Harris v. Cobb’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

11 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 11 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““A conveyance by Mrs. Harris of the whole tract without mention of the reserved and excepted one-sixteenth part of the oil retained by Mrs. Meyers would in no wise disturb or affect the right or title of Mrs. Meyers. Mrs. Harris’ deed was a matter of record. The fifteen-sixteenths of the oil was vested in fee absolutely in Elizabeth J. Harris, and a sale by her of the same with a reservation and exception of any designated part or proportion of it could not apply to that which she never had, but was still vested in her vendor. Any reservation or exception made to herself must be of her own. How could she reserve to herself that which she "never owned? In Baker v. McDowell, 3 Watts & S. (Pa.) 358, B., who was seized in fee of a tract of land, subject to an outstanding title to one-half of all iron ore found in the premises, conveyed the same to H. in fee, excepting and reserving to the said B. his heirs and assigns, the one half of all iron ore found on the land. Held to be a reservation to the grantor himself of that half of the ore which was vested in him, and not a mere notice or reservation of the other half which was outstanding.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Hooks v. Neill