Louisiana Law School 1L Study Guide for Property
1. Introduction to Property Law
- Fundamental Concepts:
- Property: A legal relationship between individuals with respect to things.
- Types of Property: Movable and Immovable (similar to personal and real property in common law).
- Civil Law vs. Common Law:
- Louisiana, as a civil law jurisdiction, differs from other states in its approach to property law, with its roots in the French and Spanish legal systems.
2. Ownership and Possession
- Ownership:
- Rights of the owner: Usus (use), Fructus (fruits), and Abusus (disposition).
- Acquisition of Ownership: Through contract, succession, and occupancy.
- Possession:
- Concept of possession and the presumption that the possessor is the owner.
- Protecting possession: The possessor has the right to protect his possession against third parties.
3. Classification of Things
- Corporeal and Incorporeal Things:
- Corporeal things are tangible objects, whereas incorporeal things include rights and actions.
- Public and Private Things:
- Public things, such as waterways and roads, are owned by the state.
- Private things are owned by individuals or entities.
4. Usufruct, Use, and Habitation
- Usufruct:
- The right to enjoy the property of another and to derive the profits and benefits from it, without altering its substance.
- Use and Habitation:
- Use: The right to use the property of another without altering its substance.
- Habitation: The right to dwell in the house of another.
5. Co-Ownership
- Types of Co-Ownership:
- In indivision: Co-owners share ownership of a property without physically dividing it.
- Partition: The division of property among co-owners.
- Rights and Duties of Co-Owners:
- Each co-owner has the right to use the property and the duty not to prevent the use by other co-owners.
6. Servitudes
- Definition and Types:
- Servitudes are charges on a servient estate for the benefit of a dominant estate.
- Personal servitudes: Benefit a particular person rather than a dominant estate.
- Predial servitudes: Benefit the dominant estate directly.
- Establishment and Termination:
- Created by law, by contract, or by prescription.
- Terminate by various methods including expiration, non-use, and destruction of the servient or dominant estate.
7. Real Rights and Personal Rights
- Real Rights:
- Rights related to property that are enforceable against the world at large.
- Personal Rights:
- Rights related to property enforceable against specific individuals.
8. Acquisitive Prescription
- Concept:
- A method of acquiring ownership or other real rights over immovable property through continuous and uninterrupted possession for a legally defined period of time.
- Requirements and Effects:
- Possession must be public, peaceful, continuous, uninterrupted, unequivocal, and under the concept of an owner.
9. Transfer of Property
- Voluntary Transfer:
- Through acts such as sale, donation, or exchange.
- Involuntary Transfer:
- Through succession, expropriation, or adverse possession.
10. Security Rights
- Mortgages:
- Rights granted to a creditor over the immovable property of a debtor to secure a debt.
- Pledge:
- A movable property is given as security for an obligation.
11. Key Case Law (Louisiana)
- Avery v. State Mineral Board (Louisiana 1960)
- Issue: Whether the mineral rights were properly reserved in the sale of land.
- Rule: In Louisiana, mineral rights can be reserved separately from the land.
- Analysis: The court considered the intention of the parties and the interpretation of the act of sale.
- Conclusion: The court held that mineral rights were not included in the sale.
- Nunez v. Pecan Grove Plantation (Louisiana 1983)
- Issue: The nature of the rights of a lessee under a long-term lease.
- Rule: A lessee under a long-term lease can acquire ownership through acquisitive prescription.
- Analysis: The lessee’s possession was continuous, uninterrupted, and under the concept of an owner for the prescriptive period.
- Conclusion: The lessee was entitled to ownership of the property.
This study guide provides a broad overview of the main concepts of property law as they are taught in Louisiana law schools. Studying these concepts alongside specific case law and statutory provisions will be instrumental in preparing for a final semester exam. Students should make sure to understand the particular nuances of Louisiana law, which may differ significantly from the common law approach taken in other states.