Markham v. Houston Direct Navigation Co.’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

26 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 26 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““While two wrongdoers may be sued jointly and a recovery had against both if both are guilty, or if one only shall be found guilty against that one, such suit may as in this ease be brought against one only of the wrongdoers, and upon proof that the 'one sued was guilty of contributing to the injury recovery may be had against that one for the injury caused by it and the contributing act of the other wrongdoer, as if the. whole was caused by the party sued. The only difference that can result between suing two as wrongdoers jointly and electing to sue one only will be when one is found not to have contributed at all to the injury, in which case, if by mistake the innocent party has been sued, there can be no recovery, whereas if both had been joined a recovery could have been had against the one proved to be guilty.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Williams v. Zang

2. ““The direct cause of the injury to plaintiff’s wife was the act of defendant in leaving said cable across said bayou after nightfall without a light being fastened to it.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Williams v. Zang