#TBT: Buffy is back (from the dead)!

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March 30, 2017

I’ve been listening to the songs from Once More with Feeling a lot lately. [I’m glad La La Land helped spread some new love for musicals in Hollywood but it doesn’t hold a candle to the greatness that is Buffy’s musical episode.] And then I learned that it was twenty years ago this month that Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the TV show, began. So the signs were clear: it was time for me to write a post about my favorite geek TV show of all time.

I missed the beginning of the Buffy phenomenon, turned off both by the name (a problem I had with Jane the Virgin and My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend too, shows I’m now obsessed with) and the movie. I only caught on to the Buffy phenomenon a few years later, when I was in law school and FX started broadcasting reruns back to back. Back then–pre-DVRs, Hulu, and Netflix–reruns were the only way to catch up on a show you had otherwise missed. Once I caught up on the old ones I started watching the new episodes. And if I missed one of the new episodes, I had to go to Television Without Pity to find out what I missed. [Wow, how did we ever manage before all of these awesome new technologies that let us watch our shows whenever and wherever we want?]

Season five ended with one of the most amazing cliffhangers ever (spoiler alert!): Buffy realizes what her gift is and sacrifices herself to save her sister and the world. It was also the 100^th episode of the show and the last episode on the WB so the wait to see what happened the next year on the UPN was excruciating.

Season six was criticized by many for being too dark, but I loved it. And the fact that Buffy’s death and resurrection brought us one of the most amazing Hollywood musicals ever only proves how amazing that season was. [I was just temporarily distracted by a review of the season six and it reminded me of how much I loved that season and its finale as well—Big Bad Willow was awesome! I’m also pleasantly surprised at what a true superstar Jonathon became. I loved Danny Strong’s acting on both Buffy and Gilmore Girls but I guess he’s even stronger as a writer!]

Season six was obviously about the entire Scooby Gang dealing with the ramifications of bringing Buffy back from the dead. Bringing her back was an impressive act of witchcraft by Willow, but as a legal geek, I was more interested in the logistics: What kind of paperwork does that involve?

The answer: A lot. It’s a painful process without a guaranteed solution so try to avoid this situation if at all possible (a good rule for hellmouths as well).

The usual reason a non-dead person has to deal with coming back from the dead is because their “death” was the result of a typographical error or they were declared dead in absentia. Buffy, of course, doesn’t fall into either of these categories–she actually came back from the dead and had to bust out of her own gravesite. Can’t blame her for falling into a destructive relationship with Spike after that trauma.

So what happens when you die?

“For three days after death, hair and fingernails continue to grow,
but phone calls taper off.” -Johnny Carson

More importantly, you get entered in the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File. Creepy as it sounds, that’s where the Social Security Administration has been keeping track of the Social Security numbers of everyone who’s died since 1980. Unfortunately, those numbers are still entered into the file by humans and sometimes errors occur, leading to people who are very much alive and well being told they are, in fact, dead.

And if your Social Security number comes up as “dead,” then you’re going to be treated like a zombie: no tax filings or refunds, no new driver’s license, rejections of any application where you’re required to provide a Social Security number. For some, it’s a brutal, years-long process that leaves them impoverished and depressed.

In addition, there can be other legal ramifications for being declared dead, especially if you were declared dead by a court in absentia. That means your estate has been disbursed, life insurance benefits paid, and Social Security disbursements made to dependents. California Probate Code Section 12408 addresses this in a section entitled “Reappearance of missing person; recovery of property; limitations of actions; order for final distribution conclusive as to parties; disputed identity of reappearing missing person.” Under that section, if you reappear you can recover assets (minus fees and costs) that are still in the possession of your estate’s personal representative. §12408(a)(1). You might be able to recover assets that have already been given to your beneficiaries, if that recovery is deemed “equitable in view of all of the circumstances.” §12408(a)(2). And if you reappear more than five years after your assets have been distributed, you’re out of luck. Id.

That’s not as bad as what happened to Donald Miller in Ohio. Declared dead by a court at the request of his ex-wife (he wasn’t paying his child support and couldn’t be found), he showed up years later and tried to be officially declared alive again. The court refused, however, explaining that under Ohio law he could only challenge a finding of death within three years of the order being entered. Miller had waited longer than that so the court told him he had to stay dead!

Presumably, the Scooby Gang was too busy fighting monsters in Sunnydale to notify the Social Security Administration about Buffy’s death – or distribute her meager assets. So all Buffy had to deal with was settling back into her old life, going through the motions as best she could:

Ah, Buffy and the Scooby Gang. It wasn’t a perfect show but it was a great show and many of its alum have gone on to make other great TV shows and movies. But there will never be another Buffy–she can only come back from the dead so many times! Next time, I’ll have to figure out what happens when a vampire regains his soul. Is there anyone tracking that?

Who Owns the Millennium Falcon?

By

Brad Blanchard

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April 4, 2016

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In The Force Awakens, the Millennium Falcon starts out in the hands of Unkar Plutt, who stole it from the Irving Boys, who stole it from Gannis Ducain, who stole it from Han Solo, who originally got it from Lando Calrissian.

Rey and Finn steal it from Unkar, and lose it to Han Solo who *Spoiler* then dies. At the end of the movie Rey and Chewie are flying it. So, who does the Millennium Falcon actually belong too?

Because our understanding of the laws of property under the Empire, New Republic, and First Order are so lacking, for the sake of this analysis we’ll assume that U.S. law applies.

The Millennium Falcon makes a brief appearance in Revenge of the Sith, but we don’t know who owns it at that point. In the absence of any evidence to the contrary we’ll assume Lando Calrissian is the first lawful owner of the Millennium Falcon. At one point he engaged in a “game of chance”, defined as “poker, craps, roulette, or other game in which a player gives anything of value in the hope of gain, the outcome of which is determined largely by chance….” (Ohio Revised Code.2915.01) (Hereafter O.R.C). He lost that game of chance, in this case Sabaac, and ownership passed to Han Solo. Or did it?

If the game was not lawfully sanctioned, it would be an illegal debt that is unenforceable under U.S. common law so the Millennium Falcon would still belong to Lando Calrissian. Hence, the comment, “What have you done to my ship?”

If the game was legally sanctioned and the Millennium Falcon was used as payment, or partial payment, for a debt lawfully owed, then ownership would pass to Han Solo. (O.R.C. 2915.02 does not prohibit conduct in connection with gambling expressly permitted by law.) Thus the rejoinder by Han Solo to the above comment, “Your ship? Hey, remember you lost her to me, fair and square” asserting that ownership had passed to him.

The Millennium Falcon is considered personal property. For most personal property ownership is often determined by possession, even if the ownership, possession or interest is unlawful. (O.R.C. 2913.01) Because of this Han Solo either has an ultimate claim to the Falcon, having received it as a payment for a lawful debt, or can claim a superior interest second only to that of Lando Calrissian, since his possession is only one step removed from the lawful owner.

The Millennium Falcon is later stolen from Han Solo by Ducain. This allows Ducain to exert a possessory interest over the Millennium Falcon, even though his claim was unlawful.

And it was stolen from Ducain by the Irving Boys, who could then claim a possessory interest over the Millennium Falcon, even though their claim was unlawful.

And it was stolen from them by Unkar Plutt, who could also exert a possessory interest over the Millennium Falcon even though his claim was unlawful.

And it was stolen from Unkar by Rey and Finn, who could also claim a possessory interest over the Millennium Falcon even though their claim was unlawful as well.

According to the common law to determine the superior claim you simply work your way back up the chain. So Rey & Finn had a superior interest to everyone but Unkar’s, the Irving boys, Ducain, and Han Solo. Unkar’s interest trumps Rey & Finns. The Irving Boys have an interest that trumps Unkar’s. Ducains’ interest trumps the Irving Boys. And Han Solo has a superior claim to them all. And he then messes things up by dying. So now who owns the Millennium Falcon?

Well, assuming Han Solo died without a will, which seems pretty likely, who owns it will be determined by the laws of intestacy. Han Solo was married to Leia Organa. They were separated, but don’t seem to have made it a formal separation as recognized by the law. They had at least one child (Ben/Kylo Ren) but, as far as we know, neither of them had any children outside of the marriage. As a result, where there is a marriage and all the children are born of that marriage then the whole goes to the surviving spouse. (O.R.C. 2105.06.) So even though Rey may be flying the ship, Leia inherited all rights to the Millennium Falcon and it ultimately belongs to her… assuming Han won it in a lawful game of Sabaac…but he was a great swindler and never one for the rules, so it’s entirely possible it still belongs to Lando.

The Law Awakens before The Force Awakens!

By

Josh Gilliland

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December 17, 2015

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There has been an awakening. Have you felt it? Between property rights and breach of contract?

Nothing says the holidays like Star Wars! Tune in to hear classic Star Wars legal issues, from Darth Vader on Contracts, whether Medical Droids can commit malpractice, to Obi-Wan’s Defense of Luke Skywalker.

Leia’s Lightsaber? A Question of Loss and Larceny

By

Kean Zimmerman

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December 2, 2015

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As the time for the premier for The Force Awakens draws near, excitement is brewing for those new and familiar with the series. For decades many fans have speculated on the comings and goings of the characters from the original Star Wars Trilogy. With the canon now being rewritten, The Force Awakens hopes to take us to places in the galaxy far far away that have never been seen before. Screen shots from the movie trailers hint at the return of many familiar characters. Of course this just leads to more questions, but one question that has been left unanswered for decades deals with an object rather than a character. That object is the lightsaber wielded by Luke and Anakin Skywalker. Yes, fans might want to know where that lightsaber is, but for that matter, who actually owns the lightsaber? For that answer the lightsaber must be analyzed through the intricate lense that is property law.

As you might recall this was the second lightsaber Anakin built. His first lightsaber was destroyed on Geonosis during the events of Attack of the Clones. From the Clone Wars series there is no depiction of him making the new lightsaber, but there was an episode showing younglings crafting their own Jedi weapons. For the sake of this analysis, we will assume that Anakin made his second lightsaber in a similar matter. However, this does not mean that the Jedi Order may claim ownership over the weapon (think crafts that you bring home from summer camp, but more dangerous). This would mean the lightsaber is Anakin’s personal property. This means that Anakin has the true legal title to the lightsaber.

After Anakin and Obi-Wan’s battle on Mustafar, Obi-Wan took the lightsaber with him before entering into a self-imposed exile on Tatooine. At no point does Anakin give the lightsaber to Obi-Wan, therefore Anakin still retained rightful title in the lightsaber. It is not clear if Obi-Wan meant to take it for himself or if he knew that he would give it to either Luke or Leia. Either way, this was arguably still an act of larceny. Connecticut law defines larceny as:

A person commits larceny when, with intent to deprive another of property or to appropriate the same to himself or a third person, he wrongfully takes, obtains or withholds such property from an owner. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-119 (2015).

Since Obi-Wan cut off Anakin’s legs and arm immediately before taking the lightsaber, it seems a likely conclusion that Obi-Wan intended to deprive Anakin of the lightsaber by taking it and leaving Anakin to smolder in the lava of Mustafar.

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan has been exerting dominion and control over the lightsaber. He kept it with him on Tatooine during his exile, and nineteen years after the events of Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan presented the lightsaber to Luke Skywalker, saying that it belonged to his father. At this point, Luke was under the impression that his father was already dead. To his knowledge then, there was no other owner of the lightsaber still living. He took the lightsaber from Obi-Wan as a gift, not knowing that the true title of the lightsaber still resided with his living father. Connecticut defines a gift as follows:

A gift is the transfer of property without consideration. It requires two things: a delivery of the possession of the property to the donee, and an intent that the title thereto shall pass immediately to him. Coppola v. Farina, 50 Conn. Sup. 11, 13, 910 A.2d 1011 (2006).

There are two elements that must be satisfied. First, that the possession of the lightsaber transfer to Luke, and second, the intent that the title immediately transfer to Luke. While the first element was satisfied, the second could not be fulfilled as Obi-Wan never had the title to the lightsaber. As such the gift fails, however, Luke is still in (unlawful) possession of the lightsaber.

Fast forward to the events of the Empire Strikes Back in which Luke has his hand cut off by Darth Vader (Anakin Skywalker) and is deprived of the lightsaber. However, shortly after this he learns that Darth Vader is his father. Upon this revelation, he is aware that his father, the true owner of the lightsaber, is alive. Darth Vader has a valid claim against Luke for the return of the lightsaber. In terms of criminal conduct though, it is unlikely that Luke could be charged with receipt of stolen property. In the state of Connecticut “a person is guilty of larceny by receiving stolen property if (he/she) receives stolen property knowing that it has probably been stolen or believing that it has probably been stolen.” Conn. Gen. Stat.§ 53a-119(8). In this instance, Luke had no reason to think that the lightsaber had been stolen since he was convinced that his father was dead. Granted Luke probably should have asked a few more questions regarding the provenance of the lightsaber, but this does not make him liable. As a result, though Darth Vader would have had a claim, there would likely not have been a criminal claim against Luke.

Regardless of the claims against him, Luke lost the lightsaber in an undisclosed location on Cloud City. If he was still exerting dominion and control over the lightsaber, he would be on notice to return it to its true owner. Luke, however, was not in possession of the lightsaber after learning that his father was still alive. As such, he was not necessarily responsible for returning it at that point.

Moving then to the events of Return of the Jedi. After the death of Darth Vader, Connecticut intestacy law suggest that his personal property would then belong to his living heirs. In this case, the two living heirs would be Luke and Leia Skywalker (since Padme, their mother, is also deceased). See Conn. Gen. Stat.§ 45a-438. However, there is an argument to be made that Luke contributed to the death of Darth Vader by weakening him before his confrontation with Emperor Palpatine. Albeit Darth Vader acting on his own to save his son, this does not change the fact that Luke intentionally acted to harm his father. But for Luke’s lightsaber duel, Darth Vader may have been able to fend off Emperor Palpatine. More importantly, after the exchange Luke drags his father’s body to a hangar in an effort to leave the second Death Star. In the end, Darth Vader asks Luke to help him take off his mask. Luke acknowledges that this will kill Darth Vader. Although Darth Vader claims that this is inevitable, Luke still takes off the mask knowing that it would lead to Darth Vader’s death. While some jurisdictions recognize “right-to-die” legislation, Connecticut is not one of them. As a result, Luke may be charged with murder. In Connecticut, “A person is guilty of murder when, with intent to cause the death of another person, he causes the death of such person or of a third person or causes a suicide by force, duress or deception . . . .” Conn. Gen. Stat.§ Sec. 53a-54a.

The reason Luke’s actions are relevant to the lightsaber ownership is due to the fact that Connecticut has a slayer law. A slayer law prevents certain individuals from inheriting property if they caused the death of the person leaving the estate. In Connecticut, if Luke is found guilty of murdering his father (or being an accessory to his father’s murder) then he is prohibited from inheriting or receiving part of the estate from the victim (i.e. his father). Conn. Gen. Stat.§ Sec. 45a-447(c)(1). According to Connecticut law, the residual estate would then pass to Anakin’s other heirs. Conn. Gen. Stat.§ Sec. 45a-447. This means that the Connecticut Superior Court could determine he is guilty of murder, but a conviction would not bar him from inheriting the lightsaber. Only when he exhausts all of his appeals would he be barred from inheriting. Sulser v. Winnick, Conn. Super. LEXIS 2137 (2007).

If Luke were to be found responsible for Darth Vader’s death, then the statute would leave Leia Skywalker, Darth Vader’s only other living heir, to inherit their father’s entire estate (which may consist of shares in a now imploded Death Star). Whether or not Leia is aware of this, the true title to Darth Vader’s lightsaber would go to Leia. The unique nature of the lightsaber may prohibit Leia from wielding it like her brother or father. Certain laws may require the lightsaber to be registered for Leia to possess it, or the law could require Leia to have a permit for the lightsaber. This is likely not the case as it would equate lightsabers to handguns under Connecticut law. However, Connecticut still finds a knife with an automatic spring release from the handle with a blade longer than one and one-half inches to be a dangerous weapon. See Conn. Gen. Stat.§ Sec. 29-38. A lightsaber surely has a similar release function with a saber length of longer than one and one-half inches. While this law does not make mere possession of the lightsaber illegal, carrying the lightsaber in a vehicle or on one’s person would certainly be illegal with few exceptions. Although Leia may have title to the lightsaber, she could be prevented from taking it with her for weekend getaways in the Millennium Falcon.

[SPOILERS AND SPECULATION]

This leads us to Star Wars VII. While images show Finn (John Boyega) holding what looks to be the lightsaber in question this has not been definitively confirmed. How he received or acquired the new lightsaber will impact the necessary legal analysis. In the hands of Finn, we see the memorable blue glow of the lightsaber that has not been seen (in the film timeline) since Luke learned of his parentage in The Empire Strikes Back. While the lightsaber’s current location is yet to be seen, its fate will likely play some role in the plot of The Force Awakens. Leia has the legal title to that fabled piece of property, but she may not even realize it. In the end, no one can legally obtain ownership of the lightsaber in question without Leia transferring title.

The Rule Against Perpetuities is a Real Killjoy

By

Josh Gilliland

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August 25, 2015

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The SyFy show Killjoys had an legally complex property issue in the final episodes of the season: seventh generation descendants who lived on the very environmentally damaged moon Westerley would be deeded property, and thus could immigrate to the much nicer moon Leith, thanks to a deal by their ancestors.

Property rights on Earth do not take seven generations to vest. Every first year law student knows such a real property transfer would violate the Rule Against Perpetuities (RAP). The traditional definition of RAP states that, “No interest is good unless it must vest, if at all, not later than twenty-one years after the death of some life in being at the creation of the interest.” Black’s Law Dictionary App, 9^th Edition.

California defines the Rule Against Perpetuities as follows:

A nonvested property interest is invalid unless one of the following conditions is satisfied:

(a) When the interest is created, it is certain to vest or terminate no later than 21 years after the death of an individual then alive.

(b) The interest either vests or terminates within 90 years after its creation.

Cal Prob Code § 21205.

The goal of Rule Against Perpetuities is simple: eliminate contingent interests in real property that could vest too remotely. Courts frown upon people willing property to a generation that would not exist for over a century. There is risk the rights would never vest, such as a genetic weapon going off killing everyone in a bloodline to prevent inheritance of the subject property.

Property rights vesting after seven generations would violate the Rule Against Perpetuities. A generation typical is viewed as 20 years. Human beings in good health can live well into their 90s. Granted, people on Westerley probably have shorter life spans, given acid rain that kills, the lack of proper medical care, and a highly dangerous community (i.e., you can get shot).

If we assume each generation on Westerley were having children every 25 years (time for a child to grow up, find a career, spouse, and have a child themselves), then approximately 150 to 175 years had passed since the first generation entered into the property agreement. Assuming the first generation lived to age 75 given the dangerous environment, 21 years after their death would not have seen a 7^th generation come into existence. As such, the property rights would vest anywhere from 75 to 100 years after the death of the first generation. This would violate rights having to vest 21 years after the death of the original life in being.

It is apparent lawyers did not make the deep space trip to The Quad. There is no civil government, but The Company, comprised of nine “ruling” corporate owner families. This would be a horrible place to live. Killjoys is an unintended reminder that humanity is best served by governments colonizing planets, opposed to corporations that have very little interest in civil rights, constitutions, or property law.

Please Vote For The Legal Geeks for Best Podcast

By

Josh Gilliland

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August 10, 2015

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Voting is now open in The Geekie Awards. It is time to vote early and vote often for The Legal Geeks for Best Podcast. We ask for your vote every day for Best Podcast until August 31, 11:59pm PST.

Please help us show the world that lawyers love not just the law, but comic books too. Please go to http://vote2015.thegeekieawards.com/ and cast your vote for The Legal Geeks.

Thrilled to be Nominated for Best Podcast by The Geekie Awards

By

Josh Gilliland

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July 18, 2015

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Jessica and I are deeply honored to be nominated for Best Podcast by The Geekie Awards. Our podcast Property Lessons from Thor and Civil Procedure from Ant-Man are tales to astonish law professors and legal geeks who love the law. We are simply thunderstruck to be recognized by The Geekie Awards one week after our first San Diego Comic Con panel. This summer has been one excellent adventure for Jessica and I. Thank you everyone who has joined us.

Our podcast journeyed into mystery on whether ownership of Mjolnir could be contingent on being worthy, based on the events in Jason Aaron’s excellent Thor series after the events of Original Sin. Jess and I then geeked out over Civil Procedure in discussing Nick Spencer’s awesome Ant-Man series on whether Tony Stark could sue Scott Lang in California or Florida.

We look forward to the awards show on October 15 at Barker Hanger in Santa Monica. I greatly enjoyed the innovation and fun of the first two Geekie Awards shows. I am very excited to see the new venue for a simple reason: I love airplanes. Having both a grandfather and father who were aeronautical engineers whose careers spanned from Amelia Earhart to the Space Shuttle, it will be a lot of fun to see the Geekie Awards in Barker Hanger.

Voting for the Best Podcast is now live at http://vote2015.thegeekieawards.com/ until August 31. Please vote once a day for The Legal Geeks and help keep civil procedure and property cool.

Thank you all for enjoying The Legal Geeks.