Preparation
Most people are familiar with the lawsuit in which a woman sued McDonald’s after being burned by their hot coffee, but did you know that Uber drivers may be owed millions of dollars in back pay or that a judge recently blocked 100 million WhatsApp users? Lawsuits against businesses or between businesses (Microsoft vs. Oracle) fill court dockets around the world. The issues in these cases range from patent infringement to product liability, and many of them are decided or settled without the public knowing about it. However, these lawsuits can have an impact on customers (higher prices), the availability of new products (fewer, in cases of patent infringement), and even national economies (Facebook banned in Korea).
Your Task
- Use the link provided below to access Entrepreneur magazine’s “Court Case” section: Entrepreneur: Court Cases. There you will find a wide range of court cases that involve some of the biggest names in business.
- Select one of the cases on the site as the basis for your written assignment. You may get your preliminary information from the Entrepreneur magazine site, but don’t limit yourself to this one source. Google the case and see if there are additional facts or developments that you need to consider before completing this assignment.
- Write a case summary that includes the following information:
- Parties to the case and names of defendants and plaintiffs.
- The primary issue at the heart of the lawsuit (e.g., copyright, labor law, unfair competition) and the reasons or events that caused the plaintiff to file the lawsuit.
- Provide a brief summary of the keys facts in the case from the perspective of all parties. Generally, these will be the claims of the plaintiff and the defenses of the defendant.
- If a decision has been made in the case, what was it? If damages were awarded, how much were they? If the damages were not monetary, what did the court order the parties to do or not do because of the lawsuit?
- If the case has not been decided, then what is the plaintiff asking the court to do if it prevails?
- Regardless of whether the case is decided or not, what are the implications or potential implications for the businesses involved and the stakeholders of those businesses?
Note: Please remember to provide proper citations for all sources using APA style.