1. Fluor, an engineering and construction company, was awarded a $1 billion project to build a coal gasification plant in South Africa. Fluor signed an agreement with a South African client that prohibited them both from announcing the agreement until March 10. Accordingly, Fluor denied all rumors that a major transaction was pending. Between March 3 and March 6, the State Teachers Retirement Board pension fund sold 288,257 shares of Fluor stock. After the contract was announced, the stock price went up. Did Fluor violate Rule 10b-5? 2. Do you love ice cream? Here is an opportunity for you! For only $800, you can buy a cow from Berkshire Ice Cream. The company gets milk from the cow and you get to share in the profits from the sale of ice cream. Just last month, Berkshire mailed $32,000 worth of checks to investors—who are expecting a 20 percent annual rate of return. Are there any problems with this plan? 3. Suppose that, while waiting in line at the grocery store, you overhear a stranger saying that the FDA is going to approve a new drug tomorrow—one that will be a huge success for Alpha Pharmaceuticals. Is it legal for you to buy stock in Alpha? Is it ethical? What would Kant and Mill say? 4. David Sokol worked at Berkshire Hathaway for legendary investor Warren Buffett, who is renowned not only for his investment skills but also for his ethics. Bankers suggested to both Sokol and the ‘CEO of Lubrizol that the company might be a good buy for Berkshire. Sokol then found out that the CEO of Lubrizol planned to approach Berkshire about a possible acquisition. Sokol purchased $10 million worth of Lubrizol stock before recommending Lubrizol to Buffett. Sokol mentioned to Buffet “in passing” that he owned shares of Lubrizol. Buffet did not ask any questions about the timing or amount of Sokol’s purchases. Sokol made a $3 million profit when Berkshire acquired Lubrizol. Did Sokol violate insider trading laws? Did he behave ethically? What are Buffett’s ethical obligations? 5. At an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, a man told his mentor, Timothy McGee, that he had started drinking again because he was so stressed out about his company being acquired. McGee bought stock in that company. Has McGee done anything wrong legally? Ethically?
> 1. Under the UCC Article 9, which of the following actions will best perfect a security interest in a negotiable instrument against any other party? A. Filing a security agreement B. Taking possession of the instrument C. Perfecting by attachment D. Obta
> 1. Cara Fabricating Co. and Taso Corp. agreed orally that Taso would custom manufacture a compressor for Cara at a price of $120,000. After Taso completed the work at a cost of $90,000, Cara notified Taso that the compressor was no longer needed. Taso is
> On October 12, James Camp agreed to provide services to Shawn Sheth by October 15. In payment, Sheth gave Camp a check for $1,300 that was postdated October 15. On October 13, Camp sold the check to Buckeye Check Cashing for $1,261.31. On October 14, fea
> 1. On Monday, Wolfe paid Aston Co., a furniture retailer, $500 for a table. On Thursday, Aston notified Wolfe that the table was ready to be picked up. On Saturday, while Aston was still in possession of the table, it was destroyed in a fire. Who bears t
> 1. For a contract governed by the UCC sales article, which one of the following statements is correct? (a) Merchants and non-merchants are treated alike. (b) The contract may involve the sale of any type of personal property. (c) The obligations of the p
> 1. Which of the following statements is true? A. Vagueness occurs when the parties do not want the contract to be clear. B. Ambiguity occurs when the parties do not want the contract to be clear. C. Vagueness in a contract is often appropriate as a way t
> Is there any good reason to be in a partnership? If so, for what sort of business would it make sense?
> Lucan and Alison agreed to practice law together. Their stationery said, “The Lucan and Alison Partnership” and they told everyone they were partners. They signed a partnership agreement providing that Lucan would receive a “guaranteed annual draw of $10
> Carrie and Laura started a business together to sell bridesmaids dresses online. Carrie spent months preparing the financials and meeting with potential investors while Laura designed dresses and found suppliers. Once Carrie was finished with the financi
> Dutch, Bill, and Heidi were equal partners in a lawn care business. Bill and Heidi wanted to borrow money from the bank to buy more trucks and expand the business. Dutch was dead set against the idea. When the matter came to a vote, Bill and Heidi voted
> Mike Love and Brian Wilson were members of the Beach Boys. In the 1960s, they wrote songs together. The copyrights for these songs were later sold to Rondor, which paid the two men royalties when the songs were played. In 2004, Wilson re-recorded some of
> ETHICS Frank Brown, who is African-American, tried to buy lunch at a McDonald’s at the Dadeland Mall in Florida. The manager, Omar Zaveri, not only refused to serve Brown but verbally abused him, used racial slurs and told all the other employees that he
> Corporations developed to encourage investors to contribute the capital needed to create large-scale manufacturing enterprises. But LLCs are often start-ups or other small businesses. Why do their members deserve limited liability? And is it fair that LL
> On June 30, John signed a demand promissory note for $2,000 to the Camelot Country Club. The note stated that it was being given in payment for a membership in the country club, but in fact, the club was insolvent, its memberships had no value, and John
> As you will see in Chapter 33, Facebook began life as a corporation, not an LLC. Why did the founder, Mark Zuckerberg make that decision?
> 1. Master Mfg., Inc. contracted with Accur Computer Repair Corp. to maintain Master’s computer system. Master’s manufacturing process depends on its computer system operating properly at all times. A liquidated damages clause in the contract provided tha
> Leonard, an attorney, was negligent in his representation of Anthony. In settlement of Anthony’s claim against him, Leonard signed a promissory note for $10,400 on behalf of his law firm, an LLC. When the law firm did not pay, Anthony filed suit against
> Peter Oiler was a truck driver who delivered groceries to Winn-Dixie stores. He revealed to his boss that in his free time he liked to dress as a woman, even though he was happily married to a woman. Oiler had been diagnosed with transvestic fetishism wi
> Lisa T. Jackson, who was white, worked at Uncle Bubba’s Seafood and Oyster House. She filed suit under Title VII, alleging that the restaurant discriminated against black employees. They had to enter through the restaurant’s rear entrance and could not u
> A high-end boutique in Phoenix would hire only women to work in sales because fittings and alterations took place in the dressing room or immediately outside. The customers were buying expensive clothes and demanded a male-free dressing area. Has the sto
> Generally, the BFOQ defense does not apply to customer preference. But recently, some clients have been pressuring their law firms to staff their cases with female and minority lawyers. If a firm does so, would the BFOQ defense be valid? Should it be?
> 1. CPA QUESTION: Nagel and Fields entered into a contract in which Nagel was obligated to deliver certain goods by September 10. On September 3, Nagel told Fields that he had no intention of delivering the goods. Prior to September 10, Fields may success
> 1. Yost contracted with Egan for Yost to buy certain real property. If the contract is otherwise silent, Yost’s rights under the contract are: A. Assignable only with Egan’s consent B. Nonassignable because they are personal to Yost C. Nonassignable as a
> The United Kingdom has not signed the CISG. Until recently, major world traders like Japan and Brazil had refused to sign. Imagine that you are a legislator from one of these countries. What might your objections be to ratifying a treaty on sales law?
> Kendall raised hogs. The Grain Company would provide him with hogs and grain and, in return, he would sign a promissory note in an amount equal to the value of these items. Once the pigs were grown, Kendall would sell them and repay the loan. One time, a
> After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. government imprisoned suspected terrorists in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Officials argued that these detainees did not enjoy constitutional rights because they were not on U.S. soil, even though they were held by Ame
> 1. Two individuals signed a contract that was intended to be their entire agreement. The parol evidence rule will prevent the admission of evidence offered to: A. Explain the meaning of an ambiguity in the written contract B. Establish that fraud had bee
> Nationwide Insurance Co. circulated a memorandum asking all employees to lobby in favor of a bill that had been introduced in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. By limiting the damages that an injured motorist could never recover from a person wh
> Despite its detailed dress code for employees, Starbucks stores permitted workers to wear multiple pins and buttons, some of which, but not all, were related to its employee-reward and product-promotion programs. When a union tried to organize employees,
> 1. Kerry finds a big green ring in the street. She shows it to Leroy, who says, “Wow. That could be valuable.” Neither Kerry nor Leroy knows what the ring is made of or whether it is valuable. Kerry sells the ring to Leroy for $100, saying, “Don’t come g
> Walmart employees were not unionized. A group of outside organizers called “Our Walmart” created an app that Walmart employees could use to communicate with one another and obtain legal and other workplace advice. Walmart told its managers to warn worker
> 1. At a fraternity party, George mentions that he is going to learn to hang glide during spring break. Vicki, a casual friend, overhears him, and the next day she purchases a $100,000 life insurance policy on George’s life. George has a happy week of han
> A year ago, Hot Air Systems installed a new heating system in Dolly’s house. A month ago, Chuck called Dolly and told her he worked for hot Air and it was time to perform the yearly inspection. After his inspection, Chuck said it was lucky he had called
> The Pharmaceutical Association holds an annual convention. At the convention, Brittany, who was president of the Association, told Luke that Research Corp. had a promising new cancer vaccine. Luke was so excited that he chartered a plane to fly to Resear
> Jesse worked as a buyer for the Vegetable Co. Rachel offered to sell Jesse 10 tons of tomatoes for the account of Vegetable. Jesse accepted the offer. Later, Jesse discovered that Rachel was an agent for Sylvester Co. Who is liable on this contract?
> 1. Greenville College, a public community college, has a policy of admitting only male students. If the policy is challenged under the 14th Amendment, ___ scrutiny will be applied. A. strict B. intermediate C. rational D. none of the above 2. You begin w
> Kevin was the manager of a radio station, WABC. A competing station lured him away. In his last month on the job at WABC, he notified two key on-air personalities that if they were to leave the station, he would not hold them to their noncompete agreemen
> 1. For consideration to exist, there must be: A. A bargained-for exchange B. A manifestation of mutual assent C. Genuineness of assent D. Substantially equal economic benefits to both parties 2. Which of the following requires consideration in order to
> 1. Rebecca, in Honolulu, faxes a job offer to Spike, in Pittsburgh, saying, “We can pay you $55,000 per year, starting June 1.” Spike faxes a reply, saying, “Thank you! I accept your generous offer, though I will also need $3,000 in relocation money. See
> After a federal judge refused to dismiss criminal charges against him, Michael Reed took revenge by electronically filing a UCC financing statement listing the judge, the prosecuting attorney, and former Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner as $3.4
> The Dannemans bought a Kodak copier worth over $40,000. Kodak arranged financing by GECC and assigned its rights to that company. Although the Dannemans thought they had purchased the copier on credit, the papers described the deal as a lease. The Dannem
> Collateral may change categories depending on its holder and how it is being used at the time of default. Classify a refrigerator in the following circumstances: A. When sold by an appliance store; B. When used by a restaurateur in his business; and C. W
> 1.Lance, an Internet hacker, stole 15,000 credit card numbers and sold them on the black market, making millions. Police caught Lance, and two legal actions followed, one civil and one criminal. Who will be responsible for bringing the civil case? What w
> 1. During her second year at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City, Ann Rylands had a chance to borrow for one month a rare Guadagnini violin, made in 1768. She returned the violin to the owner in Philadelphia, but telephoned her father to ask i
> 1. In 1944, W. E. Collins conveyed land to the Church of God of Prophecy. The deed said: “This deed is made with the full understanding that should the property fail to be used for the Church of God, it is to be null and void and property to revert to W.
> 1. A company offered credit cards to consumers with low credit scores. These cards had a $300 limit, a $75 sign-up fee, a $6 per month participation fee, and a $5 monthly fee for paper billing. Despite the fees, 98,000 people signed up. Is there anything
> Laura and Bruce Trethewey hired Basement Waterproofing Nationwide, Inc., to waterproof the walls in their basement for a fee of $2,500. BWNI’s contract stated: “BWNI will service any seepage in the areas waterproofed at no additional cost to the customer
> ETHICS Wayne and Arlene Selden invested in Competition Aircraft, a fraudulent company that pretended to sell airplanes. After the company went bankrupt, the Seldens sought to recover from accountant William Burnett. He had recommended the investment to s
> 1. After acquiring the Schick brand name and electric shaver assets, North American Phillips controlled 55 percent of the electric shaver industry in the United States. Remington, a competitor, claimed that the acquisition of such a large market share wa
> 1. To finance her education at DeVry Institute of Technology, Lydia borrowed $20,000 from a private lender. After graduation, she could not find a job in her field, so she went to work as a clerk at an annual salary of $12,500. Lydia and her daughter liv
> 1. Asher and Stephen formed a corporation named “Ampersand” to produce plays. Both men were employed by the corporation. Stephen decided to write Philly’s Beat, focusing on the history of rock and roll in Philadelphia. As the play went into production, h
> 1. Michael incorporated Erin Homes, Inc., to manufacture mobile homes. He issued himself a stock certificate for 100 shares for which he made no payment. He and his wife served as officers and directors of the organization, but, during the eight years of
> 1. After reviewing Color-Dyne’s audited financial statements, the plaintiffs provided materials to the company on credit. These financial statements showed that Color-Dyne owned $2 million in inventory. The audit failed to reveal, however, that various b
> 1. The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) awarded the Perini Corp. a large contract to rehabilitate a section of railroad tracks. The work involved undercutting the existing track, removing the ballast and foundation, rebuilding the track, and di
> 1. Give an example of three types of contracts that should definitely be in writing, and one that probably does not need to be. 2. List three provisions in a contract that would be material, and three that would not be. 3. Blair Co.’s top officers aske
> 1. Intercontinental Metals Corp. (IMC) contracted with the accounting firm of Cherry, Bekaert & Holland to perform an audit. Cherry issued its opinion about IMC, giving all copies of its report directly to the company. IMC later permitted Dun & Bradstree
> 1. Richard Griffin and three other men owned a grain company called Bearhouse, Inc., which needed to borrow money. First National Bank was willing to loan $490,000, but insisted that the four men sign personal guaranties on the loan, committing themselve
> 1. An actor, exhausted after his 10-hour workweek, agrees to buy a briefcase full of cocaine from Lewis for $12,000. John and the actor have a ______________ contract. A. valid B. unenforceable C. voidable D. void 2. Carol says, “Pam, you’re my best fr
> 1. On television and in magazines, Maurine and Mamie Mason saw numerous advertisements for Chrysler Fifth Avenue automobiles. The ads described the car as “luxurious,” “quality-engineered,” and “reliable.” When they went to inspect the car, the salesman
> 1. Interactive Data Corp. hired Daniel Foley as an assistant product manager at a starting salary of $18,500. Over the next six years Interactive steadily promoted Foley until he became Los Angeles branch manager at a salary of $56,116. Interactive’s off
> What are the penalties if Artist breaches the movie contract? Are these reasonable? Too heavy? Too light?
> What are the advantages and disadvantages of hiring a lawyer to draft or review a contract?
> 1. Chitika, Inc. provided online tracking tools on websites. When consumers clicked the “opt-out” button, indicating that they did not want to be tracked, they were not – for ten days. After that, the software would resume tracking. Is there a legal prob
> 1. At approximately 7:50 pm bells at the train station rang and red lights flashed, signaling an express train’s approach. David Harris walked onto the tracks, ignoring a yellow line painted on the platform instructing people to stand back. Two men shout
> Walgreens operated a pharmacy in the Sara Creek mall. As part of this long-term lease, Sara Creek agreed not to lease mall space to another pharmacy. During an economic recession, Sara Creek’s largest tenant left and the landlord informed Walgreens that
> PepsiCo entered into a contract to sell its corporate jet to Klein for $4.6 million. Before the deal closed, the plane was sent to pick up PepsiCo’s chairman of the board, who was stranded at Dulles airport. The chairman then decided that the company sho
> 1. You are a vice-president in charge of personnel at a large manufacturing company. In-house detectives inform you that Gates, an employee, was seen stealing valuable computer equipment. Gates denies the theft, but you believe the detectives and fire hi
> 1. You Be the Judge: WRITING PROBLEM. An undercover drug informant learned from a mutual friend that Philip Friedman “knew where to get marijuana.” The informant asked Friedman three times to get him some marijuana, and Friedman agreed after the third re
> 1. The following agency is charged with the regulation of electronic communications: A. National Security Agency B. Federal Trade Commission C. Federal Communications Commission D. None of the above 2. Because Blaine Blogger reviews movies on his blog,
> Krug International, an Ohio corporation, had a contract with Iraqi Airways to build aeromedical equipment for training pilots. Krug then contracted for Power Engineering, an Iowa corporation, to build the specialized gearbox to be used in the training eq
> Evans built a house for Sandra Dyer, but the house had some problems. The garage ceiling was too low. Load-bearing beams in the “great room” cracked and appeared to be steadily weakening. The patio did not drain properly. Pipes froze. Evans wanted the mo
> 1. You plan to open a store in Chicago, specializing in rugs imported from Turkey. You will work with a native Turk who will purchase and ship the rugs to your store. You are wise enough to insist on a contract establishing the rights and obligations of
> Jacobs Builders entered into a contract with Kent to build him a home. The agreement stated that Jacobs would use only certain brand-name materials. Upon completion of the home, Kent discovered that Jacobs had installed high-quality, but not brand-name,
> Westinghouse sold uranium in long-term contracts at fixed prices, betting that market prices would be stable or fall (as they had been). But this was a bad bet: Uranium prices skyrocketed as a result of a cartel. Faced with large losses if it had to fulf
> 1. In the landmark 1965 case of Griswold v. Connecticut, the Supreme Court examined a Connecticut statute that made it a crime for any person to use contraception. The majority declared the law an unconstitutional violation of the right of privacy. Justi
> 1. In 1988, terrorists bombed Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all passengers on board. Congress sought to remedy security shortcomings by passing the Aviation Security Improvement Act of 1990, which, among other things, ordered the Fe
> 1. If your grandparents were to die leaving a large estate and all of their children were also dead, would you prefer a per stirpes or per capita distribution? 2. You Be the Judge: WRITING PROBLEM Linda and Eddie had two children before they were divorce
> Nationwide Discount Furniture hired Rampart Security to install an alarm in its warehouse. A fire would set off an alarm in Rampart’s office, and the security company was then supposed to notify Nationwide immediately. A fire did break out, but Rampart a
> A century and a half ago an English judge stated: “All painters do not paint portraits like Sir Joshua Reynolds, nor landscapes like Claude Lorraine, nor do all writers write dramas like Shakespeare or fiction like Dickens. Rare genius and extraordinary
> 1. Two cars, driven by Fred and Barney, collide. At trial, the jury determines that the accident was 90% Fred's fault and 10% Barney's fault. Barney's losses total $100,000. If he lives in a state that uses contributory negligence, Barney will recover __
> 1. While in college, David invented a new and useful machine to make macaroni and cheese (he called it the “Mac ‘n’ Cheeser”). It was like nothing on the market, but David did not apply for a patent. At that time, he offered to sell his invention to seve
> 1. Tariq Ahmad decided to dispose of some of his laboratory’s hazardous chemicals by shipping them to his home in Pakistan. He sent the chemicals to Castelazo (a company in the United States) to prepare the materials for shipment. Ahmad did not tell the
> A disc jockey named Z-Trip made a remix of a Beastie Boys song with the hip-hop group’s permission. Monster Energy (ME), an energy drink company, wanted to use the remix as part of a video promotion. Monster Energy sent an email asking Z-Trip to approve
> Mast Industries and Bazak International were two textile firms. Mast orally offered to sell certain textiles to Bazak for $103,000. Mast promised to send documents confirming the agreement, but never did. Finally, Bazak sent a memorandum to Mast confirmi
> ETHICS Jacob Deutsch owned commercial property. He orally agreed to rent it for six years to Budget Rent-A-Car. Budget took possession, began paying monthly rent, and over a period of several months expended about $6,000 in upgrading the property. Deutsc
> When Steven Simkin and Laura Blank divorced in 2006, they agreed to split their $13.5 million fortune evenly. Two years later, it became evident that Simkin had a problem: his half was invested in Bernard Madoff’s giant Ponzi scheme and he lost millions.
> 1. Pfizer Inc. paid $2.3 billion to settle civil and criminal charges alleging that it had illegally marketed 13 of its most important drugs. This settlement made history, but not in a good way. It was both the largest criminal fine and the largest settl
> Paula was alone, pregnant, and confused. She needed help and support, which she found at Methodist Mission Home of Texas. In the days following her child’s birth, representatives of Methodist Mission forcefully told her that she had no moral or legal rig
> Ball-Mart, a baseball card store, had a 1968 Nolan Ryan rookie card in almost perfect condition for sale. Any baseball collector would have known that the card was worth at least $1,000; the published monthly price guide listed its market value at $1,200
> 1. Arthur, John, and George formed a partnership to drill and maintain cesspools for two years. After less than two months, John and George sent a letter to Arthur informing him that they were dissolving the partnership. Arthur sued the two other men, as
> 1. Jane writes an article for a newspaper reporting that Ann was arrested for stealing a car. The story is entirely false. Ann is not a public figure. Which of the following torts has Jane committed? A. Ordinary slander B. Slander per se C. Libel D. None
> 1. Alan Dershowitz, a law professor famous for his prominent clients, joined with other lawyers to open a kosher delicatessen, Maven’s Court. Dershowitz met with greater success at the bar than in the kitchen—the deli failed after barely a year in busine
> 1. An employer placed a job advertisement for security guards, specifying that applicants had to be United States citizens. It also required applicants to present a social security card. Was this ad legal? 2. In the 2008 recession, Roger lost his job as
> 1. A Saudi Arabian government-run hospital hired American Scott Nelson to be an engineer. The parties signed the employment agreement in the United States. On the job, Nelson reported that the hospital had significant safety defects. For this, he was arr
> 1. Apex gave Marcie an unemployment handbook stating that (1) she was an at-will employee, (2) the handbook did not create any contractual rights, and (3) employees who were fired had the right to a termination hearing. The company fired Marcie, claim
> 1. An elementary school custodian hit a child who wrote graffiti on the wall. Is the school district liable for this intentional tort by its employee? 2. What if the custodian hit one of the schoolchildren for calling him a name? Is the school district l
> Richard and Michelle Kommit traveled to New Jersey to have fun in the casinos. While in Atlantic City, they used their MasterCard to withdraw cash from an ATM conveniently located in the “pit” - the gambling area of a casino. They ran up debts of $5,500
> 1. One of Doris’s job responsibilities at Winkie, Inc. was preparing company checks for the president, Willie, to sign. Using Winkie’s check-signing machine, Doris forged $150,000 of checks on her employer’s account. Willie did not (1) look at the sequen
> 1. Kay signed a promissory note for $220,000 that was payable to Investments, Inc. The company then indorsed the note over to its lawyers to pay past and future legal fees. Were the lawyers holders in due course? 2. Shelby wrote the following check to Da
> 1. Eugene Ables ran an excavation company. He borrowed $500,000 from the Highland Park State Bank. Ables signed a note promising to repay the money and an agreement giving Highland a security interest in all of his equipment, including after-acquired equ
