Question
For each essay question, state your conclusion, then state the reasons for your conclusion (i.e., the legal issues(s), the definition and/or requirement(s) of the legal
For each essay question, state your conclusion, then state the reasons for your conclusion (i.e., the legal issues(s), the definition and/or requirement(s) of the legal issues(s), and the application of the facts of the question to the legal issues(s)). If you just state a conclusion without giving your reason(s), no credit will be given for that answer. 3. Answers given must show that you found the legal issues presented by the problem; that you know the legal principles to be applied; and that you are familiar with the appropriate legal terms. 4. Before starting to write the answer to each essay question, please take a moment to carefully analyze the facts presented and to organize your thoughts. Remember always: brevity is the soul of wit.
Truman G. Witherwax III is the sole owner of his family's apple orchard in Ulster County, New York, Waxy Apple Farms. The orchard has been in the family for 200 years, and Truman wants to keep it that way. Truman is currently married to his second wife, Dolores, and has three children: a son from a previous marriage, Truman IV (known as "Quinn"), and two daughters from his current marriage, Mabel and Ethel. Quinn has never been interested in the farm, and Truman thinks Quinn is too busy trying to become famous on TikTok (or whatever those darn kids are up to these days) to take the family business seriously. Thus, Truman wants his daughters to get the orchard to own and operate as equal partners. Truman also wants to make sure that Dolores is protected for the rest of her life. Therefore, Truman creates a will that says, "Upon my death, I, Truman G. Witherwax III, hereby convey Waxy Apple Farms to Dolores Witherwax for remainder of her life, and then to Mabel Witherwax and Ethel Witherwax, as joint tenants." a. Assuming Truman has died, please describe the types of ownership interests, if any, that, Dolores, Quinn, Mabel, and Ethel each have in Waxy Apple Farms. (5 Points) b. Just before Truman's untimely death from a tractor accident, Quinn learns from a former classmate, who is now a geologist, that there is a very strong probability that there are several million barrels worth of oil located under the orchard. Quinn moved to Los Angeles two years before and is currently desperate for money. Regardless of the merit of his claim, can Quinn file a lawsuit against his stepmother and half-sisters for his share of Waxy Apple Farms in federal court? Why or why not? (5 Points) c. As a result of Quinn's lawsuit, Mabel and Ethel learn about the oil. Sadly, Dolores has also passed away from a different tractor accident. Mabel wants to keep operating the family business without the possible environmental impacts from drilling for oil. Ethel wants that oil money. Ethel sells her interest in Waxy Apple Farms to ExxonMobil for $25,000,000. Is Ethel able to sell her interest? Why or why not? If she can, what is the ownership relationship between Mabel and ExxonMobil? (5 Points) d. Quinn still wants that oil. He buys an one acre piece of land right next door to Waxy Apple Farms. He erects an oil well very close to the boundary with the orchard. He starts to pump 1,000 barrels of oil a day, almost all of which comes from under Waxy Apple Farms. Assuming New York has no correlative rights legislation, would ExxonMobil be able to go to court to get an injunction (i.e., a court order to stop) against Quinn? Why or why not? (5 Points)
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