Westfall v. Westfall’s Empirical Analysis
1954
Citation profile
31 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 31 later decisions — most recently August 2018 · most notably 9 Va. App. 288 - Emrich v. Emrich (1989), 3 Va. App. 484 - Bacon v. Bacon (1986)
31 state decisions
Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.
Relationships
Relies on Raiford v. Raiford · Heflin v. Heflin · Eagle Lodge, Inc. v. Hofmeyer · Owens v. Commonwealth · Craig & Bumgardner v. Hoge & Hutchinson
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 31 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“There is nothing in the record before us to indicate that the failure of the defendant to file her answer in any way delayed the progress of the cause. Although the suit was instituted on May 1, 1952, and shortly thereafter process was served on the defendant, the plaintiff took no steps to further the progress of the cause until nearly a year thereafter when he presented the decree of reference entered on February 9, 1953. Within ten days thereafter the defendant wife filed her written motion asking for permission to file her answer in the cause. 196 Va. at 103 , 82 S.E.2d at 490 .”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majoritye.g. Greene v. Smith“All steps and procedures in the Clerk's Office touching the filing of pleadings and the maturing of suits or actions may be received and corrected by the Court. The time allowed for filing pleadings may be extended by the Court in its discretion and such extension may be granted although the time fixed already has expired; but the time fixed for the filing of a motion challenging the venue shall in no case be extended except to the extent permitted by § 8.01-264.”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majoritye.g. Greene v. Smith““Such suit shall be instituted and conducted as other suits in equity, except that the bill shall not be taken for confessed, nor shall a divorce be granted on the uncorroborated testimony of the parties or either of them; and, whether the defendant answer or not, the cause shall be heard independently of the admissions of either party in the pleadings or otherwise; * *”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majoritye.g. Brooks v. Brooks
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.