Robinson v. Trousdale County

516 S.W.2d 626 (1974)

Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
R
From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Robinson v. Trousdale County

Tennessee Supreme Court
516 S.W.2d 626 (1974)

CS

Facts

Mr. Robinson and Mrs. Robinson (plaintiffs) owned land in Trousdale County, Tennessee, as tenants by the entirety. The county (defendant) wanted to acquire the land in order to widen a public highway. Mr. Robinson unilaterally executed a deed that conveyed the land to the county. Later, Mr. and Mrs. Robinson sued the county for damages for taking the land. The county alleged that neither of the Robinsons had any right to damages because Mr. Robinson had conveyed the land by deed to the county. The lower court held that Mr. Robinson was estopped from claiming any damages because of his conveyance to the county but awarded Mrs. Robinson $530 for her interest in the land. The Robinsons and the county appealed. The court of appeals affirmed the lower court’s decision but modified the disposition of Mrs. Robinson’s award. The court directed the clerk of the court to hold the $530 and invest it for so long as both Mr. and Mrs. Robinson were alive, after which, if Mrs. Robinson died first, the money would be returned to the county. But if Mrs. Robinson survived her husband, the money would be finally distributed to her. Both the Robinsons and the county petitioned the state supreme court for certiorari. The supreme court granted certiorari only in regards to the disposition of Mrs. Robinson’s damages award.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Henry, J.)

Concurrence (Henry, 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 811,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Berkeley, and Northwestern—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead 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.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 811,000 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.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 811,000 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
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 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

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

Property

Key Terms