Questions and Answers of The Legal Environment

Should the common law maxim “Ignorance of the law is no excuse” apply to an immigrant who speaks little English and was not educated in the United States? How about for a tourist who does not
1. Facts from an English judge’s decision in 1884: “The crew of an English yacht … were cast away in a storm on the high seas … and were compelled to put into an open boat…. They had no
1. The federal tax code is riddled with special-interest loopholes. Most of these exist because firms and trade associations lobby Congress and provide campaign support to members of Congress to gain
1. Peterson operated a private golf course. In 1964, he sold property next to the golf course, including a restaurant and parking lot, to AL. The parking lot was used by the golfers on Peterson’s
1. Martin worked for AMA, a firm that designs and administers retirement plans for 500 clients. The client list is confidential, but no agreement about that existed. When Martin left AMA after five
Jones walks into a grocery store, puts 75 cents down on the counter, and says, “A Coke please.” Under contract law, what has just occurred? If the grocery store owner takes the 75 cents, what
1. Eureka Water in Oklahoma sold “Ozarka” branded water that it bottled and distributed for Nestle Waters. The companies got into a dispute. Would this case fall under the UCC or the common law?
Simons hired NSC, a corporation wholly owned by Sorensen, to build a home. After completion, Simons complained of many problems and demanded NSC cover the cost of the defects. Sorensen refused.
The Taylors stayed at a resort in New York in the winter. They wanted to take a snowmobile tour, so the hotel arranged for a snowmobile touring company to provide the service for the Taylors. Mr.
Callison used all his sick leave and was on the city Sick Abuse List. When he took FMLA leave, the city required him to be at home during working hours unless he reported where he would be otherwise.
Club Orleans was a “gentlemen’s club” in Kansas. The owner classified dancers as independent contractors. They worked for tips from customers. A former dancer filed a claim for unemployment
Nelson worked for Dr. Knight as a dental assistant for 10 years. There was some sexual banter, but Nelson did not regard it as serious. Knight’s wife demanded Nelson be fired because she could be a
Lack sued his former employer, Walmart, and his former supervisor, Bragg, for sexual harassment. He contended that Bragg made “inappropriate and demeaning statements … of a sexual nature” and
Ginsburg was CEO of a company. When his company was planning to merge with another company, he told his father and brother of the deal. His relatives made a million dollars in profit by buying stock
The National Football League (NFL) is an association of 28 corporations (the football teams). They had dealt with various companies to make NFL-branded clothing and hats but decided to give an
When more employers were required to provide healthcare benefits for employees, eight restaurants in the Los Angeles area all added a 3 percent surcharge to their bills, explaining to customers that
A company was sued for violating the Clean Water Act by exceeding its NPDES permit at various times. It defended that at some periods it reported more discharge than actually occurred, so it should
A company ran a hazardous waste disposal and recycling operation. Several companies sent their hazardous wastes to the site. The facility was improperly managed: waste was dumped on the ground,
Meyers, an at-will employee, complained to his employer that he was not being paid overtime when he should have been. He was fired, he claimed, for making that complaint. He sued for improper
Neering was driving a truck for East Coast Furniture when he was in a minor accident with Valeo. Neering and Valeo pulled off the road and got into an argument. Neering hit Valeo with a padlock,
When Darby filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, his cable provider cut off service. He offered assurance to the cable provider that monthly payments would be made, but the company refused connection. He
BP sells gasoline under various brands. It sold a gas station to Stanley. The sale agreement stated that Stanley would only sell BP-branded gas for 15 years. After four years, he switched to another
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is one of the best in the world. Under an 1893 law, it must admit the public free of charge five days and two evenings a week. The Met has a long