Boston CollegeProperty Law (2004-05)Joseph P. Liu
Property Law
(Fall 2004 / Spring 2005 – LL70903)
Professor Joseph Liu
Boston College Law School
Texts
.Joseph Singer, Property Law: Rules, Policies, and Practices (3d ed. 2002)
.Handouts (In Class, Periodically)
Guidelines and Requirements
A.Grading
The grade for the class will be based on a mid-term (50%) and a final exam (50%). Both exams will be 3.5-hour, open-book, in-class exams. Very high-quality participation (as described in more detail in the next section) can result in a half-grade increase (e.g. from B to B+, from B+ to A-, etc.). In addition, for any students who do particularly poorly on the mid-term, I will take into account substantial improvement in the final exam.
B.Participation
Roughly one-third of the class will be on call for any given class session. I expect these students to have read the assigned materials in some detail and to be prepared to summarize, analyze, and discuss them in class. Students with last names beginning with the letters A through J will be on call on Tuesdays; students with last names beginning with K through P will be on call on Thursdays; students with last names beginning with Q through Z will be on call on Fridays.
If you know in advance that you will not be prepared, you must give me notice by email by midnight on the night before class or in person on the day of class. Lack of preparation without prior notice may be counted against you in your final grade for the course. Conversely, quality (not quantity of) participation, both volunteered and called-upon, will be counted in your favor.
C.Syllabus and Readings
The syllabus below provides a rough, working outline of the course. However, because it is difficult to predict how quickly we will be able to go through the materials, I will probably make changes, delete certain readings, add others, etc., as the course progresses, so you shouldn’t rely on it too much. In addition, I will periodically be distributing supplementary materials in the form of handouts in class.
D.Class Web Site
The class web site is: . I have posted there a copy of this syllabus and will also post any in-class handouts and/or powerpoint presentations. I will also periodically send out announcements to your B.C. email account, so please check that account from time to time.
E.Contact Information & Office Hours
E-Mail:
Phone:617-552-6377
Office:East Wing, 313
Hours:Tuesdays, 3:30-5 p.m. or make an appointment
Syllabus
Introduction
I.The Concept of Property – Introductory Themes2[19]
Pierson v. Post (78-81), Notes (81-82), A Guide to the Book (xlv-lix)
Regulation of Land Use
II.Regulation of Owners’ Rights as Against Others – The Right to Exclude
A.Common Law Limits: Public Access2[23]
Text (105-06), State v. Shack (106-11), Desnick v. ABC (111-15); Notes (115-18), Problems (118-19), Uston v. Resorts (119-21), Williams (122-23); Williams (123-24); Notes (124-26), Problems (126-27)
B.Statutory Limits: Anti-Discrimination2[32]
Civil Rights Act of 1964 (128-29), Civil Rights Act of 1866 (129-30), Notes (130-34), Llewellyn (134-36), Problems (136-37), New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (137-38), Dale v. Boy Scouts (138-47), Notes (147-50), Problems (150-51), Text (151-52), ADA of 1990 (152-57), Problems (157-160)
C.Constitutional Limits: Free Speech2[31]
Lloyd Corp. v. Tanner (160-67), N.J. Coalition Against the War v. JMB Realty (167-78), Notes (178-81), Problems (181-82), Matthews v. Bay Head Improvement Association (182-88), Notes (188-191), Problems (191)
III.Regulation of Relations Among Neighbors – The Right to Use
A.Water (Rights, Flooding)1[17]
Text (255-58), Coase (259), Notes (259-60), Armstrong v. Francis Corp. (260-64), Notes (265-66), Text (266-72), Problems (272)
B.Support (Lateral, Subjacent)2[33]
Text (272-73), Noone v. Price (273-77), Notes (278-80), Mass. Gen. L. (280), Mass. Building Code (281), Notes (281-82), Problem (282), Friendswood Dev. Co. v. Smith-Southwest (282-90), Notes (290-93), Problems (293-94), Llewellyn (294-99), Shapiro (299-303), Singer (303-05)
C.Nuisance (Pollution, Light & Air)3[52]
Text (305-08), Page County Appliance v. Honeywell (308-11), Notes (311-18), Problems (318-19), Fontainebleau Hotel v. Forty-Five Twenty-Five (319-21), Text (321-41), Prah v. Maretti (341-47), Notes (347-49), Text (349-57) (skim)
IV.Regulation of Agreements Between Parties – The Power to Dispose
A.Involuntary Transfers (Adverse Possession, Prescriptive Easements)3[55]
Text (199), Brown v. Gobble (199-205), Romero v. Garcia (206-08), Nome 2000 v. Fagerstrom (208-13), Notes (213-21), Corbin (221-22), Singer (222-24), Notes (224-26), Text (226-31), Problems (231-22), Community Feed v. Northeastern Culvert (232-36), Notes (236-39), Problems (239-40), Text (240-44), Somerville v. Jacobs (244-48), Notes (248-49), Problem (249-50), Text (250-53), Problem (253-54)
B.Servitudes
1.Easements (By Estoppel, Implied, Express (Appurtenant and In Gross))3[55]
Text (359-63), Holbrook v. Taylor (363-66), Text (366), Rase v. Castle Mountain (366-72), Notes (372-77), Problem (377), Text (377), Granite Properties v. Manns (377-84), Finn v. Williams (384-86), Notes (386-89), Problem (389-90), Text (390-96), Green v. Lupo (396-99), Notes (399-400), Cox v. Glenbrook (400-06), Henley v. Continental Cablevision (406-09), Notes (409-412), Problems (412-13), Text (413-14)
2.Covenants, Equitable Servitudes4[62]
Text (414-16), Whitinsville Plaza v. Kotseas (416-22), Notes (422-441), Problem (441-42), Text (442-43), Evans v. Pollock (443-47), Sanborn v. McLean (447-50), Riley v. Bear Creek (450-56), Notes (456-59), Problems (459-61), El Di v. Town of Bethany (467-71), Notes (471-73), Text (473-75), Problems (475-76), Mass. Gen. L. (477), Blakeley v. Gorin (477-82), Notes (482), Problems (482)
C.Estates and Future Interests3[46]
Text (555-58), Text (558-68) (skim), Text (569-80), Wood v. Board (580-82), Cathedral v. Garden (582-86), Edwards v. Bradley (586-88), Notes (588-92), Text (592-95), Johnson v. Whiton (595-96), Moore v. Phillips (622-26), Notes (626-27)cont.
D.Limitations
1.Homeowner Associations and Condominiums1[24]
Text (483-88), Appel v. Presley (488-91), Notes (491-92), Davidson v. D. Katz (537-43), Notes (543-45), Problems (545-46), O’Buck v. Cottonwood (546-50), Notes (550-51), Problems (551-52)
2.Restraints on Alienation2[23]
Text (511-12), Horse Pond v. Cormier (512-15), Northwest Real Estate v. Serio (515-16), Riste v. Eastern Washington Bible Camp (516-18), Aquarian v. Sholom (518-21), Wolinsky v. Kadison (521-24), Notes (524-30), Problem (530), Breene v. Plaza Towers (530-33), Notes (533-34)
3.Rule Against Perpetuities2[26]
Text (596-609), Central Delaware v. Greyhound (609-13), Texaco v. Samowitz (613-14), Cambridge Co. v. East Slope (614-18), Notes (618-22), Problem (622)
4.Racial Restrictions, Marriage Restrictions2 [30]
Text (492), Shelley v. Kraemer (493-99), Evans v. Abney (499-508), Notes (508-11), Problems (511), Text (627-29), Problem (629-31), Lewis v. Searles (631-35), Frug (635-36), Notes (636-38)
______
Regulation of Market for Housing
V.Common Ownership2[26]
Text (639-46), Olivas v. Olivas (646-49), Notes (649), Problem (649-50), Sawada v. Endo (659-63), Notes (663-64), Problem (664-65), Text (650), Carr v. Deking (650-52), Tenhet v. Boswell (652-55), Kresha v. Kresha (655-57), Notes (657-59), Problem (659)
VI. Landlord Tenant Law
A.Leasehold Estates1[22]
Text (735-39), New Jersey Anti-Eviction Act (739-41), Vasquez v. Glassboro (741-47), Schwartz (747-49), Hale (749-54), Notes (754-56), Problem (756-57)
B.Right to Rent (Duty to Mitigate)1[24]
Text (757-62), Sommer v. Kridel (762-67), Notes (767-69), Problem (769), Text (770), Braschi v. Stahl (770-74), Notes (774-76), Problems (776-77), Text (777-81)
C.Right to Occupancy (Sublet, Assignment, Eviction)1[23]
Text (781-85), Kendall v. Ernest Pestana (785-92), Slavin v. Rent Control Board (792-94), Notes (794-96), Problems (796-97), Text (801-02), New Jersey Anti-Eviction Act (739-41), Problem (803-04), Text (804-05)
D.Right to Habitable Premises (Constructive Eviction, Implied Warranty)3[42]
Minjak v. Randoph (805-08), Blackett v. Olanoff (808-10), Notes (810-14), Problem (814), Text (814-15), Javins v. First National Realty (815-22), Notes (822-25), Problems (825-26), Text (826-34), Hillview Associates v. Bloomquist (834-39), Imperial Colliery v. Fout (839-42), Notes (842-46), Problem (846-47)
VII. Discrimination in Housing
A.Discriminatory Treatment2[41]
Fair Housing Act of 1968 (939-45), Asbury v. Brougham (945-50), U.S. v. Starrett (950-54), Notes (954-58), Problems (958-59), McCready v. Hoffius (971-78), Notes (978-82), Problems (982), State v. City of Madison (982-84), Notes (984-86), Problems (986-87), Poff v. Caro (987-88), Notes (988-90), Text (990-92), Problems (992)
B.Disparate Impact3[42]
Huntington Branch NAACP v. Town of Huntington (997-1004), Notes (1004-08), Problems (1008), Doe v. City of Butler (1008-10), Problems (1010-11), Blevins v. Barry-Lawrence (461-64), Notes (464-67), Problem (467), Familystyle of St. Paul v. City of St. Paul (1021-23), Notes (1023-27), Text and Problems (1027-29), Southern Burlington v. Township of Mount Laurel (1030-39), Notes (1039-42), Text (191-95)
VIII. Land Transfer Agreements
A.Structure of Transaction1[40]
Text (859-74), Burns v. McCormick (874-76), Hickey v. Green (876-79), Gardner v. Gardner (879-80), Notes (880-84), Text (895-99)
B.Deeds and Title Protection1[22]
Text (899-907), Sabo v. Horvath (907-10), Notes (910-13), Problems (913-14), Martin v. Carter (914-16), McCoy v. Love (916-17), Notes (917-19), Text (919-21)
Property and Sovereignty
IX.Zoning2[38]
Text (1043-55), Town of Belleville v. Parrillo’s (1055-58), Commons v. Westwood Zoning Board (1058-64), Notes (1064-65), Stone v. City of Wilton (1065-69), Problems (1069-70), Text (1070-71), Text (1071-73), Problem (1073-74), Text (1074-76), Acme Laundry v. Secretary of Environ. Affairs (1076-81)
X.Takings
A.Takings4[84]
Text (1085-87), PruneYard Shopping Center v. Robins (1087-91), Yee v. City of Escondido (1091-95), Notes (1095-1102), Problems (1102), Text (1103), Babbitt v. Youpee (63-68), Notes (68-69), Problem (69), Notes (1104-07), Problems (1107-08), Miller v. Schoene (1108-10), Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council (1110-26), Notes (1126-30), Test (1130-44), Problems (1144-46), Text (1146-48), Dolan v. City of Tigard (1148-61), Notes (1161-64)
B.Just Compensation & Public Use1[18]
Almota Farmers v. U.S. (1164-68), U.S. v. 564.54 Acres of Land (1168-71), Notes (1171-74), Hawaii Housing Authority v. Midkiff (1174-79), Poletown Neighborhood v. City of Detroit (1179-82), Text (1182)
XI.American Indian Nations2[36]
Text (3-4), Johnson v. M’Intosh (4-15), Notes (15), Tee-Hit-Ton Indians v. U.S. (15-20), Notes (21-22), Text (1183-88), U.S. v. Sioux Nation (1188-98), Notes (1198-1200), Text (22-24), Problem (24-26)
Uses and Limits of Property
XII. Uses of Property3[72]
Pierson v. Post (78-81) (review), Elliff v. Texon Drilling (82-87), Vandevelde (87-89), Problem (89-90), Text (90-92), Charrier v. Bell (92-96), Notes (96-98), Problems (98), Text (1231-32), INS v. AP (35-46), Notes (46-49), Problems (49-50), Text (1239), Feist v. Rural Telephone (1239-43), Notes (1243-45), Problems (1245-47), Moore v. Regents (51-58), Notes (59), Problem (60), Text (1247-48), Martin Luther King v. American Heritage (1248-57), Notes (1257-59), Problems (1259-60)
XIII. Limits of Property2[36]
Text (1263-64), Dred Scott v. Sandford (1264-68), Franklin (1268-69), Allen (1269-71), Soifer (1271-77), Notes (1277-79), In the Matter of Baby M (1279-85), Notes (1285-88), Text (1288-93), Wana the Bear v. Community Construction (1293-95), Hillerman (1295-96), Notes (1296-98), Problems (1298-99)
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