals in communities of close-knit social ties. Over the past century, there has been a proliferation of legislation creating special protections for owners of residential real estate such …

Summary Of Hamm V. Arrowcreek Homeowner’S Ass’N, 124 Nev. Adv. Op. No. 28, Airene Haze

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

Appeal from a district court order dismissing homeowner’s action that sought to release a homeowner’s association lien. Under NRS 383.10, the district court must dismiss any dispute arising from the interpretation, application, or enforcement of homeowner’s associations’ covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&R) if the parties did not first submit to mediation or arbitration. This statute, however, does not apply to actions for injunctive relief involving “immediate threat of irreparable harm, or action[s] relating to the title to residential property.”

Death By A Thousand Cuts Or Hard Bargaining?: How The Court's Indecision In Wilkie V. Robbins Improperly Eviscerates The Bivens Action, Natalie Banta

Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law

No abstract provided.

Property Rules, Liability Rules, And Uncertainty About Property Rights, Stewart E. Sterk

Articles

Clarity can be a considerable virtue in property rights. But even when property rights are defined clearly in the abstract, ascertaining the scope of those rights in concrete situations often entails significant cost. In some instances, the cost of acquiring information about the scope of property rights will exceed the social value of that information. In those circumstances, further search for information about the scope of rights is inefficient; the social harm avoided by further search does not justify the costs of the search. Potential resource users, however; make decisions based on private costs and benefits, not social costs and …

Property Rules, Liability Rules, And Uncertainty About Property Rights, Stewart E. Sterk

Michigan Law Review

Clarity can be a considerable virtue in property rights. But even when property rights are defined clearly in the abstract, ascertaining the scope of those rights in concrete situations often entails significant cost. In some instances, the cost of acquiring information about the scope of property rights will exceed the social value of that information. In those circumstances, further search for information about the scope of rights is inefficient; the social harm avoided by further search does not justify the costs of the search. Potential resource users, however make decisions based on private costs and benefits, not social costs and …

Categorizing Categories: Property Of The Estate And Fraudulent Transfers In Bankruptcy, Michael R. Cedillos

Michigan Law Review

11 U.S.C. § 541 defines "property of the estate" in bankruptcy, but courts have not interpreted that section uniformly. The Fifth Circuit has read the term broadly to include both interests in property that the trustee recovers under § 541(a)(3) and legal or equitable interests under § 541(a)(1) that have purportedly been fraudulently transferred but which the trustee has not yet recovered. The Second Circuit, however, has taken a more restrained approach, holding that fraudulently transferred property that the trustee has not yet recovered does not constitute property of the estate. This Note argues that courts should adopt the Second …

Acquisition Of Real Estate In Mexico By U.S. Citizens And American Companies, Jorge A. Vargas

San Diego International Law Journal

Buying real estate in Mexico, or enjoying the beneficiary rights through a real estate trust, known in Mexico as fideicomiso, involves a considerable amount of money and effort. One must take into account that this legal transaction is executed in Mexico in accordance with Mexican law-a foreign legal system belonging to the civil legal tradition, contrasted by the U.S. legal system derivative of the common law tradition-and recognize that Americans and U.S. legal entities are typically quite unfamiliar with Mexican law. This Article provides a complete overview of the process of acquiring real estate in Mexico by Americans and U.S. …

The Proliferation Of Global Reits And The Cross-Borderization Of The Asian Market, Julius L. Sokol

San Diego International Law Journal

After a brief discussion on the history of REITs, this Article goes on to analyze their importance and role within the global and Asian economy. Next, the underlying motivations for legal amendments to the REIT structures are discussed, as well as the socio-economic benefits associated with coordinating liberal REIT legislation throughout Asia. Subsequently, this article analyzes the various regulatory aspects of the regimes in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia. In exploring their shortcomings, comparisons are made to the highly successful United States REIT structure. Given the history of our nation's regime, it goes without saying that …

Title Insurance In Mexico: A Necessary Protection, Duplicative Expense, Or Something In Between, Christina Clemm

San Diego International Law Journal

This Comment is written for those interested in buying property in Mexico and for the professionals who advise them. It begins by analyzing whether title insurance companies provide a necessary service for those purchasing property in Mexico. This section of the Comment addresses issues related to the protections afforded by Mexican law and whether title insurance is duplicative in light of those protections. It also discusses another option for a buyer, obtaining an opinion from a Mexican attorney. It goes on to analyze whether having a title insurance company maneuver the Mexican courts is a justification for its purchase. It …

The Parcel As A Whole: A Presumptive Structural Approach For Determining When The Government Has Gone Too Far, Keith Woffinden

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Summary Of Buzz Stew, Llc V. City Of North Las Vegas, 124 Nev. Adv. Op. 21, Barbra E. Zess

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

A municipality’s announcement of intent to condemn a parcel of land may give rise to a cause of action by the landowner for damages based on an allegation that, under the circumstances, the municipality acted improperly in making the announcement before instituting an eminent domain action.

Vested Rights: Do Land Developers Need More Protection?, John R. Nolon, Jessica A. Bacher

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

The general doctrine of vested rights protects developers from changes in zoning after they have received a valid building permit. This article explains the two varieties of vested rights laws New York: statutory, and common law. Also discussed, is a new proposal for vested rights legislation that would increase protection for developers over the existing laws. The article closes by citing of some of the concerns with vested rights such as the single integrated project theory, losing vested rights by abandonment, and the equitable estoppel rule.

Confronting The Appalachian Breakdown: Historic Preservation Law In Appalachia And The Potential Benefits Of Historic Preservation For Rural Communities, Rebecca S. Schoen

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Support Our [Dead] Troops: Sacrificing Political Expression Rights For Familial Control Over Names And Likenesses, Clay Calvert

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

Charitable Deductions For Rail-Trail Conversions: Reconciling The Partial Interest Rule And The National Trails System Act, Scott Andrew Bowman, Danaya C. Wright

UF Law Faculty Publications

This Article examines an undeveloped legal topic at the intersection of tax law and real property law: charitable deductions from income tax liability for donations of railroad corridors that are to be converted into recreational trails. The very popular rails-to-trails program assists in the conversion of abandoned railroad corridors into hiking and biking trails. However, the legal questions surrounding the property rights of these corridors have been complex and highly litigated. In 1983, Congress amended the National Trails System Act to provide a mechanism for facilitating these conversions, a process called railbanking. In essence, a railroad transfers its real property …

Re-Possessing "Home": A Re-Analysis Of Gender, Homeownership, And Debtor Default For Feminist Legal Theory, Lorna Fox

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

The current credit crisis has brought the subject of subprime and other problematic debt to the forefront of many agendas - both political and personal. This article explores some of the underlying legal, theoretical, economic, and phenomenological issues associated with default and foreclosure, particularly as they affect women homeowners. The analysis is embedded in feminist discourse on home, from traditional critiques of the association between women and home to evolving conceptions of the benefits and the burdens of home for contemporary feminist theory. This article traces the ideas of "home" and "homeownership" for American women and considers how it might …

Charitable Deductions For Rail-Trail Conversions: Reconciling The Partial Interest Rule And The National Trails System Act, Scott Andrew Bowman, Danaya H. Rosenberg

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

This Article examines an undeveloped legal topic at the intersection of tax law and real property law: charitable deductions from income tax liability for donations of railroad corridors that are to be converted into recreational trails. The very popular rails-to-trails program assists in the conversion of abandoned railroad corridors into hiking and biking trails. However, the legal questions surrounding the property rights of these corridors have been complex and highly litigated. In 1983, Congress amended the National Trails System Act to provide a mechanism for facilitating these conversions, a process called railbanking. In essence, a railroad transfers its real property …

Environmental Law: Property Rights In The United States, Federalist Society

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

Drafting Common Interest Community Documents: Minimalism In An Era Of Micromanagement, Patrick K. Hetrick

Campbell Law Review

Part I of this Article suggests a minimalist approach to the drafting of documentation creating a common interest community. It assumes that the common interest community will be located in a jurisdiction that has passed some form of a comprehensive uniform act. Part II then analyzes the issue of "promises" (covenants, restrictions, and rules) and addresses issues that include the unfortunate contemporary trend toward micromanagement of communities. It goes on to suggest that a legislative and judicial reaction to private community governance is developing. Part III of this Article explains why existing consumer protection devices are little more than mirages …

Introduction: Common Law Environmental Protection, Jonathan H. Adler, Andrew P. Morriss

Faculty Publications

Today there is widespread dissatisfaction with many aspects of federal environmental law. The apparent success of early environmental regulations notwithstanding, many analysts and academics have begun to reexamine the potential of common law causes of action to supplement, if not supplant, portions of the existing regulatory regime. Some environmental advocates have come to the conclusion that state-based tort law may be more protective than federal regulations. At the same time, private litigators and state attorneys general are reviving common law causes of action in an effort to augment existing regulatory controls.

Is the common law a viable means of addressing …

From The Editors, Mark Tushnet, Carrie Menkel Meadow

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Introduction: 2006 Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Presented at the 2006 Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference.

"A Frequent Recurrence To Fundamental Principles": A Tribute To Jim Ely, John V. Orth

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Presented at the 2006 Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference.

"A Poor Relation?" Reflections On A Panel Discussion Comparing Property Rigths To Other Rights Enumerated In The Bill Of Rights, Rashmi Dyal-Chand

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Presented at the 2006 Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference.

Summary Of Pankopf V. Peterson, 124 Nev. Adv. Op. 4, Danielle Tarmu

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

Appeal from a district court order dismissing, without prejudice, appellant’s amended complaint for failure to state a claim under NRCP 12(b)(5) to determine whether claims fall within the purview of NRS Chapter 40.

The Mismatch Between Public Nuisance Law And Global Warming, David A. Dana

Faculty Working Papers

The federal courts using the common law method of case-by-case adjudication may have institutional advantages over the more political branches, such as perhaps more freedom from interest group capture and more flexibility to tailor decisions to local conditions. Any such advantages, however, are more than offset by the disadvantages of relying on the courts in common resource management in general and in the management of the global atmospheric commons in particular. The courts are best able to serve a useful function resolving climate-related disputes once the political branches have acted by establishing a policy framework and working through the daunting …