blaw Flashcards
Which part of government creates statutory laws?
Legislature
The Florida Legislature passed a law prohibiting masks in public buildings. What type of law is this?
State Statute
Which of the following is a “Uniform” statutory law prepared by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Law?
Uniform Commercial Code
The National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Law drafted the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). The UCC is adopted by?
States
The President of the United States wants to eliminate wasteful spending. The President creates a law prohibiting federal agencies from purchasing paper clips. What type of law may the President independently create?
Executive Order
The EPA enforces regulations related to the environment. Which part of the government creates regulations?
Administrative Agencies
You have been involved in a car accident and sustained substantial damages. You have hired an attorney to bring a lawsuit against the driver of the other car. In order to win your case the attorney would have to prove that the other driver was responsible for your damages by what standard of proof?
By preponderance of the evidence.
Which of the following is true about ethical codes?
Some professions, such as certified public accountants, doctors, and lawyers, require taking an ethics exam and adherence to a code of ethics
You are serving on a jury which is hearing a lawsuit filed by a plaintiff who is alleging that a defendant’s negligent driving caused the plaintiff serious bodily harm. After hearing the case you determine that it is more likely than not that the plaintiff has proven his allegation that the defendant’s negligence caused the plaintiff harm. However you are not sure of this beyond a reasonable doubt. What should you as a juror do in this situation?
Vote in favor of plaintiff
OSHA regulates workplace safety. OSHA created a law requiring hospitals to protect its workforce against Covid-19. Which type of law is this?
Regulation
The doctrine of “burden of proof” is an important part of U.S. law. Which of the following is correct regarding this doctrine?
I. In a civil case the plaintiff has the burden of proof.
II. In a criminal case the defendant has the burden of proof.
III. In a civil case the standard “burden of proof” is “by a preponderance of the evidence.”
I and III only
Some professions require members of the profession to pass an ethics exam and follow an ethical code. Which of the following professions have that requirement?
lawyers and certified public accountants
Ace Bank lent $125,000 to Jones at a time when both Ace Bank and Jones were residents of Arkansas. Jones defaulted on the loan and was promptly sued by Ace Bank in an Arkansas court and received a judgment in its favor. Jones then moved to Texas. Does Ace Bank have the legal right to have this judgment enforced by legal process in Texas?
Yes, under the full faith and credit clause
Allen obtained a judgment in a breach of contract case whereby he was awarded $100,000 in damages. In order to avoid paying the judgment the defendant moved to a different state. Allen pursued the defendant, and upon locating him brought an action to have his judgment recognized and enforced by the different state. Is this state required to do so?
Yes, under the Full Faith and Credit clause.
The Full Faith and Credit Clause of the U.S. Constitution requires which of the following?
a state must honor rights established in another state regarding deeds, wills, contracts and court judgments
Kerry was employed by an upscale women’s clothing store. After working for them for 6 months she became dissatisfied with how she was treated, especially with their requirement that she work overtime during certain times of the year. She communicated her complaints via advertisements in the local paper. As a result of these advertisements she was dismissed (fired) by the store. Kerry has brought a lawsuit against the store based on an alleged violation of her right to free speech. A court hearing this case would probably rule in favor of:
The store as there was a lack of state action
Marcel is an employee of a large retail business. He had written a number of letters to the local paper criticizing his employer and for this he was fired. He has sued the retail business claiming that the business has violated his right to “free speech.” Is he likely to win his case based on constitutional law?
No, as there is no state action in this situation.
Pete is a public school teacher. He writes a letter of opinion to the local paper that the school bullies students and doesn’t support free speech. Pete is fired for his letter. Pete sues the school claiming it violated his right to “free speech.” The school moves to dismiss Pete’s suit. How will the judge likely rule?
Deny the motion for dismissal because there is a state action
Susan is a public school teacher. She tweets that the school doesn’t support its teachers and it’s a horrible working environment. The school board fires Susan. Susan sues the school claiming it violated her right to “free speech.” The school moves to dismiss Susan’s suit. How will the judge likely rule?
Deny the motion for dismissal because there is a state action
Which of the following forms of speech are generally considered to be fully “protected” by the first amendment?
Symbolic speech.
Todd is an employee of the Yankees. Todd tweets under the twitter name “abc123” vulgar messages about the daughter of Burt Skilling (a professional baseball player). Burt tells the Yankees and the Yankees fire Todd. Todd sues the Yankees alleging they violated his First Amendment right to free speech. How will this case likely conclude?
The suit will be dismissed because of the state action doctrine
Gail posts a message on Facebook that makes negative comments about her employer, Oprah. Gail works for Oprah’s magazine, “O”. When Oprah sees the post, she immediately fires Gail. Gail sues Oprah alleging a violation of her first amendment rights of free speech. Oprah files a Motion to Dismiss. How will the trial court rule?
Dismissed, because there is no state action.
If the University of Arkansas were to require all students to attend a Catholic mass every Sunday, this would probably be considered:
A violation of the establishment clause in the first amendment
Which of the following forms of speech are generally considered to be fully “protected” by the first amendment?
Symbolic Speech.
Which of the following is an example of commercial speech?
An advertisement stuck on your windshield
Which of the following forms of speech are NOT protected by the first amendment?
I. Speech which presents a clear and present danger.
II. Speech which is considered to be defamatory under state law
III. Speech which is considered to be obscene under state law.
IV. Speech which consists entirely of statements of fact which are known to be without merit.
I, II and III only.
Fayetteville city council passed a law prohibiting any organization or group from hosting rallies from 10 pm to 7am. An anti-abortion group wants to hold a rally to support life at midnight but is denied a permit to do so. The group files a lawsuit asking a court to overturn Fayetteville’s law. How will the court likely rule?
In favor of Fayetteville because their law is a content neutral restriction
A political group plans a rally for 11pm to support their candidate. They didn’t realize that the city where the rally was planned had an ordinance that stated “No rally may be held from 10pm-7am.” The purpose of the ordinance was to reduce noise when most people are sleeping. When people began to arrive for the rally police sent them home citing the ordinance. If the political group sues based on their right to free speech the court will likely:
Rule in favor of the city because the restriction is content neutral.
Gladys was injured when a restaurant sign fell on her. She sued the restaurant alleging that the restaurant was negligent and demanded a jury trial. At trial, who will consider the evidence and decide whether the restaurant was negligent?
The jury because this is a question of fact.
In both civil and criminal cases it is the responsibility of the jury to:
Resolve questions of fact.
- Some forms of speech are not protected by the first amendment. This would generally include which of the following forms of speech?
I. Speech which presents a clear and present danger.
II. Speech which is defamatory.
III. Speech which is obscene.
I, II and III
Which one of the following is evidence a jury can consider?
A statement made by an eyewitness while testifying under oath during the trial
In which of the following courts would you normally be entitled have your case heard by a jury?
I. U.S. District Court
II. U.S. Court of Appeals
III. U.S. Supreme Court
I only
In Kansas City, MO, a court is hearing a case of insider trading. The defendant offers into evidence a controversial document. The prosecution objects to the offered evidence. Who decides whether the evidence is admissible?
The judge.
The primary role of the jury in a civil trial is to:
Resolve questions of fact.
Which of the following courts are courts where a case originates?
I. U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
II. U.S. Supreme Court
III. Arkansas Supreme Court
IV. U.S. District Court
IV only
In which of the following courts would the court normally be expected to hear the testimony of witnesses?
I. U.S. District Court
II. U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
III. U.S. Supreme Court.
IV. Arkansas Supreme Court.
I only.
In which of the following kinds of courts would witnesses be called to testify?
I. Trial courts (state and federal).
II. Appellate courts.
III. The Supreme Courts of the various states and the U.S. Supreme Court
I only
Which of the following ADR procedures is the most popular and is often required by judges before a trial date can be schedule?
Mediation
Many trial courts require that the parties engage in which of the following forms of ADR before a trial date can be scheduled?
Mediation
Which of the following forms of ADR generally results in a ruling by a neutral third party which is BINDING on the parties?
I. Mediation
II. Arbitration
II only.
Dan wants to sue his employer. However Dan cannot sue because his employment contract has a mandatory __________ clause. Because of this clause, Dan and his employer must submit their dispute to a neutral third party who will issue a binding ruling:
Arbitration
Which of the following ADR procedures results in hearing before a neutral third party who then issuing a decision which is binding upon the parties?
Arbitration
Which of the following is NOT generally considered to be a reason for the popularity of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)?
Results in a decision which operates as a legal precedent for future cases
Marilyn is a well known country and western entertainer. She entered into a 2 year contract with a nightclub in Nashville. The contract paid her $5,000 per week. After six months the Silver City (a large hotel in Las Vegas) contacted Marilyn and offered her a one-year contract starting immediately for $10,000/week. Silver Dollar City did not know about Marilyn’s contract with the Nashville nightclub. Marilyn accepted the Las Vegas offer and left Nashville. What legal remedy or remedies would the Nashville nightclub have in this case?
I. Sue Marilyn for breach of contract.
II. Sue the Las Vegas hotel (Silver City) for wrongful interference with a contract.
I only
The crime of _______________________________ occurs when a person uses private, non-public information to buy or sell stock.
Insider Trading
Tom is an executive at Big Co. He learns that an upcoming announcement is going to cause the stock to go down. He tells his neighbor to sell Big Co’s stock. This is an example of what?
Insider Trading
Lady Luck is a budding professional singer and entered into a contract with a small nightclub in Las Vegas. The term of the contract was for six months. After only 3 months Lady Luck “hit it big” and a larger Vegas nightclub got her to dump the small nightclub and work for them for a much larger salary. The large nightclub knew about Lady Luck’s original contract, but told Lady “your current contract means nothing!” If the smaller nightclub should go to court to collect damages the result will probably be:
I. Lady Luck will be held liable to small nightclub for breach of contract.
II. The large nightclub will be held liable to small nightclub for wrongful interference with a contract.
I and II
Jose accidentally caused a car accident injuring Paris and destroying Paris’ bicycle. Which of the following damages could Paris recover?
Pain and suffering and property damage and medical bills
Auto Co. manufactures automobiles. One day, during her shift, Jan does not pay attention to her work (she was watching Netflix on her phone) and she forgets to insert a critical pin in the steering column of an automobile. That particular automobile is eventually sold to Sam, who is injured because of the missing pin. If Sam sues Auto Co. , which type of product liability claim would he bring?
Manufacturing Defect
Plaintiffs in personal injury negligence lawsuits may recover what types of damages?
Medical expenses and pain and suffering
Auto Co. manufactures automobiles. Every other auto manufacturer uses steel connecting pins in their cars. Auto Co. uses plastic connecting pins (to save money). If people are injured because the plastic connecting pins break, what type of product liability claim would the injured people bring?
Design Defect
Mike dies while driving a high performance sports car. His family sues the car manufacturer in “strict liability,” alleging that the car was defective when sold by the manufacturer and that the defect resulted in Mike’s death. Which of the following defenses can be successfully used by the manufacturer to avoid liability in this case?
I. Mike purchased the car from a car dealer and therefore was not in privity of contract with the manufacturer.
II. Mike was unable to prove that the manufacturer was negligent in the making of the car
III. When the car was sold by the manufacturer the contract contained a waiver which disclaimed any product liability.
None of these defenses can be used.
A patent protects which of the following?
invention that is novel, useful, and non-obvious
Which of the following is correct?
I. Trademarks may protect things like a word, symbol, or sound to indicate a source of goods.
II. Trademarks may protect inventions.
III. Trademarks may protect songs, movies, and works of art.
I only
Starla is Tik Tok famous. She creates original dances using 15-second song clips offered by Tik Tok. Those song clips are protected by which type of intellectual property law? (btw Tik Tok pays for those song clips)
Copyright
A patent protects which of the following?
an invention
A creative work in a tangible medium, such as a song or book is protected by ________________ law.
Copyright
Which one of the following is NOT a required element of a contract?
Formality
If Nedra posts a clip of a Disney movie on YouTube (clearly infringing Disney’s copyright) is YouTube liable for copyright infringement?
No under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act if Disney sends a take-down request and YouTube complies
A ______________________ is a contract granting a person or firm permission to use a copyright, patent, or trademark for a limited time and in a limited manner.
License
Nedra posts a false statement of fact about Shaun on Instagram, causing injury to Shaun. Is Instagram liable for defamation?
No because of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act
Which one of the following contracts must be in writing pursuant to the Statute of Frauds?
I. A real estate contract to purchase 40 acres of real property in Arkansas.
II. A contract made in April between a homeowner and a pool service company to provide pool service over the next four months (May – August)
III. An employment contract which is for a two year time period.
I and III only
Which of the following kinds of contracts is subject to the “statute of frauds?”
I. Contract for the sale of land.
II. Contract cannot be completed within one year.
III. Contract constituted a promise to stand behind the debt of another.
IV. Employment contract in excess of $5,000 per month for an indefinite time period.
I, II and III only
Which of the following are required elements of a contract?
Agreement, Consideration, Capacity, Legality
Mary wants to rent an apartment if Fayetteville, Arkansas. The landlord tells Mary that she will have to have another adult with a credit score over 700 guarantee she will make the payments. Mary calls her mom and hands the phone to the landlord. Mary’s mom promises the landlord she will pay the rent if Mary fails to do so and they hang up. If Mary fails to pay does the landlord have a legally enforceable contract against Mary’s mom?
No, because the Statute of Frauds requires this type of contract to be in writing
Monique contracts with Mrs. Jones to build a fireplace in Mrs. Jones’ home for $5,000. After completing the fireplace, Monique sends an invoice to Mrs. Jones. Which of the following is true?
Monique is an unsecured creditor