MAPS FOR LEGAL CASES

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American Trader Oil Spill, Newport CA

Courtroom maps in digital and paper media were created to illustrate the site of the 1990 oil spill by the American Trader tanker near Newport Beach, California. The maps were commissioned to visually represent the impact on beach and ocean use and access immediately following the spill and during the ensuing clean-up. In addition to the adjacent location map, several maps were created that demonstrated the re-opening of closed beaches by date.

Nickel v. California, Kern County, CA

Nickel v. California was a dispute over the navigability of the Kern River in Kern County, California, as of the date of California's statehood in 1850. If the Kern River were navigable in 1850, then the state would own the bed and banks. If not, then adjacent property owners would hold title to the middle of the stream. The question of who owns the bed and banks is important due to reasons of public access, property taxes, maintenance of minimum stream flows, liability, etc.

Nickel v. California was tried in 1993, and the judge's decision hinged in large measure on the historical testimony by Littlefield Historical Research including the map work by Dr. Northon. The land patents displayed on the map were issued between the early 1860s through the first part of the 20th century, and were derived from written records. A large version of the map was on exhibit during the court hearings and smaller versions were included with written documents. Adaptations with different information were also completed.

APL President Washington and Hanjin Hong Kong Collision, Pusan (Busan), KOREA

On May 2, 1994, the American President Lines ship President Washington collided with the Hanjin Hong Kong in dense fog at the entrance to Pusan Harbor. The ensuing litigation focused on establishing responsibility and liability between the two companies. Dr. Northon was hired to deconstruct and analyze mapping exhibits presented by the opposing side and to create maps that included all possible interpretations of the ships' locations at the time of the collision. Various navigation charts (D.M.A., British Admiralty, and Korean) were compared with considerations of ellipsoid, datum and G.P.S. settings. The adjacent map, one example of the exhibits created, has red linework as an overlay of the opposing side's portrayal of the collision area. There is a clear discrepancy between the nautical chart used here and the depiction by the opposing counsel.

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	Nickel v. California, Kern County, CA Nickel v. California was a dispute over the navigability of the Kern River in Kern County, California, as of the date of California's statehood in 1850. If the Kern River were navigable in 1850, then the state would own the bed and banks. If not, then adjacent property owners would hold title to the middle of the stream. The question of who owns the bed and banks is important due to reasons of public access, property taxes, maintenance of minimum stream flows, liability, etc. Nickel v. California was tried in 1993, and the judge's decision hinged in large measure on the historical testimony by Littlefield Historical Research including the map work by Dr. Northon. The land patents displayed on the map were issued between the early 1860s through the first part of the 20th century, and were derived from written records. A large version of the map was on exhibit during the court hearings and smaller versions were included with written documents. Adaptations with different information were also completed.