Trust Law 25.06.2020 Company and Partnership Law 09.07.2020 Civil Procedure + Insolvency Law Commonl 05 Part 1 (Of 5) Property Law
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Prof. Dr. Alexander Trunk Class Introduction to the Common Law Summer term 2020 http://www.eastlaw.uni-kiel.de 16.04.2020 Introduction. Overview: UK, Commonwealth 30.04.2020 Overview: U.S. Law 14.05.2020 Contract law 28.05.2020 Tort law 11.06.2020 Property law + trust law 25.06.2020 Company and partnership law 09.07.2020 Civil procedure + insolvency law CommonL 05 Part 1 (of 5) Property Law Notion of „property law“ in the understanding of the Common Law • Branch of law dealing with the relationship between one or more persons and things (cf. Encyclopedia Britannica) • Termin „property“ (from Lat. proprietas/ownership) refers to „ownership“ in „things“ • „Ownership“ tends to be understood more broadly than „property“ (extending beyond „things“) • „Things“ in this context can be „tangible“ (corporeal) or „intangible“ (incorporeal) difference from Civil Law tradition! Eigentum - Vermögen • Practically, legal relations (ownership/property) with regard to intangibles are usually not dealt with in property law (but in contract law [e.g. assignment], company law etc.). Lease (landlord-tenant relationship) is often seen as a separate category between contract law and property law. dogmatically not stringent • Strong historic influences! Property law in context • Property and cultural background and historic development: role of private property • Property in socio-political theory (antiquity, enlightenment, French Revolution, Adam Smith, Marxist theory etc.). Relationship between property and society/justice/economy. • „Property rights theory“ under (new) institutional economics: importance of property rights in the process of economic development (“incentives”); how to structure. General concepts of „property“ in Common Law (general) • Private property – public property • „Full“ property (or „bundle of rights“) - „limited“ proprietary (property) rights [rights in rem] • Personal property („personalty“: in chattels) – real property („realty“: in land) History of property law in Common Law countries History of property law in England • Norman conquest (1066) • feudal system (e.g. only „estates“/„fees“) • „writ“ system (actions) has led to fragmentation (differentiation between personal property – real property: actions „in personam“ – actions „in rem“). • distinction common law – equity in property law, e.g. „legal“ and „equitable“ „interests“ • some statutes, e.g. Property Act 1925, Land Registration Act 2002, Sale of Goods Act 1979/1989, … • EU influence very limited History of property law in the U.S. • Based on English tradition, but particular developments: • U.S. Constitution • Federal structure: federal legislation – State legislation (+ Common Law) • Uniform laws, in particular UCC Art.9 (security interest) • Restatements Law of Property: 17 vol., but yet uncompleted • Economic analysis • Other Systematic position of property law • Part of private law, but based on constitutional law and linked with administrative law and criminal law • Branch of law dealing with „property“: contents = „right to exclusion, use and transfer” • Linked with law of obligations and procedural law (as well as others) Core elements of property law • Definition of sphere of application: lease? sales? intellectual property? trust? • Determination of types of property rights: • Personalty: legal/equitable property (ownership, “title“), credit security in rem (pledge et al.), possession as right? • Realty: • freehold – leasehold • freehold: fee simple absolute in possession, other fees/estates (e.g. terms of years absolute, fee tail, life estate) • „legal and equitable interests in land (see English Property Act 1925) • credit security in land: mortgage • possession • Principles of property law? • Most relevant aspects of the respective rights: • acquisition, protection, transfer, termination „Principles“ of property law • Numerus clausus of property rights? In U.S. explicitly recognized for real property. UK? Legislation mostly not dispositive. • Principle of „separation“ of property law and law of obligations: yes • Principle of „abstraction“? No • Principle of „speciality“ (Spezialitätsprinzip) in property law: mostly yes, but some exceptions, e.g. floating charge, general liens and privileges • Principle of „legal certainty“ (Bestimmtheits- grundsatz) in property law: not discussed as principle • Principle of „publicity“ in property law: mostly yes, but some exceptions Further reading on the subject https://www.peacepalacelibrary.nl/ebooks/files/321952723.pdf https://www.eui.eu/Documents/DepartmentsCentres/Law/ResearchTeaching/ResearchThemes/EuropeanPrivateLaw/RealPropertyProject/England%2 0and%20Wales.PDF Hay, US-Amerikanisches Recht, 7. Aufl. (2020), 5.Kapitel D. (Sachenrecht) CommonL 05 Part 2 (of 5) Constitutional guarantees of property U.S. Constitution •Fifth Amendment (1789/1791) No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury …; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. Numerous case-law by U.S. Supreme Ct., e.g. broad interpretation of “property”, 5th Amd covers also relations between private parties. Particular aspect expropriation (“eminent domain”) UK No express constitutional guarantee (but see Magna Carta 1215). But Human Rights Act 1998 (enforced by regular courts, also ECtHR available). See also ECJ (but EU Charter of Human Rights not binding for UK). •Protocol 1, Article 1: Protection of property •Every natural or legal person is entitled to the peaceful enjoyment of his possessions. No one shall be deprived of his possessions except in the public interest and subject to the conditions provided for by law and by the general principles of international law. •The preceding provisions shall not, however, in any way impair the right of the State to enforce such laws as it deems necessary to control the use of property in accordance with the general interest or to secure payment of taxes or other contributions or penalties. Sources of property law • International law (e.g. investment protection) • [EU law] • Constitutional law (e.g. human rights) • Substantive private law • Procedure: procedural aspects typically involved, e.g. enforcement of security rights by „foreclosure“, actions in rem and in personam, insolvency • Related legal areas: e.g. trust, contracts, company law, conflict of laws TypesTypes ofofsources sources • “Codes” e.g. Texas Property Code, California Civil Code, Louisiana Civil Code • Specific legislation: movable/immovable property, supplementary legislation • Restatement of the Law Property (U.S.) • Uniform Acts, e.g. UCC Art.9 (security interest) (U.S.) Sources of property law: UK • Statutes • Common for Personal and Real Property • Companies legislation (e.g. Companies Act 2013) on fixed and floating charges • Personal Property • Sale of Goods Act 1979 (includes property aspects) • Real Property • Law of Property Act 1925 • Land Registration Act 2002 • Common Law (case-law) Sources of property law: U.S. • Federal statutes • E.g. Uniform Relocation Assistance and Acquisition of Real Property Act for Federal and Federal-Assisted Programs (1970), 42 U.S.C § 4601 and 49 CFR Part 24 • States legislation • ULC Uniform Acts: • Uniform Abandoned Property Act 2018 (Model Act) • Uniform Condominium Act 1977 • Eminent Domain Code 1974 (Model Act) • Disclaimer of Property Interests Act • Federal Lien Registration Act • Residential Mortgage Satisfaction Act • Real Property Transfer on Death Act • Real Property Electronic Recording Act • Real Estate Time Share Act (Model Act) • UCC Art.2 Sales – Art.2A Leases • UCC Art.9 Secured Transactions • Uniform Unclaimed Property Act, Revised • Other legislation • e.g. Property Code (Texas), California Civil Code, Louisiana Civil Code Federal: URA, 42 U.S.C § 4601 See also: U.S.C.A. (= Annotated) Restatements on Property Law (ongoing) • Restatement of Property (1936–40; mostly superseded by Restatement of Property, Second and Third volumes) • Restatement of Property, Second, Landlord and Tenant (1977) • Restatement of Property, Third, Mortgages (1997) • Restatement of Property, Third, Servitudes (2000) • Restatement of Property, Third, Wills and Other Donative Transfers (1999, 2003, and 2011) • Restatement of Security (Division I largely superseded by the Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code; Division II entirely superseded by Restatement of Suretyship and Guaranty, Third) Division 3: Possession Division 4: Acquisition Vol. 2: INTERFERENCES WITH, AND LIMITS ON, OWNERSHIP AND POSSESSION Division 1: Property torts Division 3: Remedies (eg damages) Vol. 3: POWERS AND DUTIES ASSOCIATED WITH OWNERSHIP DIVISION ONE: OWNER POWERS (eg alienation, gifts) DIVISION THREE: LANDLORD AND TENANT Sources of property law: Other Jurisdictions • Australia • Canada • India • South Africa https://indiankanoon.org/doc/515323/ CommonL 05 Part 3 (of 5) Selected topics of property law Typical issues • Relevance of distinction movable/immovable (personal/real) property and consequences therefrom: distinction is of basic character, but some statutes and literature develop general approaches • Acquisition of (full) property in general • Good faith transfers (movables/immovables): possible, sometimes even without good faith • Protection