Knill v. Knill’s Empirical Analysis
1986
Citation profile
2 federal appellate · 10 district · 120 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 136 later decisions — most recently December 2019 · most notably Walter v. Gunter (2002), Inlet Associates v. Assateague House Condominium Ass'n (1988)
2 federal appellate · 10 district · 120 state decisions — followed in 11 states
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
Applies 42 U.S.C. § 666 (§ 466 of the Social Security Act of 1935)
Relies on Pickett v. Brown · Impala Platinum Ltd. v. Impala Sales (U.S.A.), Inc. · Miller v. Miller · 189 Cal. App. 2d 658 - Clevenger v. Clevenger · Dahl v. Brunswick Corp.
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 136 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
““[I]t is now well established that ‘an estoppel may arise even where there is no intent to mislead, if the actions of one party cause a prejudicial change in the conduct of the other.’ Indeed, all that is needed to create an equitable estoppel is (1) voluntary conduct or representation, (2) reliance, and (3) detriment.””
18 later decisions quote this exact passage““[T]he duty of parents to provide for the maintenance of their children, is a principle of natural law; an obligation laid on them not only by nature herself, but by their own proper act, in bringing them into the world: ... By begetting them therefore they have entered into a voluntary obligation to endeavor, as far as in them lies, that the life which they have bestowed shall be supported and preserved.””
3 later decisions quote this exact passage“[The husband] knew that [the child] was not his son and, nevertheless, treated him as his son and as a member of the Knill family. Such conduct is consistent with this state's public policy of strengthening the family, the basic unit of civilized society. We encourage spouses to undertake, where feasible, the support, guidance and rearing of their spouse's children, so long as such conduct does not deprive the children of their right to support from their natural parents. . . We believe [the husband] should not be penalized for his conduct.”
2 later decisions quote this exact passage
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.