Carpenter v. Carpenter’s Empirical Analysis
1982
Citation profile
51 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 53 later decisions — most recently July 2022 · most notably Bartlett v. American National Bank & Trust Co. of Sapulpa (1984), Veiser v. Armstrong (1984)
51 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 Fauntleroy v. Lum · Sarah Fall v. Elizabeth Eastin · Lepis v. Lepis · Chalmers v. Chalmers · Martindell v. Martindell
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 53 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“Custody contests are of equitable cognizance. The court may exercise continuing jurisdiction of disputed claims. On appeal, the trial court's disposition is reviewed by the standards applicable to chancery cases. The court's decision is presumed to include a finding favorable to the successful party upon every fact necessary to support it. While an appellate court may and will examine and weigh the evidence, the findings and decree of the trial court cannot be disturbed unless found to be against the clear weight of the evidence. Whenever possible, an appellate court must render, or cause to be rendered, that judgment which in its opinion the trial court should have rendered. A decree need not rest upon uncontradicted evidence. It is not fatal to the validity of an equity decision if, on the basis of the evidence presented, the chancellor might have been equally correct in reaching a conclusion different from that which he actually did. If the result is correct, the judgment is not vulnerable to reversal because the wrong reason was given for the decision or because the trial court considered an immaterial issue or made an erroneous finding of fact. [This Court is] not bound either by the reasoning or the findings of the trial court. Whenever the law and the facts warrant, [this Court] may affirm the judgment if it is sustainable on any rational theory and the ultimate conclusion reached below is legally correct. Unless the decision is found to be against the clear weight of ”
3 later decisions quote this exact passage“the conclusion reached below neither against the clear weight of the evidence nor contrary to the established principles of equity.”
1 later decision quote this exact passage“District courts may, in cases of actual controversy, determine rights, status, or other legal relations....”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the dissent
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.