Foley v. Greene’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

16 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 17 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““ If the fair result of the evidence shows that the agreements were executed under influence felt by the plaintiff, and exercised by the defendants, if the fear of the criminal prosecution against the plaintiff’s son, or if the result of the discovery of a criminal act, for which the plaintiff was not liable, was used by the defendants against the plaintiff, to operate upon his fears so as to induce him to give a security which would relieve his son from a criminal prosecution, according to the law of this court a security obtained under such circumstances cannot stand. The inequality in the situation of the parties, the one exacting a security which the other is driven to give in order to save his son from exposure, disgrace, and ruin, taints the security obtained under the influence of such fears. If the main and influencing purpose was the relief of the son from the consequences of his crime, if this was the main consideration operating on the father’s mind, and was the origin and real cause of the transaction, the intervention of other circumstances, or other collateral advantages to the father, will not be enough to justify the court in upholding such a security.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Meech v. Lee

2. ““It is true, there was no direct threat by Hanley, but there was a pressure exerted which had the effect, and was doubtless intended to have the effect, of a threat.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Meech v. Lee