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Case Summary
Toledo Museum of Art v. Ullin
Toledo Museum of Art v. Ullin, No. 3:06 CV 7031 (N.D. Ohio 2006).
Précis
In an ownership dispute between the Toledo Museum of Art and the heirs of Martha Nathan over Gauguin’s
Street Scene in Tahiti, the
Federal District Court
Any general jurisdiction trial court of the United States federal court system (one or more in each state). Also known as United States District Court.
Federal District Court for the Northern District of Ohio ruled that the heirs’ claim was barred by a four-year
statute of limitations
1) A law that bars claims after a specified period; specifically, a statute establishing a time limit for suing in a civil case, based on the date when the claim accrued (as when the injury occurred or was discovered). The purpose of such a statute is to require diligent prosecution of known claims, thereby providing finality and predictability in legal affairs and ensuring that claims will be resolved while evidence is reasonably available and fresh. 2) A statute establishing a time limit for prosecuting a crime, based on the date when the offense occurred (Black’s Law Dictionary (8th ed. 2004)).
statute of limitations on claims for
conversion
A civil wrong (tort) in which one converts another's property to his own use; in other words, “stealing.” Conversion includes treating another's goods as one's own, holding onto such property which accidentally comes into the taker’s hands, or purposely giving the impression that the assets belong to the taker. This gives the true owner the right to sue for his own property or the value and loss of use of it, as well recourse to law enforcement authorities, since conversion usually includes the crime of theft (http://dictionary.law.com).
conversion of personal property. Nathan sold the painting to a dealer in 1938, and the Toledo Museum purchased it in 1939. Nathan’s heirs first contacted the museum in 2004, and did not file a claim until 2006.
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