PROPERTY SYLLABUS
Professor Humbach
January 2013
Casebook (required): CASNER, LEACH, ET AL., PROPERTY (5th ed., 2004)
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Important:
Class preparation is essential. It may affect your grade if, on three or
more occasions, you are not present or not prepared when called on in
class. It may also affect your grade if you ask to not be called on.
Read the following pages of the casebook and case supplement (Supp.), and carefully consider all
included problems, except as otherwise indicated. You should come to class prepared with answers to
the questions asked in the “Readings” downloads (on TWEN) for the day’s assignment.
Reading # 1
Nature of Property: Original Acquisition
pp. 1-2 (The nature and importance of property)
pp. 34-54 (Pierson v. Post; Keeble v. Hickeringill; Popov v. Hayashi)
Marsh v. Colby 39 Mich. 626 (1878) (Supp.)
Reading # 2
Nature of Property: Rights against Others
pp. 3-12 (Jacque v. Steenberg Homes)
pp. 19-20 (Canons of Property Talk)
pp. 54-61 (Anderson v. Beech Aircraft)
Finley v. Teeter Stone, 248 A.2d 106 (Md. 1968) (Supp.)
Adirondack League Club v. Sierra Club, 92 N.Y.2d 591 (1998) (Supp.)
Reading # 3
Property Rights against the Regulatory State
pp. 1113-15 (Miller v. Schoene)
pp. 1109-13 (Pennsylvania Coal Co. v. Mahon)
pp. 1168-82 (Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council)
Reading # 4
Finders' Rights
pp. 76-79 (Armory v. Delamirie)
pp. 83-96 (Hannah v. Peel; McAvoy v. Medina; Benjamin v. Lindner)
pp. 96-98 (Honesty, Morality and Legal Protection of Prior Possession)
pp. 98-100 (treasure trove)
Hurley v. City of Niagara Falls, 289 N.Y.S.2d 889 (4th Dept. 1968) (Supp.)
N.Y. PERS. PROP. LAW § 251 (Supp. p. 8) [also scan §§ 252-256]
Reading # 5
Bailments
pp. 79-80 (Bailments)
Peet v. Roth Hotel Co., 253 N.W. 546 (Minn. 1934) (Supp.)
Samples v. Geary, 292 S.W. 1066 (Mo. Ct. App. 1927) (Supp.)
Noworyta v. Klippert, 122 A.D.2d 548 (4th Dep't 1986) (Supp.)
Pavesi v. Carollo, 105 A.D.2d 832 (2d Dep't 1984) (Supp.)
pp. 80-83 (The Winkfield)
Reading # 6
Adverse Possession
Gillespie v. Dew (Supp.)
pp. 115-24 (Johnson v. M'Intosh)
pp. 125-30; 131-37 (Ewing v. Burnet; Nome 2000 v. Fagerstrom)
Reading # 7
Adverse Possession (cont’d)
pp. 138-47 (Lawrence v. Town of Concord)
Birnbaum v. Brody, 156 A.D.2d 408 (2d Dep't 1989) (Supp.)
Ray v. Beacon Hudson Mountain Corp., 88 N.Y.2d 154 (1996) (Supp.)
Bova v. Vinciguerra, 184 AD2d 934 (3d Dept 1992) (Supp.)
Miller v. Rau, 193 AD2d 868 (3d Dept 1993) (Supp.)
pp.130-31 (Tacking)
pp. 147-48 (skip question 2) -- Tolling for Disability
Reading # 8
Adverse Possession (cont’d)
pp. 149-56 (Kiowa Creek v. Nazarian; Dieterich v. J.S. & J. Services)
Winchester v. City of Stevens Point (Supp.)
Reading # 9
Gifts of Personal Property
pp. 627-36 (Irons v. Smallpiece; Newell v. Nat’l Bank)
pp. 642-43 (Notes 2-3; Symbolic delivery and delivery to a third person)
pp. 648-53 (Gruen v. Gruen)
Reading # 10
Introduction to Real Property Law
pp. 297-313
THE ESTATE SYSTEM (Lessons 1 to 8), available through humbach.net
Reading # 11
The Fee Simple Estates; defeasibility; the Fee Tail
pp. 319-45 (Station Assocs; Red Hill; Palm Springs)
pp. 66-67 of Supplement (Sample Deed Descriptions)
p. 64 of Supplement (Conveyances Creating Defeasible Estates)
BASIC FUTURE INTERESTS (Lessons 1 to 4), available through humbach.net
p. 371 (note 2: statutory treatment of fee tail)
Reading # 12
Life Estates and their Future Interests
pp. 349-53 -- Nature of the Life Estate (Estate of Kinert)
pp. 345-49 -- Creating a Life Estate (Nelson v. Parker)
pp. 353-61 (Estate of Jackson; Hausmann v. Hausmann)
Reading # 13
Introduction to Future Interests
pp. 361-65 (except you can skip last paragraph on p. 365)
BASIC FUTURE INTERESTS (Lessons 5-10) at humbach.net (To be used in connection with this
and the next assignment.)
Reading # 14
Trusts and the Statute of Uses
pp. 372-73 – The Concept of Trusts
pp. 313-18 – The Statute of Uses
Reading # 15
Rule Against Perpetuities
p. 65 of Supplement (Rule Against Perpetuities hypos)
pp. 373-99 (Estate of Anderson; Symphony Space v. Pergola Properties)
Reading # 16
Introduction to Leasehold Estates
pp. 403-04 – the Leasehold Estates
28 Mott Street v. Summit Import, 299 N.Y.S.2d 763, 316 N.Y.S.2d 259 (1970) (Supp.)
Garner v. Gerrish, 63 N.Y.2d 575 (1984) (Supp.)
THE ESTATE SYSTEM (Lessons 9-16) at humbach.net
EVICTIONS: THE HIDDEN HOUSING PROBLEM (excerpt)(Supp. 33)
Reading # 17
Landlord & Tenant
THE COMMON LAW CONCEPTION OF LEASING, pp. 1213-37 (TWEN)
pp. 527-36 -- The "Dual" Relationship: Lease Assignments (Kelly v. Tri-Cities)
pp. 536-51 – Sublease & Assignment (Amer. Comm’y Store v. Newman; Julian v. Christopher)
Reading # 18
Landlord Breaches (Tenant's Rights); Tenant Breaches
pp. 412-25 -- constructive eviction (Blackett v. Olanoff; Wesson v. Leone Enterprises)
Manhattan Mansions v. Moe's, 149 Misc. 2d 43 (1990) (Supp.)
pp. 426-37 (Javins v. First National Realty)
RESTATEMENT (SECOND) OF CONTRACTS §237, §246 (Supp.)
Holy Properties Limited v. Kenneth Cole Productions, 87 N.Y.2d 130 (1995) (Supp.)
Reading # 19
Concurrent Ownership
pp. 553-58 (including Martin v. Martin)
pp. 568-74 (including Downing v. Downing)
Hoag v. Hoag, 99 N.E. 521 (Mass. 1912) (Supp.)
NY EPTL §6-2.2 (Supp.)
Prario v. Novo, 645 N.Y.S.2d 269 (1996) (Supp.)
pp. 581-89 (including Sawada v. Endo)
Kolb v. Anisis, 478 N.Y.S.2d 720 (2d Dep't 1984) (Supp.)
pp. 606-11 (including Elkus v. Elkus)
Reading # 20
Express Easements; Easements by Implication
pp. 889-97 (including Brown v. Penn Central)
Simmons v. Abbondandolo, 184 AD2d 878 (3d Dept. 1992) (Supp.)
continued…
pp.897-99 (Stratis v. Doyle)
pp. 903-17 (easements by estoppel and by implication from use or necessity—
Mund v. English, VanSandt v. Royster, Morrell v. Rice)
pp. 917-24 (easements by prescription redux; easements in invitim)
Paxson v. Glovitz; Goulding v. Cook)
Reading # 21
Scope of Easements
US Cablevision v. Theodoreu, 192 AD2d 835 (3d Dept 1993) (Supp.)
pp. 929-31; 937-38 (Davis v. Bruk & notes)
pp. 939-50 (Brown v. Voss; Pasadena; Fairbrother v. Adams; Skip problem on 943)
Reading # 22
Covenants and Equitable Servitudes
pp. 954-61 (Background material: skim only)
Orange & Rockland Utilities v. Philwold, 52 NY2d 253 (1981) (Supp.)
Riverton Community Assn v. Myers, 84 A.D.2d 1063 (4th Dept. 1992) (Supp.)
Malley v. Hanna, 65 NY 2d 289 (1985) (Supp.)
Tulk v. Moxhay (Supp.)
Reading # 23
Termination of Easements & Other Servitudes
pp. 950-54 (Central Oregon Fabricators v. Hudspeth; Restatement §7.10)
Orange & Rockland Utilities v. Philwold, Part III only (Supp.; reprise)