Practice MBE Flashcards
An insurance company is a citizen of
(1) Its state of incorporation,
(2) The state of its principal place of business, AND
(3) An insured’s state when the insurer is sued in a direct action
An answer may include both
alternative and inconsistent defenses
Each party must provide to the other parties for inspection and copying, any insurance agreement under which
An insurance business may be liable to satisfy all or part of a possible judgment in the action or to indemnify or reimburse for payments made to satisfy the judgment
Note: Unless otherwise agreed by stipulation or ordered by the court
A motion for judgement as a matter of law must be made
before the jury renders a verdict
Injunctions are appealable
immediately as a matter of right
(As opposed to NOT non-final interlocutory orders which cannot be appealed immediately)
Even if a judge determines a piece of evidence (e.g. a confession) is admissible, a party may still
introduce other evidence that is relevant to the weight and credibility of the admitted evidence
When the relevance of evidence depends on whether a fact exists, proof supporting the finding that such fact exists may be
introduced AFTER the evidence is admitted
(Think Conditional Relevance - Evidence is relevant (admissible) on the CONDITION it is proved later)
In a defamation action involving a private person and a matter that is not of public concern, truth is
a defense and evidence of specific acts which go to a defendant having spoken truthfully may be admitted
Specific instance of conduct, if used to impeach the credibility of a testifying witness on c-x, may not be
proved by the introduction of extrinsic evidence.
The adverse party may cross-examine the witness about the conduct, but must take his answer as he gives it
“Use” immunity prohibits only
the use of the compelled testimony against the witness
Note: if the government DOES prosecute the witness in such a case, the government has the burden to show that the compelled testimony did not provide an investigatory lead that was helpful to the prosecution.
A dying declaration is admissible ONLY in
homicide prosecutions and civil actions (e.g. NOT attempted murder)
Elections Clause of Art. I explicitly empowers Congress to
override state laws concerning FEDERAL elections (NO commandeering concerns)
The Article IV Privileges and Immunities Clause prohibits a state from
Discriminating against nonresidents with respect to the exercise of a fundamental right or engagement in an essential activity, such as earning a living, unless there is substantial justification for the discrimination
Under the First Amendment, a city can regulate adult entertainment establishments (e.g., by localizing them in a particular area), but
cannot impose a blanket ban on all pornography
A shipment of goods, which usually constitutes an acceptance, does not if
the seller indicates that the shipped goods are made as accommodation
When a contract contains a liquidated-damages clause, the party seeking to repudiate that clause must show
that the agreed-to damage is so exorbitant as to be in the nature of a penalty
Courts will generally not enforce service contracts, but WILL enforce valid
non-compete clauses
False pretenses occurs when an individual
(1) Obtains TITLE to property
(2) Of another person
(3) Through the reliance of that person
(4) On a known false representation of a material past or present fact and
(5) the representation is made with the intent to defraud
Forgery requires the making of a
false WRITING with apparent legal significance (such as a check or a contract)
In order for a witness to be prevented from identifying the defendant in court due to a previous impermissibly suggestive photo array, the defendant must demonstrate
that there was a substantial likelihood of misidentification
Under the “Dual Sovereignty” doctrine, prosecution of a defendant by the federal government for a crime arising out of an event does not prevent
a state from prosecuting the defendant for a crime arising out of the same event
(and vice-versa)
A plaintiff who suffers only economic loss without any related personal injury or property damage cannot
recover such loss through a NEGLIGENCE action
In a comparative negligence jurisdiction, assumption of the risk is
not recognized as a separate defense—it has been merged into the comparative-fault analysis and merely reduces recovery
While owners of airplanes used to be strictly liable for damages caused by the airplanes, the modern trend is to apply
negligence law to accidents in which objects falling from the airplane or the airplane itself harms persons or objects on the ground
Liability from harm caused by abnormally dangerous activities (e.g. fumigating) may nonetheless be barred if
the plaintiff assumed the risk (knowingly and voluntarily)
TLDR: Assumption of the risk IS a defense to strict liability
A residential lease provision that places the burden of repair on the tenant is
generally void
An agreement to assume a mortgage is not subject to
The SoF
The purchase of property at a properly noticed foreclosure sale eliminates
not only the mortgage being foreclosed but also all junior mortgages on the property (even if the purchaser is a junior mortgage)
The holder of a future interest, such as a remainder interest, has
A license to inspect the property for waste (which is NOT subject to revocation by the holder of the current possessory interest in the property)