William Eli Baker
How Judge Baker rules, drawn from 25 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Baker no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Baker decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
When predicting unsettled state law, Baker drew from related state decisions and the broader weight of authority, allowing a blasting-damage claim to proceed without requiring debris to cross the property line.
“Blasting is necessarily and inherently dangerous and, hence, one who- undertakes to blast so near to another’s property as to be liable to cause damage must assume the risk”
Baker required clear and convincing proof before reforming an insurance contract, especially where the insurer drafted and repeatedly reviewed the policy and sought relief only after the loss.
“Before a . contract can be reformed for mutual mistake, the evidence of such mistake must be clear and convincing.”
In a land-contract dispute, Baker treated deliberate drafting changes, discouragement of independent counsel, and one-sided possession terms as evidence supporting rescission for fraud.
“The contract between Mrs. Horst and Mr. Baldwin, dated September 3, 1947, was procured upon Mr. Baldwin’s part by fraud and misrepresentation.”
Procedural preferences
Baker enforced the forum-defendant restriction in diversity removal even where the federal court would have had original jurisdiction if the plaintiff had filed there.
“a West Virginia Corporation, sued in a West Virginia State Court, can not, on the sole ground of diversity of citizenship, remove such suit to the Federal Court”
He treated delivery to the state-court clerk outside the courthouse as timely filing when the clerk accepted and marked the papers before the deadline.
“handing the papers to the Clerk at her residence, at her suggestion, and the acceptance and endorsement of the same by her as filed at January Rules, constitutes filing with the Court”
In reviewing agency action, Baker required adherence to the agency's own published procedures before judicial enforcement could be obtained.
“If administrative agencies are to seek resort to this court or to other courts of this land to enforce their ukase they shall have to demonstrate that they have complied with the law which gave them birth.”
Cautions
Baker applied statutory bankruptcy priorities strictly even where a prepetition creditor's services demonstrably preserved the asset for the later receiver.
“the language of the Bankruptcy Act, 11 U.S.C.A. § 1 et seq., and the decisions construing the same, require me to hold that this is a common claim.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“Without going into any further detail, I overrule the defendant’s motion to' dismiss this complaint.”
“Judgment may be had for the defendant.”
“For the foregoing reasons, I will refuse the prayer of the plaintiff to reform the insurance contract involved, and direct that judgment in favor of the City of Morgan-town be entered upon its counterclaim”
“I do, therefore, now confirm the Report of Thomas H. Duval, Commissioner in Admiralty, heretofore filed with this Court.”
“The order of the Referee complained of is affirmed.”
“An order in favor of the defendant should be entered upon its motion for summary judgment; proper costs to be taxed against the plaintiff.”
“I, therefore, hold that the complaint and the amended complaint do not state a cause of action upon which any recovery Can be predicated.”
“An order will, therefore, be entered reducing the sentence imposed July 23, 1943, in this case from five years to three years.”
“I, therefore, hold that the defendants are entitled to judgment upon their motion, and that the plaintiff, Tillett, be required to execute a proper release of all claim to the property and to deliver such release to the defendant, Rodgers.”
“I, therefore, decide that as a matter of law this contract must be vacated and annulled, and that Mrs. Horst is entitled to recover from Mr. Baldwin any sum or sums which may have resulted from his use of the property during the time this contract was ostensibly in force.”
“I hold that the manner in which the Housing Expediter acted in rejecting the application of Wheeling Downs, Inc., and in refusing administrative relief was beyond its delegated authority as an administrative agency, and constituted a denial of due process of law under the Fourteenth Amendment.”
“As to the defendant's alternative motion to set aside the verdict and grant a new trial, I feel that the same should be overruled for the reasons set forth above.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
The reviewed reported opinions span bankruptcy administration, insurance, tort, removal, patents, criminal procedure, admiralty, equity, and administrative review. This selected corpus is not a complete caseload measure.
A historical record
Judge Baker no longer hears cases. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.