PROPERTY
Day Division
Spring 2009
Professor Sarah Harding
Office 745
(312) 906-5227
sharding@kentlaw.edu
Material:
Dukeminier and Krier, Property (6th ed. 2006).
Supplemental Materials will be available in the bookstore.
Website: www.dukeminier-property.com
(Features supplemental materials including photos, videos, links of interest,
additional cases, and learning tools, interactive drawings to use with cases in the
book and an online title search problem)
Username: dukeminier
Password: book2K9
(case sensitive)
Suggested Readings:
Useful hornbooks are Stoebuck and Whitman, The Law of Property and
Hovenkamp and Kurtz, The Law of Property. Both are available in the library.
Participation, Attendance and other Class Rules:
Participation makes this class a more enjoyable and successful educational
experience for everyone so I do expect you to be prepared to discuss the assigned
material. If you are unable to attend class or have legitimate reasons for not being
prepared please let me know beforehand through email so that I can take you off
my on-call list for the day. If you are not present or prepared when called upon
your grade made be affected. In general, attendance and participation will be
accounted for in your final grade. Please do not walk in late and do not leave in
the middle of class unless there is an emergency. You may bring beverages into
class but please no food.
During class it is important that you restrict your computer use to class-related
tasks. I don’t mind you accessing the web to follow leads or answer questions
raised in class but please, please no texting or online chatting. It’s really obvious
and bothersome.
Evaluation: The final examination will be the primary determinant of your grade. As already
mentioned, participation and attendance may affect your grade.
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Office Hours:
Feel free to stop by my office (745) at any time or email me if you wish to set up
a meeting time in advance.
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PROPERTY
Day Division
Spring 2009
Professor Sarah Harding
*** All page references are to the text, Dukeminier and Krier, Property (6th ed. 2006).
I. Acquiring Rights in Property
A. Capture, Custom and Labor
Pierson v. Post (NY 1805) and notes, pages 17-23
Ghen v. Rich (MA 1881) and notes, pages 23-27
Keeble v. Hickeringill (Eng. 1707) and notes, pages 27-35
Robert Sugden, The Economics of Rights, Cooperation and Welfare (supplement)
B. Discovery and Conflict
Brumagin v. Bradshaw (CA 1870) (supplement)
Johnson v. M'Intosh (U.S. 1823) and notes 1, 2, and 3 pages 3-13
Carol Rose, Possession as the Origin of Property (supplement)
C. Private v. Common Ownership
Richard Agnello and Lawrence Donnelley, Property Rights in the Oyster Industry
(supplement)
Andrew Revkin, The (Tuna) Tragedy of the Commons (NYT 2008)(supplement)
Harold Demsetz, Toward a Theory of Property Rights, Note on Externalities and notes
pages 35-50
Building Blocked: Quake Hobbled Kobe (WSJ 1996)(supplement)
D. Property in Intangibles
1. Acquisition by Creation
Introduction page 51
International News Service v. Associated Press (U.S. 1918), pages 51-55
Cheney Brothers v. Doris Silk Corp. (U.S. 1930), pages 55-56
Douglas Baird, Common Law Intellectual Property and the Legacy of INS v. AP
and notes, pages 57-59
NBA v. Motorola (2nd Cir. 1997) (supplement)
2. A Primer on Intellectual Property
Nichols v. Universal Pictures (2nd Cir. 1930), pages 59-60
Diamond v. Chakrabarty (U.S. 1980) pages 60-62
Vanna White v. Samsung (9th Cir. 1993) pages 62-65
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer v. Grokster (U.S. 2005) pages 65-69
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John Gapper, The Real-Life Right to Virtual Property (FT 2006)
E. Property in One’s Person
Moore v. Regents of the University of California (CA 1990) and notes 1 and 2, pages 6982 and note 4 page 86.
Julie Carr Smyth, Ohio Court: Relatives Have No Right to Body Parts (AP 2005)
F. Summary: Perspectives on Private Property
Notes 4-7, pages 14-17
Reread Note 2, pages 46-47
Margaret Radin, Property and Personhood (supplement)
II. Transfer of Property Rights
A. Involuntary Transfer
1. Lost and Found
Armory v. Delamirie (eng. 1722) and notes, pages 96-99
Hannah v. Peel (Eng. 1945) and notes, pages 99-104
McAvoy v. Medina (MA 1866) and notes, pages 105-112
Charrier v. Bell (LA 1986) (supplement)
2. Adverse Possession
a. Land
Powell, Ballantine and Holmes and notes, pp. 112-115
Van Valkenburgh v. Lutz (NY 1952) and notes, pages 115-129
Color of Title, pages 129-130
Walls v. Giuliani, (NY 1996) (supplement)
Howard v. Kunto (WA 1970) and notes and problems, pages 136-143
Adverse Possession Against the Government, pages 143-144
b. Chattels
O'Keeffe v. Snyder and notes, pages 144-156
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990,
pages 156-157
B. Acquisition by Gift
Introduction pages 157-159
Gruen v.Gruen (NY 1986) and notes pages 166-172
Nadine Brozan, If Things Fall Apart, Who Gets the Ring? (NYT 2008)
C. Voluntary Transfer: The Sale of Property
1. The Sale Contract and its Obligations
a. Introduction
Introduction to Buying and Selling Real Estate, pages 453-463
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The Contract of Sale: The Statute of Frauds, pages 472-474
Hickey v. Green and notes (MA 1982) pages 474-477
b. Marketable Title
Lohmeyer v. Bower and notes, pages 479-483
Note: Equitable Conversion, pages 483-484
2. Remedies for Defects
a. Premise Defects
Swinton v. Whitinsville (MA 1942) (supplement)
Stambovsky v. Ackley (NY 1991), pages 484-488
10 RMS, MRDR VU (Chic. Trib. 1997)(supplement)
Johnson v. Davis (FL 1985) and notes, pages 488-493
Theis v. Heuer (ID 1942) (supplement)
Lempke v. Dagenais (NH 1988) and notes, pages 494-502
b. Title Defects
Warranties of Title and notes, pages 513-518
Brown v. Lober and notes, pages 518-521
Frimberger v. Anzelotti (CT 1991) and notes, pages 521-527
3. The Recording System
a. The Recording System
The Recording System, pages 559-565
Luthi v. Evans (KS 1978) and notes, pages 565-571
Types of Recording Acts, pages 580-583
Recording Problems (supplement)
b. Improvements of the Recording System
Walter Barnett, Marketable Title Acts, pages 612-614
Myres McDougal and John Brabner-Smith, Land Title Transfer, pages
615-618
c. Title Insurance
Title Insurance, pages 623-624
Lick Mill Creek Apartments v. Chicago Title Insurance Co. (CA 1991) and
notes, pages 630-635
4. Discrimination in the Sale of Property: Fair Housing
Contract Buyers League v. F. & F. Investment (IL 1969) (supplement)
Fair Housing Act, §§ 3601, 3603 and 3604 and notes 1 - 4, and 5 pages
376-383
Mixed Results: How Fear Of Integration Turned White Enclave Into A
Melting Pot (WSJ 2000)(supplement)
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III. Shared Interests in Property
A. Traditional Land Controls: Estates and Future Interests
Introduction, pages 173-174
Up From Feudalism, pages 175-181
Chart for Identification of Interests and Estates (handout)
1. Estates
The Fee Simple, pages 181-186
The Life Estate, pages 189-190
White v. Brown (TN 1977) and notes, page 190-196
Baker v. Weedon (MI 1972) and notes, pages 197-205
Note: Seisin, page 205-206
Leasehold Estates, pages 206
Defeasible Estates, pages 206-208
Mahrenholz v. County Board of School Trustees and notes, pages 208-215
Mountain Brow Lodge No. 82 v. Toscano (CA 1967) and notes, 215-221
2. Future Interests
Future Interests, pages 225-239
The Trust pages 239-240
Rules Furthering Marketability by Destroying Contingent Future Interests, pages
240-243
The Rule Against Perpetuities, pages 244-251
The Symphony Space v. Pergola Properties (NY 1996) and notes, pages 251-262
The Perpetuity Reform Movement pages 262-267
Dukeminier and Krier The Rise of the Perpetual Trust (2003) pages 268-271
Silverman, Dynasty Trusts (WSJ 2005) and notes pages 271-274
Future Interests Problems (handout)
B. Landlord and Tenant
1. The Nature of the Interest
The Leasehold Estates and notes, pages 363-365, 368-369
Garner v. Gerrish (NY 1984) and notes, pages 365-368
The Lease and notes, pages 373-376
2. Assignment and Sublease
Ernst v. Conditt (TN 1964) and notes, pages 388-394
3. Tenant's Defaults, Landlord's Remedies
Berg v. Wiley (MN 1978) and notes, pages 403-409
Note: Summary Proceedings, pages 409-410
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Sommer v. Kridel (NJ 1977) and notes, pages 410-418
Crechale & Polles v. Smith (MS 1974) and notes, pages 369-373
4. Who has to Repair?
Landlord's Duties; Tenant's Rights, page 421-422
Reste Realty v. Cooper (NJ 1969) and notes, pages 422-430
Note: The Illegal Lease, pages 430-431
Hilder v. St. Peter (VT 1984) and notes, pages 431-439
Note: Retaliatory Eviction pages 439-440
Note: Landlord Tort Liability, pages 440-441
Tenant’s Duties? Pages 441-444
5. Rent Control, Affordable Housing and Discrimination
Block v. Hirsh (DC 1921) (supplement)
Chicago Board of Realtors v. City of Chicago (7th Cir. 1987) and notes, pages
444-447
The Debate over Landlord-Tenant Reforms, pages 447-449
Lizzy Ratner, New Orleans Redraws its Color Line (The Nation 2008)
C. Concurrent Interests
Common Law Concurrent Interests, pages 275-280
Harms v. Sprague (IL 1984) and notes, pages 285-289
Partition, page 291
Delfino v. Vealencis (CT 1980) and note 1, pages 292-298
D. Private Land-Use Controls: Servitudes
Introduction, pages 667-668
1. Easements
Historical Background and Creation of Easements, pages 668-671
a. Creation
i)Express Easements
Willard v. First Church of Christ, Scientist (CA 1972) and notes,
pages 672-677
ii) Irrevocable Licenses
Licenses, pages 677
Holbrook v. Taylor (KY 1976) and notes, pages 677-681
iii) Implied Easements
Easements Implied from Prior Use: Van Sandt v. Royster (KS
1938) and notes, pages 682-688
Easements by Necessity: Othen v. Rosier (TX 1950) and notes,
pages 689-696
iv) Easement by Prescription
Private Prescriptive Easements:
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Notes 1-4, pages 696-699
Public Prescriptive Easements, Public Trust and Custom:
Note 5, pages 699-700
Thornton v. Hay (OR 1969) and Oregon Statute (supplement)
Matthews v. Bay Head Improvement Assoc. and notes, pages 701709
b. Assignability and In Gross v. Appurtenant
Miller v. Lutheran Conference (PA 1938) and notes, pages 709-716
c. Scope
Brown v. Voss (WA 1986) and notes, pages 716-725
d. Termination
Preseault v. US (Fed. Cir. 1996) and notes, pages 725-736
e. Negative, Conservation, and Historic Preservation Easements
Notes, pages 736-740
2. Covenants and Equitable Servitudes
a. Covenants Enforceable at Law: real covenants
Covenants Enforceable at Law, pages 740-746
b. Covenants Enforceable in Equity: equitable servitudes
Tulk v. Moxhay (Eng. 1848) and notes, pages 746-750
Neponsit Property Owners v. Emigrant Bank (NY 1938) and notes, pages
755-766
Restatement (Third) of Property, Servitudes (2000) and notes, pages 766768
Defeasible Fees as a Land-Use Control, page 772
c. Implied servitudes? – sequential development
Creation of Covenants, pages 750
Sanborn v. McLean (MI 1925) and notes, pages 751-755
d. Scope and Civil Rights Limitations
Hill v. Community of Damien Molokai (NM 1996) and notes, pages 773786
e. Termination
Evangelical Lutheran Church (NY 1980) (supplement)
Western Land Co. v. Truskolaski (NV 1972), pages 786-790
Restatement (Third) of Property, Servitudes, §§ 7.10, 7.12 and notes,
pages 791-792; 797-798
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E. Common Interest Communities: Condos, Coops and Gated Communities
Common Interest Communities, 798-800
Nahrstedt v. Lakeside Village Condominium (CA 1994) and notes, pages 800-814
New York’s Cooperative Apartments, pages 814-815
Mulligan v. Panther Valley (NJ 2001) and notes, pages 815-817
Timothy Egan, The Serene Fortress: Many Seeks Security in Private Communities, pages
817-819
F. Judicial Land Use Controls: Nuisance
Morgan v. High Penn Oil Co. (N.C. 1953) and notes, pages 639-645
Boomer v. Atlantic Cement Co. (N.Y. 1970) and notes, pages 649-656
Spur Industries Inc. v. Del E. Webb Development Co. (AZ 1972) and notes pages 656665
Note: Nuisance Law and Environmental Controls, pages 665-666
IV. Private Property and the Public: The "Takings" Issue
The Power of Eminent Domain: Sources and Rationales and notes, pages 941-945
A. Traditional Doctrine
Physical Occupations: Loretto v. Teleprompter (U.S. 1982) and notes, pages 960-973
Police Powers: Hadacheck v. Sebastian (U.S. 1915) and notes, pages 973-980
B. Public Use?
Kelo v. City of New London (U.S. 2005) 945-956
Note: Just Compensation pages 956-959
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D. Regulatory Takings and Rules Relating to Value
Pennsylvania Coal Co. v. Mahon (U.S. 1922) and notes, pages 980-989
Penn Central v. New York (U.S. 1978) and notes, pages 990-1006
Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council (U.S. 1992) and notes, pages 1006-1025
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