Exam 28: Agency Law

Cameron,editor of the local newspaper,assigned to Jim the writing of a story about pollution of a nearby stream.Although Jim used reasonable care in gathering and checking his information,unknown to Jim,the story contained a defamatory statement about Maureen.Maureen reads the story and sues Jim for libel.Cameron,who read and published the story:

Which of the following is not required of an agency relationship?

Linda borrowed $2,500 from Tonya.They agreed that Tonya could take a grouping of Linda's antiques as collateral.If Linda could not pay,then Tonya could sell the antiques to recover her money.When Linda could not pay off the loan,Tonya sold the antiques and paid Linda the proceeds after deducting the balance of the loan.Which of the following statements is correct?

Circus Pizza contracted with Art to run its birthday parties.Art's responsibilities included supervising the children and organizing the games.Circus did not investigate Art's background,which included a history of assaulting children.Art assaulted a 7-year-old girl in the restaurant's kitchen during a birthday party.Circus Pizza:

When a principal is partially disclosed:

John hired Tim to sell his house.Which statement is correct?

If Denise is hired to work as a cashier,she has the implied authority to do acts reasonably necessary to carry out her job.

Andrew has been hired to do some work for Rossi Enterprises.What factors would a court consider in determining if Andrew is an employee or an independent contractor? Why does the designation matter?

Alex worked for years for MegaCorp.During his employment with MegaCorp,he learned a great deal of confidential information and knew that if this information got into the hands of competitors or the general public,MegaCorp could suffer great business losses.Alex claims that he was wrongfully fired by MegaCorp and accordingly he believes he has no obligation to MegaCorp to keep any information he acquired with them as confidential.MegaCorp claims that Alex is under a continuing duty to keep confidential information secret,even though he is no longer with the company.Who is right? Why?

Mrs.O'Leary hired Jenna to sell her house in Michigan.She executed a power of attorney in favor of Jenna authorizing her to do "anything and everything associated with the sale of real estate,acting as a prudent person." On May 30,Jenna finalized a deal with Brandon for the purchase of the house.Brandon and Jenna signed the real estate contract that day.Jenna learned the next day that Mrs.O'Leary had died May 29.

If apparent authority is present,the principal is liable for even the unauthorized acts of the agent.

Generally,either party to an agency relationship has the power to terminate it at any time.

Tom,the production manager at Esday,was told by his supervisor to hire Elton,a 15- year-old,to operate an industrial machine.Hiring the 15-year-old violates the child labor laws.Tom:

Jim agreed to show Donna's car to a potential buyer.Donna was not able to be home since she had to attend a meeting.After showing the car,Jim left the keys in it and the car was stolen.Which statement is correct?

Mohammad was an employee in the new product development department of Estay Inc.Mohammad was directly involved in the development of a new product that Estay intended to launch in 6 months.Estay took great care to keep information concerning the new product a secret.Ceries,Inc.,a competitor of Estay,persuaded Mohammad to leave Estay to direct Ceries' marketing department.Which statement is correct?

Barnett was orally hired by Paula to locate desirable real estate that she could use for rental property.She stated she wanted to find a four-plex that could be purchased for under $200,000 that could be rented for at least $1,000 per month per unit (which equates to $4,000 rental per month for the property).Barnett located a four-plex that could be purchased for $160,000 and was renting for $1,200 per unit.It was such a good deal that he purchased it for himself.About two months later he found a second property that was listed for $199,000 and rented for $1,000 per unit.Paula purchased the property.Afterwards,she learned that Barnett had bought the $160,000 four-plex for himself without telling her about it.Paula believes that Barnett has acted improperly.Barnett claims that he did what she asked -- he found a property for under $200,000 that rented for $1,000 per unit.He also claims that since their agreement was oral,he has a legal defense if she pursues the matter in court.Does Paula have any legal recourse against Barnett? Explain.

The bankruptcy of an agent automatically terminates an agency relationship.

The equal dignities rule relative to agency law applies to an agent:

Which of the following persons is an agent?

Grant is a delivery person for Watkins Furniture.One day,after delivering a chair to Nadine's house,he stopped at a fast food restaurant to get a sandwich at the drive-through window.As he was leaving the parking lot,he accidentally hit the rear of Blanche's car.Discuss the possible liability of Watkins for Grant's accident.Would there be any difference in the potential liability of Watkins if Grant had the accident after driving 30 miles away to visit a friend?