Lamprey v. Metcalf
Minnesota Supreme Court
53 N.W. 1139 (1893)
- Written by Solveig Singleton, JD
Facts
Before 1856, the federal government of the United States conveyed the lands bordering a shallow lake in the State of Minnesota (Minnesota) (defendant) to private owners. Before 1873, Uri Lamprey (plaintiff) and O. M. Metcalf (defendant) became cotenants of this land. The lake had dried up, and nothing remained but a dry lake bed. Lamprey and Metcalf initiated a lawsuit to partition their cotenancy. Under state law, Minnesota was a necessary party to such a suit. As the suit proceeded, Minnesota claimed the land, basing its argument on the equal-footing doctrine, arguing that the lake was navigable at the time Minnesota became a state. Judgment was ordered for Lamprey, and Minnesota appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Mitchell, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 796,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,200 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.