Final Exam Flashcards
- What basic kinds of questions cannot be asked under the antidiscrimination laws?
Cannot be asked questions based on race, color, religion, national origin, or sex.
- How these statutes affect the questions employers can ask.
P. 425 a. Federal laws do not expressly prohibit preemployment questions inquiries concerning an applicant’s race, color, national origin, sex, marital status, religion, or age, such inquiries are disfavored because they create an inference of that these factors will be used as selection criteria.
- What is the Equal Pay Act and what does it prohibit?
“P. 392 a. Equal Pay Act mandates equal pay for equal work without regard to gender.
b. Prohibits discrimination on account of sex in the payment of wages by employers.”
- When is an affirmative action plan acceptable?
“P. 420- a. When the contractor agrees:
i. Not to discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion sex or national origin.
ii. To take affirmative steps to prevent discrimination
iii. To file equal opportunity surveys every other year.
***in some cases the plan the affirmative action plan must be put in writing.
“
- What is reasonable accommodation?
“P. 412/415 a. The ADA requires employers to make “reasonable accommodations” as requested by employees who have a physical/mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity (walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, working, etc.)
i. It includes:
1. Making work facilities accessible, restructuring jobs or schedules, reassigning an individual to another job, acquiring or modifying equipment, modifying exams/training material, providing readers, or interpreters.
ii. Reasonable accommodation is required as long as it does not cause the employer “undue hardship”.”
- What is the Americans with Disabilities Act? What does it prohibit?
“P. 412 a. ADA protects persons with physical/mental disabilities from job discrimination, based on their disability.
b. (Title I) ADA prohibits employers from discriminating against a qualified individual because of a disability in regard to job application procedures, hiring, advancement, discharge, compensation, job training and other terms, conditions and privileges of employment. “
- What is religious difference between disparate impact and disparate treatment cases?
“P. 395 a. Disparate Treatment: Intentional discriminating against a person by denying a benefit or privilege of employment because of his/her race, color, religion, or national origin. E.g., medium build weight requirements for women, but large build weight requirements for men.
b. Disparate Impact: UN-Intentional discrimination against a person by denying a benefit or privilege of employment because of his/her race, color, religion, or national origin. E.g., lifting requirements that unintentionally exclude women who can’t lift as much as men, but could do the job equally as well. “
- What is sexual harassment and what are the types?
“P. 397- a. Sexual discrimination, by men or women, that is prohibited by Title VII
i. Quid Pro Quo: This for that (denial of promotion, in retaliation for a person’s refusal to respond to sexual advances)
ii. Hostile Environment: Adverse job environment, determined by:
1. Frequency and severity of discriminatory conduct.
2. Whether it is physically threatening or humiliating, or merely an offensive utterance.
3. Whether it unreasonably interferes with the employee’s work performance.
iii. Same-Sex Harassment: harassment where the harasser is the same sex as the employee being harassed.
iv. Sexual Orientation and Transgender: Harassment based on a person’s sexual orientation. “
“P. 397- a. Sexual discrimination, by men or women, that is prohibited by Title VII
i. Quid Pro Quo: This for that (denial of promotion, in retaliation for a person’s refusal to respond to sexual advances)
ii. Hostile Environment: Adverse job environment, determined by:
1. Frequency and severity of discriminatory conduct.
2. Whether it is physically threatening or humiliating, or merely an offensive utterance.
3. Whether it unreasonably interferes with the employee’s work performance.
iii. Same-Sex Harassment: harassment where the harasser is the same sex as the employee being harassed.
iv. Sexual Orientation and Transgender: Harassment based on a person’s sexual orientation. “
- What is sexual harassment and what are the types?
- What is gender (sex) discrimination?
Pg 399 a. Discrimination “because of sex” where members of one sex are exposed to disadvantageous terms or conditions of employment to which members of the other sex are not exposed.
- What does the California Fair Housing and Employment Act prohibit?
“a. Basically, everything in ch. 13
b. Prohibits harassment and discrimination in employment because of race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, mental and physical disability, medical condition, age, pregnancy, denial of medical and family care leave, or pregnancy disability leave”
- What does the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibit?
P. 392 a. Prohibits discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, or national origin. Later amended to provide that discrimination on the basis of sex includes pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.
- What is the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and what does it do?
Protects persons 40 years and older rom discrimination on the basis of age.
- What is the EEOC and what does it do?
Equal Employment Opportunity Act,-the primary enforcer of civil rights legislation in the US. A part of the Dep. Of Justice, processes hundreds of complaints, investigating and evaluating their merits.
- How corporations are created.
A corporation is authorized by state law to act as a legal entity distinct from its owners.
- How LLCs are created.
pg. 593 Limited partnership- the liability of a limited partner is usually restricted to the amount of capital the limited partner has contributed or agreed to contribute to the partnership. When property is held in partnership, each partner is liable for any debts of the partnership remaining after any debts of the partnership assets are exhausted.
- Advantages and disadvantages of different forms of doing business, especially in the area of control, liability, property ownership, and tax burden.
“Sole Prop. Advantages-flexibility afforded by having one person in complete control, the easiest and least costly form of business. Disadvantages- if the business loses money, the proprietor alone bears liability, all assets are therefore at risk.
Partnerships- Advantages-allows for a wide variety of operational and profit-sharing arrangements, subject to only one level of tax, does not pay income taxes as a separate entity, pass through to the individual partners who report income on their individual returns. Disadvantages-individual partners are subject to personal liability for the obligations of the partnership.
Corporation-advantage-the liability of its shareholders is limited to their investments. Only the corporation itself is responsible for its liabilities, ability to raise significant capital by selling transferable ownership shares of corporate stock/equity”
- When are drug testing, polygraph testing, genetic screening, health screening and employer surveillance permissible?
Depends on 4 factors: 1)the scope of the testing program, 2) whether the employer is a public or private employer, 3) any state constitutional guarantees of a right to privacy, 4) any state statutes regulating drug testing.
- What are sources of the law of wrongful discharge?
Public Policy,Implied contract, implied convenant of good faith and fair dealing.
- What exceptions are there to the at-will employment contract rule?
Public employees and unionized workers ar not subject to the at-will rule.
- An at will employment contract?
The employee can quit at any time, and the employer can discharge the employee at any time for any or no reason with or without advance notice.
- In what contexts would one normally find a just cause termination contract?
P. 345 Public employees require just cause for discharge and guarentee admin procedures to determine just cause for discharge. Union contracts, which almost universally require just cause for termination and establish grievance procedures whereby the employee can challenge their discharge.
- What is an at will employment contract?
the employee can quit at any time and the employer can discharge the employee at any time, for an or no reason.
- What is manslaughter in California
The California penal code defines manslaughter as “the unlawful killing of a human being without malice.”California voluntary manslaughter is the killing of another person in the heat of passion or in the midst of a sudden quarrel without “malice aforethought.”
- May a victim of a crime sue the defendant for civil damages?
YES! Page 434
- Difference between a felony and a misdemeanor.
“a. A felony: A crime punishable by death or by imprisonment for more than one year.
b. and a misdemeanor: A less serious crime, punishable by a fine or jail sentence of one year or less (p 432). “
- Different types of states of mind for criminal liability.
“a. Negligence: The failure to see the possible negative consequences of one’s actions that a reasonable person would have seen.
b. Recklessness: the conscious disregard of a substantial risk that one’s actions will result in the harm prohibited by the statute.
c. Intent: When a person consciously intends to cause the harm prohibited by the statute, or when they know such harm is substantially certain to result from their conduct. “
- What are the elements of a crime (mens rea and actus reus)?
1: An act that violates an existing criminal statute (actus reus, guilty act or wrongful deed), and 2: the requisite state of mind (mens rea, guilty mind) page 433.
- What is the difference between a patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret? In particular, be able to recognize the difference between them, identify any registration requirements to protect them and what constitutes infringement.
“a. Patent: A government granted right to exclude others for a stated period of time (usually 20 years) from making, using, or selling within the governments jurisdiction an invention that is the subject of the patent. Requires detailed filing with U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) which performs a search for prior art and can impose hefty fees. Patents may be infringed in 3 ways: directly, indirectly, or contributory (page 310)
b. Copyright: The legal right to prevent others from copying the expression embodied in a protected work. No registration is required, though notice and registration can strengthen rights. Infringement occurs when a party copies, modifies, displays, performs, or distributes a copyrighted work without the owner’s permission.
c. Trademark: A word or symbol used on goods or with services that indicates their origin. Only need to use mark in commerce, though filing with U.S. PTO office is usually desirable to gain stronger protection. To show infringement, the trademark owner must prove 1: the validity of the mark, 2: priority of usage of the mark, and 3: a likelihood of confusion in the minds of the purchasers of the products in question
d. Trade secret: Information that derives independent economic value from not being generally known and that is subject to reasonable efforts to maintain its secrecy. Requires reasonable steps to protect-generally a trade secret protection program.
e. In particular, be able to recognize the difference between them, identify any registration requirements to protect them and what constitutes infringement (see above).”
A government granted right to exclude others for a stated period of time (usually 20 years) from making, using, or selling within the governments jurisdiction an invention that is the subject of the patent. Requires detailed filing with U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) which performs a search for prior art and can impose hefty fees. Patents may be infringed in 3 ways: directly, indirectly, or contributory (page 310)
PATENT
The legal right to prevent others from copying the expression embodied in a protected work. No registration is required, though notice and registration can strengthen rights. Infringement occurs when a party copies, modifies, displays, performs, or distributes a copyrighted work without the owner’s permission.
COPYRIGHT
A word or symbol used on goods or with services that indicates their origin. Only need to use mark in commerce, though filing with U.S. PTO office is usually desirable to gain stronger protection. To show infringement, the trademark owner must prove 1: the validity of the mark, 2: priority of usage of the mark, and 3: a likelihood of confusion in the minds of the purchasers of the products in question
TRADEMARK
Information that derives independent economic value from not being generally known and that is subject to reasonable efforts to maintain its secrecy. Requires reasonable steps to protect-generally a trade secret protection program
TRADE SECRET
A product, such as a vaccine, that is generally beneficial but is known to have harmful side effects in some cases. The value of using the product outweighs the risk of harm from its use.
What is an unavoidably unsafe product?
- Know different types of defects that make a product defective.
a. Manufacturing Defect: A flaw that occurs during production, such as failure to meet design specifications.
b. Design Defect: Occurs when a product is made according to specs, however, due to its inadequate design or poor choice of materials, is unreasonably dangerous to users. “
- Know product liability theories: negligence, strict liability & breach of warranty.
“a. Negligence: To prove negligence in a products case, the injured party must show that the defendant did not use reasonable care in designing or manufacturing its product or in providing adequate warnings.
b. Strict liability: Allows a person injured by an unreasonably dangerous product to recover damages from the manufacturer or seller of the product even in the absence of contract. The product needs to reach the consumer without substantial change in the condition in which it was sold.
c. Breach of Warranty: Whether the quality, characteristics, and safety of the product were consistent with the implied or express representations made by the seller. A buyer may bring a warranty action whenever the product fails to meet the standards that the seller represented to the buyer at the time of purchase. “
To prove ……in a products case, the injured party must show that the defendant did not use reasonable care in designing or manufacturing its product or in providing adequate warnings.
NEGLIGENCE
Allows a person injured by an unreasonably dangerous product to recover damages from the manufacturer or seller of the product even in the absence of contract. The product needs to reach the consumer without substantial change in the condition in which it was sold.
STRICT LIABILITY
Whether the quality, characteristics, and safety of the product were consistent with the implied or express representations made by the seller. A buyer may bring a warranty action whenever the product fails to meet the standards that the seller represented to the buyer at the time of purchase. “
BREACH OF WARRANTY
- What is negligent hiring?
An employer is negligent if the employer hires an employee who endangers the health and safety of other employees. An employer is negligent if the employer hires an employee who endangers the health and safety of other employees.
- Joint and several liability & what it means.
In a case which the court determines that multiple defendants are at fault; the doctrine whereby a plaintiff may collect the entire judgment from any single defendant, regardless of the degree of the defendant’s fault. In a case which the court determines that multiple defendants are at fault; the doctrine whereby a plaintiff may collect the entire judgment from any single defendant, regardless of the degree of the defendant’s fault.
- Strict liability.
Liability without fault, that is without either intent or negligence
- Tests for causation under negligence.
To establish liability for negligence, the plaintiff must show that: 1. the defendant owed a duty to the plaintiff to act in conformity with a certain standard of conduct, that is, to act reasonably under the circumstances. 2. The defendant breached that duty by failing to conform to the standard 3. A reasonably close casual connection exists between the plaintiff’s injury and the defendant’s breach. 4 the plaintiff suffered and actual loss or injury.
- Definition of negligence and defenses to it (assumption of risk, comparative negligence).
Negligence is defined as conduct that involves an unreasonably great risk of causing injury to another person or damage property.
In some Jurisdictions, the defendant may absolve itself of part or all of the liability for negligence by proving that the plaintiff was also negligent.
Assumption of risk defense requires that the plaintiff: 1.Knew the risk was present and understood its nature and 2. Voluntarily chose to incur the risk. Consent to an intentional tort, relieves the defendant of any liability.
Comparative negligence, the plaintiff may recover the proportion of his or her loss attributable to the defendant´s negligence.”
- What is defamation and what defenses are available?
“Is the communication (often termed publication) to a third party of an untrue statement, asserted fact that injures the plaintiff’s reputation by exposing him or her to “hatred, ridicule, or contempt”. Libel is written defamation. Slander is spoken defamation.
Truth is an absolute defense to a defamation claim in most jurisdictions. The Law presumes that the plaintiff has a pristine reputation, but it will not protect a reputation the plaintiff does not deserve. The burden is on the defendant to prove that the derogatory statements are true.
Others defenses are framed in terms of privilege and may be asserted in a number of circumstances. An Absolute privilege cannot be lost. Qualified privilege can be lost under certain conditions.”
- What are the elements of intentional infliction of emotional distress?
The tort of intentional infliction of emotional distress protects the right to peace of mind. To prove it, a plaintiff must show: 1. Outrageous conduct by the defendant, 2. Intent to cause, or reckless disregard of the probability of causing emotional distress. 3 Severe emotional suffering and 4. Actual and proximate (legal) causation of the emotional distress. The mental distress must be foreseeable.
- What is the business context for false imprisonment charges?
False imprisonment is intentional, nonconsensual confinement by physical barriers, by physical force or by threats of force. Business: It is false imprisonment is a store clerk grabs a package from a customer walking out the door, because the customer cannot be expected to abandon the package to leave the store.
- Difference between assault and battery.
Assault: is an intentional, nonconsensual act that gives rise to apprehension (not necessarily fear) that a harmful or offensive contact is imminent. Generally, assault requires some act, such as threatening gesture, plus the ability to follow through immediately with a Battery. Battery: is intentional, nonconsensual, harmful or offensive contact with the plaintiff’s body or with something in contact with it. (Putting poison in someone´s food is a battery).
is an intentional, nonconsensual act that gives rise to apprehension (not necessarily fear) that a harmful or offensive contact is imminent. Generally, assault requires some act, such as threatening gesture, plus the ability to follow through immediately with a Battery.
ASSAULT
Battery: is intentional, nonconsensual, harmful or offensive contact with the plaintiff’s body or with something in contact with it. (Putting poison in someone´s food is a battery).
BATTERY
- Intentional torts and defenses to them.
Intentional torts require the plaintiff to prove 1. Actual or implied intent. 2. Voluntary act by the defendant, 3. Causation and 4. Injury of harm. (1. Actual Intent: can be shown by evidence that the defendant intended a specific consequence to a particular individual. Defenses: The most frequently raised defense is consent. If the plaintiff consented to the defendants act, there is no tort. Even if the plaintiff did not explicitly consent, the law many imply consent.
- Distinction between tort and crime.
The distinctions between tort and crime law are not always clear as they first appear, however. A criminal statute might call for the criminal to compensate the victim. The Victim might sue the perpetrator of the crime in tort, using the violation of a criminal statute as a basis for the tort claim. In some instances, tort law, like criminal law, purports to protect society through the award of punitive damages.
- What is a tort?
A tort is a civil wrong resulting in injury to a person or property. A tort case is brought by the injured party to obtain compensation for the wrong done. A Crime is a wrong to society that is prosecuted by the state. Even though a crime may be committed against an individual, the victim is not a party to a criminal action. Criminal law is generally concerned with protecting society and punishing the criminal, not compensating the victim.
is a wrong to society that is prosecuted by the state.
CRIME
- Battle of the forms and rules of acceptance between merchants. affect on creation of warranties.. right to reject/accept goods.
BoF-the parties negotiate the essential terms of the contract but neglect to bargain over items that are less immediately important. Definite response-whenever parties act as if there is a contract between them. Conditional Reponse-offerr wants to make a counter offer rather than an acceptance. Acceptance with missing term-when the parties ship, receive, and pay for goods without first agreeing on all material terms. Acceptance with additional terms-effect of an acceptance that includes additional terms without expressly making the contract subject to the offeror’s agreeing to those terms. Acceptance with Different Terms-effect of different as opposed to additional terms in an acceptance when the acceptance is not expressly make subject to the offeror’s agreeing to those terms.
Conditional Reponse-offerr wants to make a …. rather than an acceptance.
COUNTEROFFER
….-when the parties ship, receive, and pay for goods without first agreeing on all material terms.
ACCEPTANCE WITH MISSING TERMS
… of an acceptance that includes additional terms without expressly making the contract subject to the offeror’s agreeing to those terms
Acceptance with additional terms-effect
…. of different as opposed to additional terms in an acceptance when the acceptance is not expressly make subject to the offeror’s agreeing to those terms.
Acceptance with Different Terms-effect
- Requirements necessary for an offer
a. Offer: UCC does not define offer. Therefore, common law principals determine whether an offer has been made. Neither an invitation for bids nor a price quotation is an offer. [pg 208]
b. Firm offer: signed offer by a merchant that indicates that the offer will kept open, is not revocable for lack of consideration. [pg 213]
…. signed offer by a merchant that indicates that the offer will kept open, is not revocable for lack of consideration. [pg 213]
FIRM OFFER
….UCC does not define either, except to state that an …. may contain terms additional to or different from those in the offer. This is different from common law mirror image rule. [pg 208]
ACCEPTANCE
…..Requires the acceptance to contain the same exact terms as the offer.
Mirror image rule: