Case library · The Fisherman's Rights
The Fifteen Nets
Lawton v. Steele (1894)
Charge: Summary destruction of illegal netsCourt: U.S. Supreme CourtState: New YorkDocket: The Fisherman's Rights
May a state let officers destroy illegal fishing nets on the spot without a hearing or any compensation?
The facts
A state banned certain nets in certain waters and declared any net set there a public nuisance that anyone at all could destroy on the spot, with no hearing, no court order and no payment. Officers found fifteen nets set in a bay and destroyed them. The nets were worth about $35 each, $525 in all. The owners sued, saying their property had been taken without any trial.
You have the facts the court had. Guilty or not guilty? Call it in the game with your friends, then see what the court actually decided. Wrong call, you drink.
Citation: Lawton v. Steele, 152 U.S. 133 (1894)
Read more at supreme.justia.com. The source reveals the outcome.