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1. (TCOs D, E, F) Frank Jones is a college student who had a plow attached to his jeep so he could earn extra money plowing during the winter. Jones was under contract to plow the driveways of Mr. Washington and Ms. Adams, two neighbors down the street. John Smith lives between Washington and Adams. Jones took it upon himself to plow Smith’s lot the seven times this past winter when there were storms and when he plowed the other two lots. Jones had never spoken to Smith about it, and Smith never objected. In the spring, Jones personally appeared at Smith’s house and presented him with a bill. Smith refused to pay Jones, stating that, “he never agreed to any contract.” That statement was made after Jones presented him with a bill of $600, which he calculated as the reasonable value of his services. After Smith’s obnoxious response, Jones yelled: “I will see you in court!”
What legal arguments could Jones make to enforce his $600 bill? What legal arguments could Smith make to avoid liability? (Points : 15)

2. (TCOs B, C, G, I) Lonestar Trucking, a large freight carrier servicing the Southwest, learns from reading in the industry trade magazine that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has proposed a regulation change. The regulation, proposed pursuant to a statute that restricts drivers from operating/driving a truck for more than twelve (12) hours a day, will now require drug testing of any driver involved in an accident. The regulation was proposed due to political pressure from Mothers Against Impaired Driving (MAID), a group dedicated to eliminating deaths due to people driving while impaired. Lonestar Trucking is concerned, not just about the costs of implementing such a regulation, but how it will comply with its requirements since accidents often occur far from their base of operations. Lonestar Trucking’s employees and their union are also very upset with the proposal. They are concerned that the field drug tests used by police officers are notorious for giving “false positive” results, and that the proposed regulation will require that a test be given even when “the other diver” is clearly at fault.

What should Lonestar Trucking do regarding the proposed change? (Points : 15)

3. (TCO C) Three professors from Keller’s Illinois campus, Favre, Bush, and Clinton, decide to visit XYZ Go-kart facility together in Minnesota. This decision is made after a lengthy faculty brunch, at which unlimited alcoholic mimosas were served. XYZ Go-kart advertises at the college’s various campuses and, in fact, the professors use their faculty discount at the facility. At the facility signs are posted everywhere in bold: “BY PARTICIPATING IN Go-KART RACING, YOU VOLUNTARILY ASSUME THE RISK OF ANY DEATH OR INJURY THAT MAY RESULT. “ Additionally, the professors hurriedly sign a contract, which states: “YOU ARE GIVING UP ALL LEGAL RIGHTS”; “XYZ WILL NOT BE HELD LIABLE FOR ANY NEGLIGENCE RESULTING IN YOUR INJURY OR DEATH”; and “THE PARTIES AGREE THAT ANY POSSIBLE LEGAL ACTION WILL BE HEARD IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA.”

4. (TCOs A, D, E) Judy Collinsworth, a then-unknown folk singer, signed a three album recording contract with Mercury Apollo Music, Inc. Mercury Apollo Music was a boutique label specializing in folk artists. Collinsworth’s first album for Mercury Apollo was moderately successful. The second album, unfortunately, was panned by the critics and did not sell. Mercury Apollo Music was acquired by NastiCondiMedia, Inc. NastiCondiMedia, in an effort to re-vitalize Collinsworth’s career, encouraged her to leave the folk style she was committed to and do more commercially viable pop material. Collinsworth rejected this request. Furious with NastiCondiMedia, Collinsworth wanted to end the contract. On her own, with what remaining personal funds she had left, she immediately went to an independent recording studio and did sessions toward a third album without approval or consent by NastiCondiMedia. Using her concert band, she recorded tracks for over 30 songs. Due to the financial failure of Collinsworth’s second album and her recent unsuccessful concert tour, NastiCondiMedia did not do the final production work on Collinsworth’s third album.

Collinsworth then entered into a contract with EasyListening Communications, Inc. She began recording a new folk album with EasyListening in conjunction with a concert tour that they financed and produced. At her concerts, Collinsworth would regularly introduce the new material that would be on her new album.
Shortly after the concert tour began, NastiCondiMedia brings suit against Judy Collinsworth and EasyListening Communications, Inc.

(a) What causes of action might NastiCondiMedia bring against Collinsworth and EasyListening?

Paul and Thomas Franklin, brothers, are college students and web designers. While at the University of Megalopolis, a private, for-profit college in the “Quad State” area, they started an online chat service called FaceLinked. Paul attended and resided at the college’s campus in the State of Quadrahenria. Thomas, who was on probation during college for a low level felony drug conviction, could not be a resident student and took classes at the campus in the Commonwealth of New Guernsey campus. The chat service began by putting information from the school’s student directory online, and offering blog, chat, and message board features. FaceLinked was such a hit that within a year, the school advised the brothers that they had to remove FaceLinked from the university’s server as it was utilizing too many resources. This was not a problem as the Franklins found advertisers, so they were able to move FaceLinked to a private server without charging user fees. In fact, FaceLinked was earning so much revenue that the Franklin brothers were able to pay themselves and the six friends who helped them start and operate it salaries. The Franklin brothers are graduating from the University of Megalopolis and will be attending separate graduate programs. Paul will attend Quadrahenria State University, and Thomas the College of New Guernsey. As FaceLinked is so successful, the brothers not only plan to expand it to the two new colleges that they are attending, but to as many other colleges within the four states comprising the “Quad State” area as possible. They even have hopes of “going national.” As part of their plan to expand to other campuses, they expect to recruit a student from each of the new schools “to get them in.” They wish to formalize FaceLinked by organizing it as a proper business. The brothers would like to maintain a majority interest in the business, give about 20 percent to the six friends from their undergraduate days who helped them run the service, and use the remaining interest in the business to attract other investors and use employee incentives.
They seek your advice on (a) the form of business they should use, (b) who might have a claim on the business, and (c) how they might protect themselves from claims regarding a computerized internet platform?

(TCOs A, D, E) Woody worked at the local country club pool as a lifeguard, not a swim teacher, for the summer of 2013. Woody was a public school physical education teacher. The country club did not do a background check or confirm any references when they hired him. They relied on the “say-so” of Woody’s brother, a member of the country club board of directors. The country club only did a cursory internet search of the state’s Department of Education website to verify that he had a valid teaching certificate. When one of the swim instructors unexpectedly quit one day, he took over the class. Initially, the class went well. Eventually, Woody also took over coaching the club’s competitive swim team. When he became the swimming coach, Woody effectively stopped “teaching” the swim classes. Instead, he had all the swimmers in the classes do races and train for competitive meets during the 30 minute lessons. Woody had done this many times during the summer. His boss, the country club director, knew this and, as the swim team was winning, ignored complaints from parents and students. Woody raced with the swimmers and pushed the winners out of the way when they tried to touch the side of the pool so that Woody’s team would win each time. This was not the first time that Woody had injured swimmers. Last year, he was arrested for physically abusing a child he coached at his school. Although the criminal charges were dropped, Woody is on administrative leave from his public school job until an administrative hearing with the state Department of Education can be held in the fall. The incident was reported in several local papers, and his administrative suspension is listed on the state’s database.
Several of the children, ages 6-8, reported to their parents that they had been physically assaulted by Woody while in swim class for not “working hard enough!” The children had bruises on their shoulders. In addition, Woody began “kidding” an 18 year old black college student who worked as a lifeguard and assisted Woody with the coaching. Over time, Woody’s “jokes” toward the young man became very aggressive. Woody continued even though the young man asked him to stop. In fact, after the young man told Woody to stop as he felt harassed, Woody hired another lifeguard to assist him with the coaching. The country club director was aware of this situation, but as the swim team was winning, he took the position that it was an interpersonal issue that the two should workout among themselves.
Several parents brought suit against the local country club, Woody, and the country club director. The young lifeguard has also brought suit. The local country club pool alleges that they are not liable. Discuss the ethical, liability, and agency issues presented by this matter, and all defenses available to the local country club pool. (Points : 30)

(TCOs G and I) In the 1930s, after immigrating to the U.S. from Ireland at the onset of World War II, Shamus and Mary McCream opened a bakery in Boston. They specialized in snack cakes. McCream Cup Cakes became so popular in the area that the family stopped being actual bakers and became manufacturers/ food processors of the snack cakes on a regional basis. After returning from the war, their son Steve completed college and began working in television advertising in the early 1950s. Steve approached his parents and his older brother Tom, who was now running the business, about the possibilities of advertising and “going national.” The family liked the idea and began advertising and expanding. In addition, to fuel the expansion, they offered retailers price discounts and other incentives if they prominently positioned the store displays set-up by McCream rack jobbers. By the 1960s, they were a national brand, controlling over 80 percent of the snack food industry.
In the 1970s, with the advent of the hippie counter-culture and the back-to-Earth movement, a new competitor made an impact on the McCream business. The company, Healthy Snacks, began advertising that their products only used natural ingredients. They even began running a commercial in which a mother and child compared their Healthy Snacks with a lampooned product named “Cup Cake McCrumbs,” stating that it tasted like poison and dog food! Tiny-Big- Brian, a counter-culture pop star with a late night UHF and cable show, joined in on the controversy created by the commercial and stated that he did not understand how people, “could buy such poisonous dog food and serve it to their children as snacks!” Market studies showed that McCream Cup Cakes sales suffered. As a result, McCream began a more aggressive shelf space and display marketing campaign to combat Healthy Snacks’s television advertising. McCream’s marketing efforts were successful. By also offering volume discount incentives, they had prevailed upon retailers in their traditional East Coast and Midwest markets to prominently display their products. To counter this strategy, Healthy Snacks offered a deep discount to WaySafeMart, a Southwest and West Coast discount chain, in exchange for an agreement to exclusively sell only their snack foods.
In reality, McCream Cup Cakes used only FDA approved ingredients and preservatives and were made in American plants that always passed inspections. In contrast, although Healthy Snacks’s pilot plant was in Florida, it had subcontracted the bulk of its production to a plant in the Dominican Republic. As a result, to maintain a level of quality, Healthy Snacks used the maximum amount of preservatives allowed under the law of the Dominican Republic for the imported product. The level was so high, reactions to the food were often reported. The levels were higher than those allowed by FDA regulations, but allowed per an agricultural import/export treaty between the United States and the Dominican Republic. Several people who ate these Healthy Snacks required emergency room visits. A child in Georgia, with food allergy problems, even died. Her parents served her the snack, relying on the advertising, not knowing that some of the natural ingredients used in the Dominican Republic-made product were dangerous to her.

The McCream family seeks your advice and opinion regarding:
(1) Healthy Snacks’s advertising campaign.

(TCOs A, E, F) John and Edwin Booth, brothers and actors, decide to retire after years on the road. They remember a town in Louisiana they were familiar with from their travels. From the internet, they learn of a farm a few miles outside of town that seems ideal. There is a great house and lots of land. The brothers wish to convert the farm to a restaurant-hotel with a dinner theater. They contact the realtor by phone, and make arrangements to buy the parcel. The Booth brothers plan on traveling to Louisiana prior to the closing to look things over, but are unable to do so due to their touring schedule. The realtor, whose commission is technically paid by the proceeds to the seller, and who has a listing contract with the seller, advises the Booths that she will handle everything. Louisiana custom, law, and practice does not require a purchaser of land to have an attorney. The realtor does only the bare minimum needed for title to transfer to the Booths. On their behalf, she only has a minimal title search and minimal inspections are done, and she obtains a minimal coverage title insurance policy. As the area near the farm was once occupied by a large chemical plant, when the realtor represents local purchasers, as a precaution, she advises the buyers to get the maximum possible title search and title insurance, and to get all possible inspections done. It is her regular practice to caution local purchasers who she represents about the former chemical plant.
After closing on the property, the Booths learn of the old chemical plant. They seek your advice as to their liability and the liability of any other parties. (Points : 30)

(TCO B) The FDA decides to require all pharmaceutical companies to immediately implement the tracking bars (UPC) as a result of the disaster with Robins & Robins. Robins & Robins decides not to challenge this and begins the process of adding them to all of their products. However, McFadden, Inc., a New York pharmaceutical company, realizes that this new requirement is going to bankrupt them immediately. McFadden did not participate in the original public comment period. However, this rule is different from the rule that went through that public comment period in that it specifically names four companies as being impacted: Robins & Robins, McFadden, Inc., Bayer, and Johnson & Johnson. On what bases can McFadden challenge this requirement imposed by the FDA, and can they be successful? Provide at least two bases under the Administrative Procedures Act and justify your answer. (Points: 30)

(TCO C) Robins & Robins immediately issued a massive recall for the tainted medication upon learning of the situation. Despite the recall, 1,400 children and 350 adults have been hospitalized after becoming very ill upon taking the tainted medication. Each of them had failed to note the recall after having already purchased the medication. It is quickly determined that they will need liver transplants and many of them are on a waiting list. During the wait, to date, 12 children have died. Their families are considering suing for both 402A and negligence. The attorneys stated that but for the lobbying efforts, the recall process would have been automated and the people would not have gotten sick or died.

You are the attorney for one of the dead children’s family. List the causes of action (if any) you would file against Robins & Robins, the FDA, and the bribed FDA member. List the elements of the causes of action, and set forth the facts that you have that would support a lawsuit against each of the three named defendants. State any defenses any of the three would have. Analyze the success of the defenses. (Points : 30)

(TCO A) It is discovered that Robins & Robins knew about the tainted medication 2 months earlier than they announced the recall. They hid it and, in fact, sent out contract buyers to try to buy up all of the medication off the shelves. Their “fake” recall failed. Using the Laura Nash method of analyzing ethical dilemmas, analyze the ethical dilemma faced by the CEO of Robins & Robins for the fact that they saved 35 cents/package and are now in the middle of a major, life-threatening recall. Analyze their “fake” recall as well. Show all of the steps of the model and give a recommendation to the CEO of what to do now that the deaths are escalating. What is the “right” thing for the CEO to do in this case? Did the model help you come to this conclusion, or did you use some other method? Explain. (Points: 30)

(TCO I) A Canadian citizen whose son (resident of Ontario) died from the medication sues Robins & Robins in a California court. The court there is well known for being victim friendly and providing huge pay-outs to victim families. In Canada, the cap on non-pecuniary damages is around $300,000. Punitive damages in Canada are rarely allowed. Robins & Robins moves to dismiss the case under the theory of sovereign immunity. Will Robins & Robins win this motion using this theory? Why or why not? (short answer question) (Points: 15)

(TCO E and H) A private high school hires a new Superintendent, George Forester. The school is owned by a local Lutheran Church and is run by a board of directors chosen by church members. Supt. Forester shows up for his first day of work, and sends a memo via intercompany mail to all teachers:

(TCO E) Anna and Lisa both sue the school and Pastor Forester for discrimination and further, for liability for their injuries (the stabbing damages and the damages to Lisa’s son’s health.) You are one of the board of directors and need to analyze the liability of the school. Limit your answer to the SCHOOL'S liability only.

Write a brief memo as to whether Pastor Forester committed illegal or discriminatory practices in his brief tenure described in this situation. Then, analyze the potential liability of the school. Discuss agency liability, as well as any employment law aspects. Explain whether you feel that the two injured teachers have cases for recovery against the school. Discuss whether the school being a religious, private school has any bearing on or protection from liability. Include all defences available to the school.

TCO E. Anna and Lisa both sue Pastor Forester and the school under Title VII. Analyze their Title VII lawsuit against the school and Pastor Forester. Explain whether you feel that the two injured teachers have cases for recovery (describe the theories and whether you feel they will be successful). Discuss whether the school being a religious, private school has any bearing on liability or protection from liability. Include all defences available to the school and Pastor

(TCO H and E) In the discovery portion of the case, it is determined that Pastor Forester is really not a Pastor. His real name is Jerry Birches, who is a parolee with convictions for child molestation. His parole agreement prohibits him being closer than 1000 feet to any school. In order to cut costs, the school had stopped doing background checks on new employees, and this slipped through the cracks. The President of the Board of Directors immediately fires Pastor “Jerry Birches” Forester and notifies his parole officer of the violations. Pastor Forester claims the board knew about his background, because one member of the board (his aunt Theresa) knew the truth. He claims her knowledge should be imputed to the entire board of directors. He then sues the school for firing him for being a convicted felon. He claims that is illegal, and he publicly attacks the church for their "less than Christian" behavior in firing him.

The board immediately convenes to discuss “damage control.” They know you took a Law and Ethics course recently and ask you to write a news release to the local newspaper, explaining the situation. Using ethical and legal considerations (including the fact you are in the middle of multiple lawsuits), write the brief news release. Then, explain why you wrote it the way you did.

(Points: 30)

(TCO F) Ellen DeGeneres sues Clean Clothes for the use of a look-alike model for the slacks advertisement. She includes Lanham Act, misappropriation, and "Right of Publicity" claims in her complaint. Clean Clothes countersues for product disparagement. Joseph A. Bank (JOSB) sues Ellen for impacting their men’s clothing sales with her unsolicited comment. What facts will Ellen use to support her cases and why will those support her cases? What defenses will Ellen have against Clean Clothes and JOSB's countersuits? Do you think any of the 3 will win their cases? (Why or why not.) (Points: 30)

(TCO G) It is discovered that two weeks before the Ellen show, she had sold $2 million in JOSB stock (at a gain of about $2,200). The morning after her show, Ellen sold JOSB short (which means she was betting the stock price would go down), and she made another $210,000 in the next week on that trade. The swing in the price was not directly tied to her comments, but was suspected to be a result of a recall JOSB made on their entire line of men's black and brown dress slacks when it was discovered that they had been sewn together with white thread. Ellen's previous trading activity shows that she made it a normal practice to “vigorously trade” the stock of any company with which she did business. A review of her trading activity for the past year showed that she had bought and sold JOSB stock 25 different times, including short sales like this one. Her overall trading for JOSB stock for the last 12 months was a net loss of $82,000.00. Do you think the SEC will file anything against Ellen for her sales of JOSB? Is there any cause to do so? Analyze her transactions with respect to insider trading activity (based on what you know) – and whether she should be concerned. Is her prior trading activity a defense? Should Ellen have avoided discussing JOSB publicly on her show since she typically trades their stock? (Points: 30)

(TCO B) Name one argument that Robins & Robins could have used to fight against the imposition of a tracking bar (UPC) requirement in the event their lobbying efforts during public comments had failed. Explain the argument and the procedural method Robins would use to fight it. If Robins had not gotten involved in the public comments period, would your answer change? Why?

(TCOs D, E, F) State Senator Leghornne, while filibustering the opposition party’s proposed statute on public education, accuses State Senator Gentile, the bill’s sponsor, of being an “unabashed child lover.” It is common knowledge that State Senator Gentile, who is gay, recently married an 18-year-old college intern who had worked in his legislative offices. The relationship and the marriage were covered in the local papers. Although many conservative people had “their opinions” on the matter, most dealt with the situation with decorum and respect. State Senator Leghornne had recently and vehemently opposed the state’s same sex marriage law. State Senator Gentile’s spouse was so distraught and upset by the comments made during the filibuster that he attempted suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills. Fortunately, State Senator Gentile returned home in time to call an ambulance, and all are now doing fine.
Senator Gentile’s spouse seeks your advice about possible legal actions that he could bring against State Senator Leghornne. He points out to you that he met State Senator Gentile when he was 18, an adult allowed to marry under state law, and that their marriage and relationship are perfectly proper pursuant to the state’s same sex marriage law. (Points : 15)

(TCOs D, E, F) Benjamin is a long-time key salesman for Morton and Dunderfield, a business supply company in Eastern Pennsylvania. The company decides to change its formal employer/employee relationship with all of its sales people, including Benjamin. Instead of compensating them with salary and a bonus based on quarterly sales, they change the relationship to that of an independent contractor who earns a sizeable percentage commission each month. With the change in this relationship, Morton and Dunderfield require all of their sales people to sign employment contracts which contain a clause that states upon leaving Morton and Dunderfield’s employ, they will not contact any former customers for a period of two (2) years. Benjamin, fearing he will lose his job, signs the agreement. After the first month, he realizes he will earn much less that he formerly did.
He seeks your advice on his options. (Points : 15)

(TCOs B, C, G, I) Vineyard Air, a small business with one twin engine airplane that shuttles people from Boston to Martha’s Vineyard, learns from reading in the industry trade magazine that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a regulation change. Instead of requiring planes to undergo a major 48 hour maintenance and inspection process after 1000 hours of flight time, the proposed regulation will require airplanes to undergo this process after either 1000 hours of flight time or 500 flights – whichever occurs first. As Vineyard Air’s typical flight is 25 minutes, the change will require them to triple their major plane overhauls. As Vineyard Air has only one plane and services a small niche market, this change could bankrupt them.
What should Vineyard Air do regarding the proposed change? (Points : 15)