Porter v. Wilson’s Empirical Analysis
1992
Citation profile
3 federal appellate · 11 state decisions
Relationships
Relies on Bowers v. Westvaco Corp. · Pillow v. Southwest Virginia Improvement Co. · McClanahan's Administrator v. Norfolk & Western Railway Co. · Faison v. Union Camp Corp. · Jones v. Folks
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 16 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“[I]f after a person purchased land or acquired an EQUITABLE INTEREST in it, BUT BEFORE HE ACQUIRED THE LEGAL TITLE, conveyed it, ... and AFTERWARDS acquired the legal title, and sold the land, the purchaser would not have to go back of the date when the LEGAL title was acquired and would be unaffected by the sale ... made while he held only any equitable title ... if he had no knowledge of it. The purchaser would get a good title if the chain was complete and disclosed no defects after the party acquired the legal title.”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority““Every man of ordinary prudence,” about to purchase from another, searches the record, to see whether the property has been previously conveyed or incumbered. It is gross negligence not to do so. He who fails to do it, wilfully shuts his eyes against the truth, and ought not to be permitted to avail himself of his ignorance. So far from having equal equity, with a former bona fide incumbrancer, whose deed is duly recorded, he has no equity at all.”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority“A purchaser shall not, under this chapter, be affected by the record of a deed or contract made by a person under whom his title is not derived; nor by the record of a deed or contract made by any person under whom the title of such purchaser is derived, if it was made by such person before he acquired the legal title of record.”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
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.