SOLUTION MANUAL
The Legal Environment of Business, 14th Edition
by Roger E. Meiners, Verified Chapters 1 - 22, Complete
The Legal Environment of Business, 14th Edition
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
➢ Chapter 1. Today’s Business Environment: Law and Ethics
➢ Chapter 2. The Court Systems
➢ Chapter 3. Trials and Resolving Disputes
➢ Chapter 4. The Constitution: Focus on Application to Business
➢ Chapter 5. Criminal Law and Business
➢ Chapter 6. Elements of Torts
➢ Chapter 7. Business Torts and Product Liability
➢ Chapter 8. Real and Personal Property
➢ Chapter 9. Intellectual Property
➢ Chapter 10. Contracts
➢ Chapter 11. Domestic and International Sales
➢ Chapter 12. Business Organizations
➢ Chapter 13. Negotiable Instruments, Credit, and Bankruptcy
➢ Chapter 14. Agency and the Employment Relationship
➢ Chapter 15. Employment and Labor Regulations
➢ Chapter 16. Employment Discrimination
➢ Chapter 17. The Regulatory Process
➢ Chapter 18. Securities Regulation
➢ Chapter 19. Consumer Protection
The Legal Environment of Business, 14th Edition
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➢ Chapter 20. Antitrust Law
➢ Chapter 21. Environmental Law
➢ Chapter 22. The International Legal Environment of Business
CHAPTER 1
Table of Contents
Answer to Discussion Question ................................................................................................................................. 1
Answers to Case Questions ......................................................................................................................................... 1
Answers to Ethics and Social Questions ................................................................................................................. 3
Answer to Discussion Question
Should the common law maxim “Ignorance of the law is no excuse” apply to an immigrant who speaks
little English and was not educated in the United States? How about for a tourist who does not speak
English? Everyone knows criminal acts are prohibited, but what about subtler rules that differ across
countries and so may be misunderstood by foreigners?
Answer: It sis sgenerally strue sthat signorance sof sthe s law sis sno sexcuse. sCitizens sare sdeemed sto shave
sconstructive sknowledge sof sthe slaw. sYet, sas swell sknown sas sthis srule sis, sit sis ssurprising show
soften sit sis sproffered sas san sexcuse. s(A sWestlaw ssearch scases sfinds shundreds sof sexamples).
sExamples sinclude: sDeluco sv. sDezi s(Conn. sSuper) s(lack sof sknowledge sregarding sthe sstate‘s
susury slaws sis sno sexcuse sfor sthe sinclusion sof san sillegal sinterest srate sin sa ssales scontract); sand
sPlumlee sv. sPaddock s(ignorance sof sthesfact sthat sthe ssubject smatter sof sthe scontract swas
sillegal swas snot sexcuse). sThe scourts shave sprovided sa ssmall sexception sto sthe srule swhen sit
scomes sto speople sin slack sof sEnglish slanguage sskills. sConsider sFlanery sv. sKuska, s(defendant
sdid snot sspeak sEnglish swas sadvised sby sa sfriend sthat san sanswer sto sa scomplaint swas snot
srequired); sRamon sv. sDept. sof sTransportation, s(no sEnglish sand san sinability sto sunderstand sthe
slaw srequired sfor san sexcuse); sYurechko sv. sCounty sof sAllegheny, s(Ignorance sand swith sthe sfact
sthat sthe smunicipality ssuffered sno shardship sin slate slawsuit sfiling swas san sexcuse).
Answers sto sCase sQuestions
1. Facts sfrom san sEnglish sjudge’s sdecision sin s1884: s“The screw sof san sEnglish syacht were scast
saway sin
a sstorm son sthe shigh sseas s. s. s. sand swere scompelled sto sput sinto san sopen sboat. They shad
sno ssupply
The Legal Environment of Business, 14th Edition
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of swater sand sno ssupply sof sfood. s. s. s. sThat son sthe seighteenth sday s. s. s. sthey suggested sthat
sone
should sbe ssacrificed sto ssave sthe srest. s. s. s. sThat snext sday s. s. s. sthey s. s. s. swent sto sthe sboy
.................................................................................................................................................................................. put sa sknife
into shis sthroat sand skilled shim s. s. s. sthe sthree smen sfed supon sthe sbody of sthe sboy sfor
sfour sdays; s[then]
the sboat swas spicked sup sby sa spassing svessel, sand s[they] swere srescued. s. s. s. sand scommitted sfor
strial. s. s. s.
if sthe smen shad snot sfed supon sthe sbody sof sthe sboy sthey swould sprobably snot shave
ssurvived sto sbe ssospicked sup sand srescued, sbut swould have sdied sof sfamine. sThe sboy,
sbeing sin sa smuch sweaker
condition, swas slikely sto shave sdied sbefore sthem The sreal squestion sin sthis scase s[is] swhether
skilling
under sthe sconditions sset sforth .. be sor sbe snot smurder.” sDo syou sconsider sthe sacts sto sbe
simmoral?
[Regina sv. sDudley sand sStephens, s14 sQueens sBench sDivision s273 s(1884)]
Answer: sThis spoints sout sthat sthe slegal ssystem shas slimits. sIts sacceptability sis sdictated sby slegal
sculture--whichsdetermines swhether slaw swill sbe senforced, sobeyed, savoided, sor sabused. sIt sis
slimited sby sthe sinformal srules sof sthe ssociety--its scustoms sand svalues. sOne slimit sis sthe sextent
sto swhich ssociety swill sallow sthe sformal srules sto sbe simposed swhen sa scrime sis scommitted sin
sodd scircumstances. sHere sthere swas san sintentional smurder. sDoes sthe smotive sfor sthe smurder,
sthe seffort sto ssave sseveral slives sby ssacrificing sone
life, smake sit sa scrime sthat sshould sbe spunished? sNot sall scrimes sare streated sthe ssame. s It salso
sraisessquestions sabout sthe sdesirability sof snot sgiving sjudges sflexibility sin ssentencing.
There swas sa sprecedent sfor sa slight ssentence sin sthis scase sin sU.S. slaw: s U.S. sv. sHolmes, s20 sF.
sCas. s360 s(No. s15383) s(C.C.E.D. sPa. s1842). sThe scase sinvolved sa ssinking socean sliner. sSeveral
spassengers smadesit sto sthe sonly slifeboat, swhich swas sfar stoo sovercrowded. sThe scaptain
sdecided sto ssave sthe swomen sand schildren sand s threw sseveral s men soverboard. sThe slifeboat
s was srescued. sThe s grand s jury srefused sto sindict sthe scaptain sfrom smurder, sonly sfor
smanslaughter. sHe sgot sa ssix smonth ssentence.
The sBritish sjudge sin sthe scase shere simposed sthe sdeath spenalty supon sthe sperson swho
ssurvived. sThe sjudge sfound sit sdifficult sto srule sthat severy sman son sboard shad sthe sright sto
smake slaw sby shis sown shand.sThe sCrown sreduced sthe ssentence sto ssix smonths.
2. Smoking sis sa sserious shealth shazard. sCigarettes sare slegal. sShould scigarette smanufacturers sbe
sliable sfor sthe sserious sillnesses sand suntimely sdeaths scaused sby stheir sunavoidably sdangerous
sproducts, sevensthough sthey spost sa swarning son sthe spackage sand sconsumers svoluntarily
sassume sthe shealth srisks sby ssmoking? s[Cipollone sv. sLiggett sGroup, sInc., s505 sU.S. s504 s(1992)]
Answer: sThe sgeneral srule sthat sexists snow sis sthat ssince sthe sgovernment shas sordered sthe sposting
sof swarningslabels son scigarettes, sand ssince sthe sdangers sof ssmoking sare swell sknown,
sconsumers shave sbeen swarned sand sare snot sdue scompensation sif sthey skill sthemselves sby
ssmoking. sThe s Cippoline scase, ssince sreviewed sby sthe sSupreme sCourt, sappears sto sbe sof
slimited simpact ssince sthe s victim swas sadjudged sto shave sbecome saddicted sto scigarettes
sbefore sthe swarning slabel swas sordered sin s1964. sIf scigarette smakers swere sheld sresponsible
sfor sall shealth sproblems sassociated swith scigarettes, sthen, slike salcohol sand sother sdangerous
sproducts, sthe sdamages swould slikely sbe sso shigh sit swould seffectively sban sthe sproducts.
sPresumably, sin sa sfree ssociety sif sadults sare sclearly sinformed sof sthe srisks sof sproducts sthat
scannot sbe smade ssafe, sthey saccept sthe srisk. sTobacco sand salcohol sproducers scannot stake sthe
The Legal Environment of Business, 14th Edition