Overview: Business law impacts our everyday lives, both personally and professionally. Businesses enter contracts, manufacture goods,sell services and products, and engage in employment and labor practicesactivities that must all adhere to certain laws and regulations. Recognizing and evaluating legal issues is a fundamental skill that will help you navigate commercial relationships and avoid potential problems in the business world.

Prompt: Imagine yourself as a paralegal working in a law office that has been tasked with reviewing three current cases. You will review the case studies and compose a short report for each, applying your legal knowledge and understanding of the types of business organizations. In each of the three reports, you will focus on areas of law covered in this course. Case Study Two concentrates on contracts and landlord-tenant law.

Case Study Two:

Sam Stevens lives in an apartment building where he has been working on his new invention, a machine that plays the sound of a barking dog to scare off potential intruders. A national chain store that sells safety products wants to sell Sam's product exclusively. Although Sam and the chain store never signed a contract, Sam verbally told a store manager several months ago that he would ship 1,000 units.

Sam comes home from work one day and finds two letters in his mailbox. One is an eviction notice from his landlord,Quinn, telling him he has to be out of the apartment in 30 days because his barking device has been bothering the other tenants. It also states that Sam was not allowed to conduct a business from his apartment. Sam is angry because he specifically told Quinn that he was working on a new invention, and Quinn had wished him luck. The second letter is from the chain store, demanding that Sam deliver the promised 1,000 units immediately. Specifically,the following critical elements must be addressed: A. Analyze the elements of this case to determine whether a valid contract exists between Sam and the chain store. Support your response by identifying the elements of a valid contract in your analysis. B. Assume there is not a valid contract between Sam and the chain store. Analyze the elements of a quasi-contract and a promissory estoppel to determine whether the chain store would prevail on a claim of either. Why or why not? Include support for your analysis. C. Identify the rights and obligations of both the landlord and tenant under a standard residential lease agreement. D. Based upon those rights and obligations, does Sam's landlord have grounds to evict? Why or why not? E. Further, what defenses might Sam raise to an eviction action? Support your response.

Be sure to explain and elaborate on how each term applies to the story.

Be sure to incorporate the facts of the case into your explanation and analysis.

Remember that the document you submit should follow the formatting guidelines described in the

Milestone Two Guidelines and Rubric document.

A. Various elements must be present to prove that a valid contract exists between Sam and the

chain store.

The four elements to a contract are . (Chapter 13)

The first element of would be deemed to exist if [describe facts that

are or should be present].

The second element of would be deemed to exist if [describe facts

that are or should be present].

The third element of would be deemed to exist if [describe facts that

are or should be present].

The fourth element of would be deemed to exist if [describe facts

that are or should be present].

If the elements of a contract did exist between these parties, there could still be some

possible reasons why a contract might not be valid based on facts not present in the

scenario. For example, if Sam was a minor at the time he made the agreement with

the chain store, the contract would not be valid because . List

some other reasons and elaborate on why a contract might be invalid.

Discuss and explain any other information you deem relevant to this answer.

(Chapters 13, 14, 15, and 16)

B. Even if there is not a valid legal contract between Sam and the chain store, there may still be

a quasi-contract(Chapter 13) or elements of what is called a promissory estoppel. (Chapter

15)

A quasi-contractis defined as . In this case, a quasi-contract may exist

if the following facts are true: . (Chapter 13)

A promissory estoppel is defined as . This principle might apply to this

case if . (Chapters 13 and 16)

Discuss and explain any other information you deem relevant to this answer.

C. The rights and obligations of both the landlord and tenant depend upon the term of their

contract. Such a contract may be verbal or in writing under a standard residential lease

agreement. (Chapters 13 and 50)

Some facts that may support that Sam is in breach of that contract are

.

Some facts that may support that Sam is not in breach of that contract are

. (Chapters 16, 17, and 50)

Discuss and explain any other information you deem relevant to this answer.

D. Based upon those rights and obligations, Sam's landlord has/does not have grounds to evict

because .

Elaborate and explain.

E. Some defenses Sam might raise if his landlord tries to evict him include

because .

Elaborate and explain for each reason offered. Discuss and explain any other

information you deem relevantto this answer.

(Chapters 13, 14, 15, and 16)