Agency Flashcards

1
Q

Employee versus Bailee Negligence

A

Generally, an employer is liable for the negligence of an employee, but a bailor is not liable for the negligence of a bailee with respect to the use of the bailed goods.

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2
Q

How to determine whether within scope of employment

A

In determining whether an employee’s actions were within the scope of employment, the court will ask whether the employee was about the employer’s business.

If the employee steps aside from his employer’s business and is engaged in an independent venture of his own, the relation of employer-employee is for the time suspended.

The test is whether the act complained of was done in the course of employment or outside of it.

An act is done within the scope of employment if it is something fairly and naturally incident to the business, if it is done while the employee is engaged upon the employer’s business, if it is done, although mistakenly or ill-advisedly, with a view to furthering the employer’s interest, and if it does not arise wholly from some external and personal motive of the employee to do the act upon his own account.

The fact that an act was forbidden by the employer or performed in a manner forbidden by the employer does not remove it from the scope of employment.

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3
Q

Requirements of respondeat superior

A

To hold an employer liable for its employee’s acts under the doctrine of respondeat superior, an injured party is required to establish that the relationship of employer-employee existed at the time and with respect to the specific action out of which the injury arose.

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4
Q

Lunch break and scope of employment

A

Ordinarily, an employee’s conduct while on a lunch break is conduct that falls outside the scope of employment. After lunch, the employee does not reenter the scope of employment until he returns to the place of employment.

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5
Q

Third party and disclosed agent contracts

A

A third party dealing with a disclosed agent contracts with that agent at his peril; he has a duty to ascertain the extent of the agent’s authority.

If the agent exceeds her authority, the principal is not bound by the agent’s act.

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6
Q

When will principal be bound by agent’s acts?

A

A principal will be bound by the act of an agent if the agent had actual or apparent authority to act on the principal’s behalf.

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7
Q

Actual authority

A

Actual authority is authority that an agent reasonably believes she has based on her dealings with the principal. It includes all authority that the principal expressly grants to the agent plus authority that the agent reasonably can imply from the express grant.

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8
Q

Apparent authority

A

Apparent authority is authority that a third party reasonably believes an agent has based on the principal holding out the agent as having such authority.

When a principal places an agent in a position that carries with it customary responsibilities, the principal is liable for the agent’s acts that come within these customary responsibilities, even though the agent had no actual authority to perform the acts.

Instructions from the principal to the agent limiting the agent’s power have no effect on such authority unless the third party is informed of the limitation.

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9
Q

Ratification

A

To ratify a contract, a principal must know all the material facts regarding the contract and then accept the benefits of the contract.

Ratification occurs when a principal knowingly adopts a signature as her own or when, with full knowledge of the circumstances, she appropriates the benefit of the unauthorized signing or fails to deny the validity of the signature, knowing her silence may mislead others.

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10
Q

Duty to notify

A

An agent has a fiduciary duty to notify the principal of all matters that come to the agent’s knowledge affecting the subject of the agency.

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11
Q

Remedies for agent’s breach of fiduciary duty

A

When an agent breaches his fiduciary duty, the principal may, in addition to any other remedies she has, withhold compensation.

The general rule in Virginia is that a party is responsible for her own attorneys’ fees. However, when an agent breaches his fiduciary duty, he is liable to the principal for damages suffered by the principal as a result of the breach.

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12
Q

Subagent

A

Normally, when an employee retains another to assist him in doing his job, the third party so retained does not become an employee of the employer for vicarious liability purposes unless the employee was authorized to retain the subservant.

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13
Q

Authority to retain a subservant

A

Authority to retain a subservant may be express or it may be implied; it may be implied from the circumstances if an employee is asked to perform a job that he cannot handle alone without obtaining assistance.

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14
Q

Use of force in connection with duties

A

When an employee is given authority to use force in the conduct of his duties, the employer will be held liable for any improper (negligent) or intentional but excessive use of force by the employee.

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15
Q

Ratification

A

Ratification may be express or implied through the conduct of the principal. Such conduct would include acceptance of the transaction’s benefits when it is still possible to decline, silence if there is a duty to disaffirm, and suing on the transaction.

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16
Q

Repudiation prior to ratification

A

If, prior to the ratification, the third party indicates that he will not be bound by the contract, the principal may not ratify.

17
Q

Liability of agent on contracts

A

Generally, an agent is not liable on a contract that he enters into on behalf of his principal if the principal’s identity was disclosed to the third party with whom the agent dealt.

When an agent enters into a contract purportedly on behalf of a principal, the agent makes a warranty that he has the authority that he purports to have. If he breaches the warranty, he is liable for any damages caused by the breach.

18
Q

Duty to obey

A

An agent has a duty to obey the reasonable orders of his principal and can be held liable by the principal for any damages caused by his failure to follow reasonable instructions.

19
Q

Undisclosed principal

A

When the principal is undisclosed, and the agent had authority to act, both the principal and the agent are liable to the third party. A principal is undisclosed when both his identity and existence are unknown to the third party.

20
Q

Secret profits

A

When an agent breaches his fiduciary duty to the principal and secretly profits, the principal may recover the actual profits held by the agent.

21
Q

Independent contractor versus employee

A

The determinative distinction between an independent contractor and an employee is that with the independent contractor, the principal has no right to control the manner in which the job is performed, but the principal does exercise such control over an employee.

A principal is liable only for those torts committed by a certain kind of agent—an “employee” or “servant.”

An example of an independent contractor is one who has a calling of his own, is hired to do a particular job, is paid a given amount for that job, and who follows his own discretion in carrying out the job. If great skill is required in a particular endeavor, the individual hired is more likely to be deemed an independent contractor.

An example of an employee is one who works full-time for his employer, is compensated on a time basis, and is subject to the supervision of the principal in the details of his work.

22
Q

When knowledge of agent imputed to his principal

A

As a general rule, the knowledge of an agent is imputed to his principal; there are two exceptions to this rule. The agent’s knowledge will not be imputed to the principal if: (i) the agent’s behavior raises a presumption that the offers would not be reported to the principal, or (ii) the agent is acting out of a personal motive or interest that is adverse to the principal’s interest.

23
Q

Principal liability for agent’s fraud on third parties

A

A fiduciary relationship exists when special confidence has been reposed in one who in equity and good conscience is bound to act in good faith and with due regard for the interests of the one reposing the confidence. In such a relationship, the fiduciary must inform the principal about anything which might affect the principal’s decision. Therefore, a principal is liable to a third party for wrongful acts of his agent committed within the scope of employment, even if the principal does not know of the misconduct, for the principal holds his agent out as being trustworthy. An agent is not ipso facto acting outside his authority merely because he is acting fraudulently or for his own benefit.