Quimbee logo
DMCA.com Protection Status
From our private database of 16,200+ case briefs...

Patterson v. Meyerhofer

Court of Appeals of New York
97 N.E. 472 (1912)

Facts

Benjamin Patterson (plaintiff) agreed to sell four properties to Anna Meyerhofer (defendant). Meyerhofer knew that Patterson did not yet own the properties but intended to purchase them at an upcoming foreclosure sale. Later, however, Meyerhofer told Patterson that she would not uphold her end of the bargain. Instead, Meyerhofer attended the foreclosure sale and outbid Patterson on all four properties. Meyerhofer paid $620 less than the total contract price. Meyerhofer also purchased a fifth house, which Patterson alleged was the subject of a parol agreement. According to Patterson, if he was able to buy all five properties, he and Meyerhofer agreed he would keep the fifth for himself. Patterson sued for $620 in damages and demanded that Meyerhofer convey the fifth house to him. The trial judge concluded that there was “no relation of trust” between the parties and that Meyerhofer was free to buy the properties at the sale. The judge also found no parol agreement. The Appellate Division affirmed. Patterson appealed to the Court of Appeals of New York.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Bartlett, J.)

Dissent (Chase, 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 356,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 16,200 briefs, keyed to 222 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 356,000 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.
  • 16,200 briefs - keyed to 222 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.
  • Top-notch customer support.