The Rose of Aberlone

Chronicle (Historical Society of Michigan, Winter 2009)

Posted: 13 Jun 2012

Date Written: 2009

Abstract

This is the story behind “The Case of the Barren Cow,” a landmark legal dispute seemingly between two nineteenth-century Michigan farmers over a barren cow. But as this article reveals, many commonly held beliefs about the case are mistaken. In fact, the parties were prosperous businessmen, there was little reason to think the cow was barren, and although the seller won his appeal the buyer ended up with the cow. Nevertheless, the case remains one of the great contributions to contract law and law-school lore.

Keywords: mutual mistake, landmark cases, legal education

Suggested Citation

Stockmeyer, Norman Otto, The Rose of Aberlone (2009). Chronicle (Historical Society of Michigan, Winter 2009), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2083864

Norman Otto Stockmeyer (Contact Author)

Cooley Law School ( email )

300 S. Capitol Avenue
P.O. Box 13038
Lansing, MI 48901
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.cooley.edu/faculty/norman-stockmeyer

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
34
Abstract Views
622
PlumX Metrics