127 W. Va. 469 - Oates v. Oates’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

14 state decisions

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 15 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “The marital duties of husband and wife cannot be made the subject of barter and trade, and either spouse performing such duties for compensation, either received or expected, is placed in the category of a servant. True, there are instances where the wife performs special services not of a domestic nature but in furtherance of the business of her husband, for which she may be entitled to compensation. After the marriage, it was incumbent upon defendant to perform the usual, ordinary tasks of the household, and to attend and nurse her aged husband in the event his physical condition required such attention. It follows that the implied promise on the part of the defendant given as a `further consideration' for the conveyance to her of the plaintiff's land is invalid.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Ritchie v. . White

2. ““In the absence of statutory authority, an agreement between husband and wife by which the wife agrees to perform the domestic duties imposed by the marital relation for a consideration is contrary to public policy and void.” [ 127 W.Va. at 475 , 33 S.E.2d at 460 ]”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 162 W. Va. 338 - Frasher v. Frasher

3. “Plaintiff recites in his deed the receipt of ten dollars as a consideration for his conveyance to the defendant. This recital, although open to explanation and contradiction, is prima facie evidence of the payment thereof.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Doris E. Young, Administratrix v. Gary Douglas Young