Logourl black
From our private database of 14,200+ case briefs...

Baker v. Weedon

Supreme Court of Mississippi
262 So.2d 641 (1972)

Facts

John Weedon had two children by his first wife. Eventually, he married Anna Plaxico (plaintiff) and bought a tract of land known as Oakland Farms with her. He and Anna worked the farm for most of their lives together. John’s will provided that all of his property was to go to Anna “during her natural life” and then to her children after her death. If Anna were to die without children then the property would go to “my grandchildren” in equal shares (i.e. the children of the children from his first marriage). He deliberately excluded his children from the will. Anna had no children, meaning that the grandchildren from John’s first marriage (Baker et al.) (defendants) came into an interest in the land upon John’s death. Anna’s advanced age and languishing health made it difficult for her to survive on the income from the farm. Meanwhile, urban development made the land more and more valuable for development purposes. Its value as farmland remained stagnant. Its commercial value during the dispute was $168,500. However, the value was estimated to increase to $336,000 within the next four years. Anna brought suit in Chancery Court to compel the immediate sale of the property so that she could use the proceeds to support herself and pay taxes. The chancellor granted Anna's request on the theory of economic waste. The Bakers filed an appeal to prevent Anna from selling the land in which they possessed a future interest, vesting after Anna’s death. The Bakers argued that because Oakland Farm was not deteriorating and there is sufficient income from rental to pay taxes, then a judicial sale was improper.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Patterson, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 97,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Vanderbilt, Berkeley, and the University of Illinois—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students. Read our student testimonials.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students. Read more about Quimbee.

Here's why 250,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 14,200 briefs, keyed to 189 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Here's why 250,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners not other law students.
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet.
  • 14,200 briefs - keyed to 189 casebooks.
  • Uniform format for every case brief.
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language.
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions.
  • Ability to tag case briefs in an outlining tool.
  • Top-notch customer support.