77 N.Y.2d 311, 569 N.E.2d 426, 567 N.Y.S.2d 623 (1991)
In 1912, Marc Chagall painted, “Le Marchand de Bestiaux,” (“The Cattle Dealer,” when translated). The painting was sold to Mrs. Rachel Lubell and her spouse in May of 1967 for $17,000.00. In 1985, a former employee of the Guggenheim Museum saw a transparency of the painting. He recognized the painting as a piece from the collection at the Guggenheim that had disappeared in the late 1960s. The date the Museum discovered the painting was missing is approximately 1970. The museum director sent Mr. and Mrs. Lubell a letter in 1985 demanding the return of the painting. Mrs. Lubell refused, and the Guggenheim filed a lawsuit.