Test 3 Flashcards
What are the 2 kinds of damages?
Punitive and compensatory
What kind of damages are available in a contract case?
Only compensatory are available
What are the 2 kinds of compensatory damages?
Direct Damages and Consequential Damages
What are direct damages?
damages related to the main purpose of the contract. It’s the difference between what you were supposed to get and what you did get.
What are consequential damages?
Holds the defense to the foreseeable harm standard. If the defense should have foreseen the harm, the they are liable for consequential damages?
What is the main idea and takeaway from the Hawkins V McGee case?
Hawkins has a messed up hand, and was promised a 100% perfect hand. Ends up with a hairy hand b/c of skin grafting. The difference is direct damages
What is the main idea and takeaway from the Prutch V Ford case?
Prutch expects a tractor for the harvest and plants a larger than normal amount of crop. The tractor arrives broken and the crop goes bad. Ford is found liable for the direct damages of the repair parts for the tractor and the consequential damages of the unharvested crop
In general, can you get a subcontractor?
Yes, if the lease does not specifically exempt it.
Who is liable for any issues if you bring in a subcontractor?
the original party and the subcontractor are liable.
What is one way to release yourself from liability by substituting yourself for the subcontractor?
You can get a novation
Can third parties sue to enforce a contract?
Depends if they are donee beneficiaries or incidental beneficiaries.
What is a donee beneficiary?
an outsider who was intended to benefit from a contract. CAN sue to enforce a contract as a third party
What is an Incidental beneficiary?
an outsider who was not intended to benefit from the contract. CANNOT sue to enforce a third party contract
What are the 3 kinds of bankruptcy and which is the most drastic
Chapter 7, Chapter 11 and Chapter 13. Chapter 7 is the most drastic
What happens in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy?
stuff liquidated to pay off debt and most of the remaining debt is forgiven. Available to people and companies.
What kind of debt is not surrenderable in chapter 7 bankruptcy?
Intentional tort, tax debt, student loan debt, child support, alimony, govt fines, luxury crecdit card debt racked up immediately before, and debts arising from fraud and “actual fraud” including shuffling assets around
What are the rules on if you get to keep your house in a chapter 7 bankruptcy?
You have to have the house paid off to keep it no matter what. If you’ve lived there <40mo. the federal law caps will only let you keep the house if it is worth <146K. If you’ve lived there >40mo. the state law applies and you can keep your house of any value
What is special about chapters 11 and 13 bankruptcies
considered less bad on credit reports. They both involve submitting a repayment plan that will legally replace the existing plan (if approved)
Describe Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Debtor submits repayment plan to creditors. creditors vote if the plan is acceptable. Plan is accepted if 2/3 of the total debt outstanding votes in favor of the plan
Describe Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
a judge looks at a submitted plan for repayment and approves good faith attempts to repay. People usually opt for this option. Ch.13 not available to companies
What did Husky V Ritz conclude?
Ritz tried to save some $ by shuffling assets out of a debt ridden company before bankruptcy. The debt wouldnt be forfeitable in bankruptcy if they arose out of malicious tort (ACTUAL FRAUD). This case established that ‘fraudulent conveyance’ is actual fraud and the debt would not be forfeitable in bankruptcy, and that the debtor and the recipient of the conveyance are responsible. Doesnt have to be false representation to be fraud
When do intestacy laws kick in?
They kick in when someone dies without a will
Who makes intestacy laws?
the states
What are the 2 systems of intestacy laws?
Per Stirpes System. Per Capita System.
What is a per stirpes system?
concerned with families lines getting equal cuts. All of the money goes to the oldest living member of a given line. Not everyone on the grandkid level will get the same payout, but children will
What is the per capita system?
Makes sure that all of the members of the same level will get an euqal cut. First, do a per stirpes system layout, then clump all of the money for each level and divide evenly
What are the rules with what a surviving spouse gets to keep in intestacy laws?
Gets to keep all of the community property and 1/3 of the separate property. the remaining 2/3 of the separate property goes to the rest of the family
What is community property?
it belongs to both of the spouses. Doesnt matter who provided the $ for purchase
What is separate property?
Includes anything you owned before you got married, anything you received by gift or inheritance or income that you received from separate property
How many people pay estate taxes?
<1%
What are the 3 Exemptions to estate tax?
1) All gifts to a spouse are exempt
2) All gifts going to a nonprofit are exempt
3) The next $5.49M is exempt
What is the current estate tax rate after the exemptions?
40%
What is the gift tax?
After the $14K per person limit, the amount over $14K is deducted from your $5.49M exemption. Medical and edu expenses are exempt if you pay directly to the institution. If you use up all of the $5.49M, you pay the 40% rate
What is an executor?
the person in charge of the estate, can sign to transfer assets. Usally a firent or relative and not a lawyer, so they can make mistakes.
What are the 3 main exemptions executors should know to avoid paying final debts?
1) Homestead exemption
2) Personal Property Deduction
3) Family Support Exemption
What is the homestead exemption?
if the house is owned fully, you can protect, 1 home, up to 200 acres of land attached to the home, and a horse or a car. None of this has to be sold to pay final debts
What is the personal property exemption?
up to 30K of non realestate property is protected from having to pay final debts
What is the family support exemption?
if you die with dependents, a judge can allow an executor to set aside one years worth of normal family expenses
What is the rule about paying someone else’s debt that you didnt cosign for?
You dont have to (even if relative) unless you are married to them or you sign the contract with them
What are the 3 kinds of gifts?
1) fee simple gift
2) life-estate gift
3) fee simple determinable gift
What is a fee simple gift?
its 100% yours
What is a life-estate gift?
you can use whatever you inherit for your lifetime, but upon your death, another person owns it
What is a fee-simple determinable gift?
a gift with a rule attached to it. If you break the rule, it goes to someone else
What are the 3 basic principles of IP law?
1) IP law protects ideas by giving certain rights to the creator
2) IP law uses patents to strategically limit competition
3) IP law can sometimes go too far and limit competition too much and harm customers
The ___ & ____ created an international minimum standard of IP protection called _____
WTO, GATT, TRIPS
What is a trade secret?
something not known and not legally available that gives competitive advantage
You can either seek patent protection (requires going public) or you can seek trade secret protection, BUT you cant claim both
believe it
What are the 5 suggested parts of a trade secret misappropriation case? (but trade secrets can still exist without all of these parts)
1) extent the info is known outside the company
2) how difficult would it be to learn or acquire the info properly
3) How valuable is the info to the company
4) how much time & $ did it take to create the info
5) how closely has the company maintained secrecy
Can a trade secret be a combination of previously known elements
Yes
What determines a reasonable amount of security required to maintain a trade secret?
depends of the value of the info, cost of security, burden of security on ops, effectiveness of security
What is CNDA
Confidentiality non disclosure agreement. a good security measure to put on employees
What are some giveaways that misappropriation of trade secrets has occurred?
if the means themselves are illegal, if there is an express or implied level of confidentiality violated, employees switching jobs are often guilty of this
What are the 2 legal ways to acquire trade secrets?
1) independent development
2) reverse engineering- assuming you have lawfully obtained the product (patent protection still applies)
What are the 4 basic ways you can protect your IP?
Trademarks, Trade Secrets, Patents, Copyrights
What can trademarks apply to? How do you get one? How long are they good for?
Trademarks only apply to words, phrases, symbols and designs (product/company names and logos). You have to apply for a trademark with the US Patent and Trademark Office. You’ll get it unless its a duplicate or generic. good for 10 years and renewable