Fletcher v. Lyon’s Empirical Analysis
1909
Citation profile
2 federal appellate · 2 district · 36 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 40 later decisions — most recently October 2023 · most notably Bodcaw Lumber Co. v. Goode (1923), R. M. Cobban Realty Co. v. Donlan (1915)
2 federal appellate · 2 district · 36 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 McRae v. Stillwell, Millen & Co. · Liston v. Chapman & Dewey Land Co. · Carson v. Lumber Co. · CarLee v. Ellsberry · Hill v. Hill
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 40 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
““The timber deed involved in the other case conveys ‘all timber standing or fallen, with the right to cut and remove same at any time.’ Does this mean that the grantee has an unlimited time within which to remove the timber, as contended by counsel? If so, any defendants are allowed to remove it at their own convenience, without regard to lapse of time. Then they can, by mere inaction, forever deprive plaintiffs of the enjoyment of the rights which they expressly reserved in the deed. Such is not a reasonable or just interpretation of the language of the contract. Carson v. Lumber Co. [ 91 S. W. 53 ], supra. If the words ‘at any time’ be given their'literal meaning, the defendant may await all time to remove the timber; and, if not, the words must be held to mean a reasonable time, without unnecessary delay, the same as if no time at all were specified. We conclude that the latter is the proper interpretation of the language of the deed.””
1 later decision quote this exact passage““Ho hereby grant, bargain, sell and convey unto the said Thomas R. Lyon and unto his heirs and assigns forever all the timber standing or fallen, with the right to cut and remove the same at any time, upon the following lands.””
1 later decision quote this exact passage““To have and to hold the same unto the said Thomas R. Lyon and unto his heirs and assigns forever.” . '”
1 later decision 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.