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Contracts Keyed to Murray
Thunderstik Lodge, Inc. v. Reuer
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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:
Thunderstik Lodge, Inc. (Plaintiff) leased agricultural land from the Reuers (Defendants). The lease terms stated that the lease was for a ten-year term and could be extended for two additional ten-year terms, with the first extension for an increased annual rent of $33,000 and the second extension for $36,000 in rent. The terms also provided that if any portion of the lease was held invalid or unenforceable, the remainder was to remain valid and enforceable. South Dakota statutes prohibited agricultural leases of longer than twenty years. Defendants sought a declaratory judgment holding the lease to be an invalid thirty-year agricultural lease. The circuit court held that the second of the ten-year extensions was invalid but severed it from the agreement, leaving the remainder enforceable. Defendants appealed, arguing that severance was improper and that the entire agreement was invalid.
- 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.