Contract Law Cases

Lefkowitz v. General Minneapolis Surplus

• Defendant advertised coats for $1.00 without disclosing a house rule that they would only sell to a woman.
• The court ruled in favor of Lefkowitz, stating that the offer was clear, definite, and explicit.

Hammer v. Sidway

• Uncle offered nephew $5,000 to refrain from bad behavior until 21 years old.
• Consideration doesn't mean a party must benefit, but rather that the other party abandons some legal right in the present.

Ricketts v. Scothern

• Grandfather promised granddaughter $2,000 with 6% interest to induce her not to work as a bookkeeper.
• He paid interest for one year, and she got a job that he consented to.
• The court ruled in favor of the plaintiff (Scothern) due to the doctrine of promissory estoppel.

Sullivan v. O'Connor

• Plaintiff underwent three botched surgeries for a nose job.
• Plaintiff sued for breach of contract and malpractice.
• The jury threw out the malpractice claim, but awarded damages for:
  • Out-of-pocket expenses
  • Pain and suffering
  • Damages for loss of profession

Regina v. Dudley and Stephens

• Dudley and Stephens were stranded at sea without food for 9 days and ate a crew boy.
• The jury left the decision to the judge, who ruled that necessity is not enough to justify murder.
• However, the judge recommended clemency.

Miranda v. Arizona

• Miranda was questioned without knowledge of his rights and was arrested for kidnapping and rape.
• The case raised questions about criminal rights and custody.

Turner Case

• 7 people were indicted for kidnapping and rape.
• The case involved the Brady claim, where the prosecutor didn't disclose the identities of McMillan and Luchie.

Batson v. Kentucky

• A black man was tried by an all-white jury below the Dixon line.
• The Supreme Court of Kentucky affirmed the conviction, stating that the defendant didn't make a prima facie case of discrimination.

Wong Sun v. U.S.

• Hom Way was arrested after being surveilled for 6 weeks.
• Agents found no heroin on his property, but he pointed them to Johnny Yee as a seller.
• The Court of Appeals objected to the conviction, stating that the evidence was "fruit of the poisonous tree" because Hom Way was arrested without a warrant or probable cause.
• The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that knowledge gained by the government's own wrong cannot be used.

Ford Pinto Case

• A Chevrolet crashed into a Ford Pinto, killing three girls.
• Indiana brought criminal charges against Ford for reckless design.
• The case was criminal rather than civil because of a lack of suitable civil sanctions.

Balla v. Gambro Inc.

• Balla, in-house counsel for Gambro, alerted the FDA to defective dialyzers from Germany.
• Balla was fired and sued for $22 million in damages due to reputation loss.
• The Supreme Court of Illinois affirmed the summary judgment for Gambro, stating that there is no reason to reward a lawyer for doing their duty.

Upjohn v. U.S.

• In-house counsel sent a survey to employees on bribes to foreign officials.
• The IRS subpoenaed the responses to the survey.
• The court ruled that the surveys are covered by the work product doctrine and Attorney-Client Privilege.