The High Court ruled in Shoniber v. Shoniber that German-deed land on Ponape passes to the eldest son and cannot be willed.

What happened

The appeals court held that land held under a 1912 German deed passed by the deed’s rules, with priority to the oldest son, and that German law did not allow such land to be transferred by will. It upheld a summary judgment because no factual issue remained.

Why it matters

The case shows German-era land law still deciding Pohnpeian family land disputes 60 years later.