Who has the right to use a princess castle located in one's backyard for their child, but used by another for housing? In the popular sitcom Modern Family, Mitchell and Cameron live in a two-unit apartment with their daughter Lily. The family lives in the lower unit with private access to backyard amenities, including a princess castle they built for their daughter and a hot tub. One day, they saw a stranger in their hot tub and confronted him to leave. The stranger introduced himself as Barry, informing the two that he had just moved in and thought he had access to the hot tub. Without asking any additional questions, the two welcomed Barry with open arms under their own belief that he moved in upstairs. They continuously asked him to join them for dinners and to consistently hang out in their home for Mitchell and Cameron's benefit.

Who really owns the legendary pirate ship known as the Black Pearl? This dispute centers on the ownership of the infamous pirate ship. Originally known as the Wicked Wench, the vessel was owned by the East India Trading Company (EITC) and captained by Jack Sparrow. After Sparrow disobeyed orders and freed enslaved individuals, the Company, led by Cutler Beckett, had the ship destroyed. Years later, Sparrow reclaimed the wreck by making an agreement with Davy Jones, who raised the ship from the sea. Sparrow renamed it the Black Pearl, transformed it, and became an infamous pirate captain. The EITC never reclaimed or repaired the wreck, and it was lost to the sea.

The sitcom television show Friends, follows a group of friends in their twenties living in New York City. Much of the show’s comedy stems from the group’s struggle to make money in NYC. A main character, Monica, was trying to make it as a chef, going through a variety of low paying jobs, like waitressing. However, much of the show is filmed in her large, two-bedroom, West Village apartment. It begs the question, how can a twenty-something waitress in NYC afford a huge West Village apartment? The answer was given when her landlord, Treeger, threatened to evict Monica because she was illegally subletting the apartment from her grandmother to keep a rent-controlled price. Monica had lived there for five years at this point and because she was never allowed to live in the apartment, was a trespasser. However, when Joey taught Treeger to ballroom dance, he let her continue to live there for over ten years. Does Monica have a claim for adverse possession?

The year is 2045, Blue Ivy Carter releases her third studio album, and space suits are in. Elon Dusk and a Jehovah’s Witness land on Mars.

Dusk’s landing on the planet is the first in a series of missions planned by his company SpaceZ that he hopes will make humans an interplanetary species. Dusk’s expansive career as a venture capitalist, entrepreneur, and political benefactor has been characterized by an ethos of bare metal efficiency that his detractors have called a ruthless pursuit of the future at the expense of people. Yet, this ethos has served Dusk well and he has now carried it to the nascent Mars Colony One (MC1) where he hopes to build a long-term settlement. Dusk’s companion is Ann Marsh, great-granddaughter of prominent Jehovah’s Witness Grace Marsh. Marsh has agreed to accompany Dusk as part of his efforts to promote MC1 as a base of intergalactic religious freedom.