Goldthwaite v. Johnson’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 14 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““Father—If anything should happen to me . . . will you do me the everlasting favor of giving one-half the proceeds from the sale of my house and furniture to Mary Johnson, . . . (Italics ours.) “Spen ...””

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Estate of Cook · 34 Cal. App. 2d 147 - Mary Knoll Missionary Society v. Bank of America National Trust & Savings Ass'n

2. ““We think that the writing shows that it was addressed to his father, not as executor of the last will and testament of decedent, but rather to his father as a devisee under his will and that, instead of being testamentary in character, it simply expressed a desire that his father, as devisee under the will, should make certain use of the property devised to him.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 29 Cal. App. 2d 60 - Estate of Logan

3. “I hereby witness that the above was written by Spencer Goldthwaite on March 28, 1931, and that the above is his own signature.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Estate of Cook