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Civil Procedure Keyed to Field
Fagnan v. Great Central Insurance Co
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*Case Brief Anatomy includes: Brief Prologue, Complete Case Brief, Brief Epilogue
- The Brief Prologue provides necessary case brief introductory information and includes:
- Topic: Identifies the topic of law and where this case fits within your course outline.
- Parties: Identifies the cast of characters involved in the case.
- Procedural Posture & History: Shares the case history with how lower courts have ruled on the matter.
- Case Key Terms, Acts, Doctrines, etc.: A case specific Legal Term Dictionary.
- Case Doctrines, Acts, Statutes, Amendments and Treatises: Identifies and Defines Legal Authority used in this case.
- The Case Brief is the complete case summarized and authored in the traditional Law School I.R.A.C. format. The Pro case brief includes:
- Brief Facts: A Synopsis of the Facts of the case.
- Rule of Law: Identifies the Legal Principle the Court used in deciding the case.
- Facts: What are the factual circumstances that gave rise to the civil or criminal case? What is the relationship of the Parties that are involved in the case. Review the Facts of this case here:
Thompson was driving a car and Harness was the passenger. Thompson collided with Plaintiff’s vehicle and was killed. Harness sued Thompson’s estate in federal court in Minnesota. The administrator of Thompson’s estate sued Plaintiff for contribution and Plaintiff countersued the estate for contribution. The case settled. Plaintiff then sued Defendant, Thompson’s insurer, in Wisconsin for medical expenses and child care expenses resulting from the accident. Defendant removed the case to federal court and a jury found for Plaintiff. Defendant appealed, arguing that Plaintiff’s claim was a compulsory counterclaim in the previous litigation with Thompson’s estate and that because it was now barred by Fed. R. Civ. P. 13(a) from being raised against Thompson’s estate, it was also barred from being raised against Defendant under a direct action statute.
- Issue(s): Lists the Questions of Law that are raised by the Facts of the case.
- Holding: Shares the Court's answer to the legal questions raised in the issue.
- Concurring / Dissenting Opinions: Includes valuable concurring or dissenting opinions and their key points.
- Reasoning and Analysis: Identifies the chain of argument(s) which led the judges to rule as they did.
- The Brief Prologue closes the case brief with important forward-looking discussion and includes:
- Policy: Identifies the Policy if any that has been established by the case.
- Court Direction: Shares where the Court went from here for this case.