Corliss v. Wenner
Court of Appeals of Idaho
34 P.3d 1100 (2001)
- Written by Eric Cervone, LLM
Facts
In the fall of 1996, Jann Wenner (defendant) hired Larry Anderson (defendant) and his employee, Gregory Corliss (plaintiff), to construct a driveway on Wenner’s ranch. While excavating soil for the driveway, Anderson and Corliss unearthed a glass jar containing rolls of gold coins. Anderson and Corliss agreed to split the gold coins between themselves, with Anderson maintaining physical possession of all the coins. Anderson and Corliss later argued over ownership the coins, and Anderson fired Corliss. Anderson then gave possession of the coins to Wenner in exchange for indemnification against any claims that Corliss might have against Anderson regarding the coins. Corliss sued Anderson and Wenner for possession of the coins. The trial court rejected the finders-keepers rule of treasure trove and ruled that the coins were considered mislaid property, thus granting possession to the landowner, Wenner. The trial court further held that the coins were a part of Wenner’s property, and that Anderson and Corliss were employees of Wenner. Corliss appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Schwartzman, C.J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 805,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 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.
