Barry Bonds’ record-setting home-run baseball

a.       Popov and Hayashi were at a baseball game. Popov “caught” the ball, but was attacked by the crowd for it, so it left his possession and rolled on the ground, upon which Hayashi picked it up and put it in his pocket.

b.      Popov argued that he owned the ball because he caught it, then the attackers (wrongful acts) forced him to lose it. And since he lost the ball due to wrongful acts, he was the owner.

c.       Hayashi argued that he was not one of the wrong-doers, therefore he simply owned the ball by way of finding it.

d.      Since both parties had equally strong claims to the ball, the judge ordered it to be sold and the proceeds be divided.

e.       Think about whether the judge applied the law correctly?

Property is NOT about the relationship between us and our “stuff”…but it is between us and the State in regards to the “stuff”