Goodwyn v. Jones’s Empirical Analysis
1971
Citation profile
17 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 17 later decisions — most recently July 2012
17 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 Alabama State Milk Control Board v. Graham · Minge v. Green · Meyer Bros. v. Mitchell · Shannon v. Wisdom · Dozier v. Troy Drive-In-Theatres, Inc.
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.
““In the instant case, each complainant was occupying a certain area of land within the 31 acres. The lines of the occupancy were impressed by cleared land and improvements. Respondent elected by adoption of an instrument prepared by L & N to offer each complainant the opportunity to purchase this occupied area upon payment of a sum set forth in the offer. Each complainant was in possession of only one occupied area within the 3U acres. Respondent designated the area to be purchased, namely the occupied area. We think it was permissible to identify the occupied area by competent evidence, and that the respondent, having elected to designate the area by a general term, cannot now complain against evidence to establish by metes and bounds, or other description, the occupied area.””
2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority““The principle is discussed in 23 A.L.R.2d, Statute of Frauds, § 2, where the test for sufficiency is said to be: “ ‘... does the writing furnish the means of identification, or, as some cases have it, does it provide the “key” to the identification, the applicable principle being that that is certain which can be made certain.... [[Image here]] “ ‘... The initial question, it seems, is not whether the words are clearly and indisputably sufficient, but rather whether they are such as will entitle the claimant to go forward with his proofs and show if he can that in the light of proper evidence the subject of sale is sufficiently designated.’ ””
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority“a general uncertain description can be made specific and certain by parol evidence of concurrent facts and circumstances sufficient to that end.”
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.