Halstead v. Grinnan’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

53 federal appellate · 6 district · 40 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 150 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““The length of time during which the party neglects the assertion of his rights, which must pass in order to show laches, varies with the peculiar circumstances of each case, and is not, like the matter of limitations, subject to an arbitrary rule. “Laches is an equitable defense controlled by equitable considerations, and the lapse of time must be so great, and the relations of the defendant to the rights such, that it would be inequitable to permit the plaintiff to now assert-them. “There can be no laches in failing to assert right of which a party is wholly ignorant, and whose existence he had no reason to apprehend.””

   9 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Lasher v. McCreery · Godkin v. Cohn

2. “"The defense [of laches] itself is one which, wisely administered, is of great public utility, in that it prevents the breaking up of relations and situations long acquiesced in, and thus induces confidence in the stability of what is, and a willingness to improve property in possession; and at the same time it certainly works in furtherance of justice, for so strong is the desire of every man to have the full enjoyment of all that is his, when a party comes into court and asserts that he has been for many years the owner of certain rights, of whose existence he has had full knowledge, and yet has never attempted to enforce them, there is a strong persuasion that, if all the facts were known, it would be found his alleged rights either never existed, or had long since ceased. * * * The length of time during which the party neglects the assertion of his rights which must pass in order to show laches varies with the peculiar circumstances of each case, and is not, like the matter of limitations, subject to an arbitrary rule. It is an equitable defense, controlled by equitable considerations, and the lapse of time must be so great, and the relations of the defendant to the rights such, that it would be inequitable to permit the plaintiff to now assert them."”

   5 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. McMullen v. Lewis · Leppert v. Leppert

3. “an equitable defense, controlled by equitable considerations.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Mile High Industries v. Cohen