How does a class action change the stakes for the parties?.
Chapter 1
- Americans with a Better Cause (ABC), a nonprofit organization, files a suit against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), claiming that a certain federal statute the DOJ is empowered to enforce, conflicts with the U.S. Constitution and with a state constitution. In each situation, which source of law has priority? [Approximately 1 paragraph response is acceptable] One point. TIME ESTIMATE: 15 MINUTES.
- Answer “Multiple-Choice Questions 1-4. Four points. TIME ESTIMATE: 15 MINUTES
- Using the Google (or other) search engine, find two current (within the last 5 years) cases that interest you: one civil, one criminal. You can Google ‘celebrity lawsuits,’ ‘civil cases in the news’, etc. : Explain the different roles played by each type of law, and summarize the issues in the respective cases. This should take you approximately ½ to 1 page set at 1.5 lines. Four points. TIME ESTIMATE: 35 MINUTES
Chapter 3
4. For legal disputes between parties, why is mediation often considered advantageous over litigation? Please provide at least two examples to support your answer. One point.
TIME ESTIMATE: 10 minutes
5. Answer “Essay Questions” 2, 4 & 5 from textbook page 73. Three points.
TIME ESTIMATE: 40 MINUTES
6. Find a current article on a pending class action against a large pharmaceutical, tobacco, automobile, or other company. Answer these questions in a one-page, 1.5 line-spaced document:
- What is a class action?
- How long has this class action been going?
- How does a class action change the stakes for the parties?
- What are the plaintiffs’ claims?
- Have developments in the class action favored the plaintiffs or defendants?
- What are the long-term business, legal, and social consequences of class actions such as this one? Do those consequences support class actions as a valid form of litigation? 6 points.
How does a class action change the stakes for the parties?
