White v. Hamlen’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

6 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 6 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “A riparian landowner is at the mercy of the river upon which his land is situated. He acquires, incident to his ownership, whatever land may be added by gradual and imperceptible accretion. See Crow v. Johnston, 209 Ark. 1053 , 194 S.W.2d 193 (1946). At the same time, he assumes the risk of losing his property by its being gradually washed away by the waters of the river. Id. When a stream changes its course gradually, i.e., by accretion, the boundaries of the riparian land owners change with the stream. Goforth v. Wilson, 208 Ark. 35 , 184 S.W.2d 814 (1945). When a stream shifts suddenly, i.e., by avulsion, the boundaries of the riparian landowners do not change with the stream. Id. The question of whether accretion or avulsion has occurred is generally one of fact.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Bobo v. Jones