POSC 380/ LEST 380: Introduction to Law
Spring 2019
Professor Sheldon D. Pollack
Department of Accounting & MIS
Department of Political Science & Legal Studies Program
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716
office: Purnell Hall 216
email: pollack@udel.edu
Class Materials:
text: Henry Cheeseman, Business Law (Pearson, 9th edition)
Casebook (selected cases for class readings)
Case Assignments:
Section 12 (2:00 pm)
Section 13 (3:30 pm)
emails:
Section 12 (2:00 pm)
Section 13 (3:30 pm)
In-Class Material:
Intro to Law:
Age Discrimination in Employment Act
Civil Procedure & the Court System:
American Arbitration Association
arbitration clause in AT&T contract
"Arbitration Everywhere" (October 2015 article in N.Y. Times)
class action lawsuit: Federal Rule 23
judicial power under U.S. Constitution
overview of court system of Pennsylvania
overview of court system of Delaware
overview of court system of New York
overview of federal court system
Constitutional Law:
Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States, 379 U.S. 241 (Sup. Ct. 1964)
motel and owner (legal counsel)
oral arguments before Supreme Court
U.D. free speech case: article
Criminal Law:
Torts:
picture of Orioles pitcher Ross Grimsley
McSorley battery in hockey game
Bertuzzi battery in hockey game
"damages awards in malpractice trials" (2004 article in Wall St Journal)
Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurants (hot coffee case) pictures of injury "Trigger Warning"!!! Graphic pictures!!!
hot coffee burns Kramer & Jackie Chiles's legal analysis
Roach v. Stern:
audio recording of show and article on legal settlement
shopkeeper privilege statute (Texas)
"Surgical Instruments Left Behind" (2004 article in Philadelphia Inquirer)
"When Surgeons Leave Objects Behind" (Sept 2012 article in N.Y. Times)
op-ed piece on torts in sports (March 2012 in N.Y. Times)
Product liability:
document production: GM internal memo
Intellectual Property:
tort of misappropriation of trade secrets:
secret recipe for coca cola revealed
Tort of Commercial Disparagement:
disparagement in Pennsylvania law
tort of misappropriation of right of publicity:
Hustler magazine parody of Rev. Falwell (warning: Explicit language!!!)
Three Stooges tee shirt picture
postumous right of publicity in California: two articles
patents:
The Patent, Used as a Sword (NY Times article) Interview with author Charles Duhigg
Bilski v. Kappos (U.S. 2010) (patent for managing risk)
Leahy-Smith American Invents Act (enacted 09-16-2011)
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: reports on patents
utility patent under U.S. Code
copyright protection:
artist sues AP over photo of President Obama
Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998
Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr. v CBS, Inc.
George Harrison v. The Chiffons
James Bond commercial: infringement?
Pretty Woman: copyright infringement?
Roy Orbison's original version 2 Live Crew parody
Weird Al parodies:
Michael Jackson's Beat It Weird Al's Eat It
Stevie Wonder's Pastime Paradise Coolio's Gangsta'sa Paradise Weird Al's Amish Paradise
trademark, tradename, trade dress protection:
Fashion Knock-Offs:
women's clothing Converse All-Stars
world's most famous trademarks
world's worst violations of trademark?
Duffin Dagel (article on Starbuck's and "duffins" in USA Today, October 10, 2013)
Common Law Contracts:
age of majority for contracts in DE
age of marriage in New York (March 2017 article in New York Times)
Andy Warhol painting of Campbell's Soup
elements of an inter vivos gift
Howard Marshall and Haverford College
Pa. statute of frauds re: nominal consideration
Environmental law:
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)
Cuyahoga River burning 1969 (video)
Earth Day, April 22, 1970 (video with Walter Cronkite)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Love Canal story (video):
Nonattainment areas re: Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)
National Priorities List (Superfund sites)
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA)
Sources of Pollution:
mobile sources of air pollution
point sources of water pollution
stationary sources of air pollution
Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA)
Tax Treatment of Environmental Expenses (article by Prof. Pollack)
Online Legal Research tools:
Black's Law Dictionary (2nd ed.)
revised
4/2/2019
