Part 1- Foundations of, Chapter 1: The Nature of Law, Doc 6

Summary of Legal Issues and Questions: Here’s a breakdown of the legal problems and their key questions: 1. Dog Bite Statute & Police Dogs (Lena Hyatt v. City of Anoka) Issue: Does Minnesota’s dog bite statute apply to police dogs, making the city liable for injuries caused by a police dog acting in the line of duty? Question: Is the city correct in arguing that the statute excludes police dogs? 2. Affirmative Action and Title VII (Weber v. Kaiser Aluminum) Issue: Does an affirmative action plan that prioritizes black employees for on-the-job training violate Title VII’s prohibition against racial discrimination? Question: Did the affirmative action program violate Title VII? 3. FACE Act and Natural Law (Lynch and Moscinski) Issue: Defendants argued that the federal FACE Act contradicts natural law by protecting access to reproductive services. Question: Does natural law override statutory law in this context? 4. Third-Party Retaliation (Thompson v. North American Stainless) Issue: Can a person fired in retaliation for a relative’s (fiancée's) EEOC complaint sue under Title VII? Question: Did the Supreme Court find that Title VII allows for third-party retaliation claims? 5. Age Discrimination in Employment Act (Cline v. General Dynamics) Issue: Does the ADEA protect younger members of the 40+ age group from discrimination in favor of older employees? Question: Did Cline and others have a valid claim under the ADEA? 6. Federal Tort Claims Act (Dolan v. USPS) Issue: Does §2680(b) of the FTCA bar claims for injuries caused by the negligent placement of mail by a postal worker? Question: Was Dolan’s claim barred by the “negligent transmission” exception? 7. Sunday Closing Laws & Philosophical Perspectives Issue: What would different legal theorists (positivists, natural law proponents, legal realists) think about the enforcement of obsolete Sunday closing laws? Question: How would various legal philosophies evaluate these laws' validity and enforcement? 8. Casino Liability for Problem Gamblers (Kephart v. Caesars) Issue: Does a casino owe a duty of care to protect a known gambling addict from financial harm, even without the gambler using voluntary exclusion programs? Question: Did Caesars have a legal duty to protect Kephart under common law? 9. Product Liability and Defective Components (MacPherson v. Buick) Issue: Is a car manufacturer liable for injuries caused by a defective component they did not directly manufacture? Question: Was Buick liable for MacPherson’s injuries due to the defective wheel? 10. Fair Housing Act and Online Platforms (Fair Housing Councils v. Roommates.com) Issue: Does §230 of the Communications Decency Act shield Roommates.com from liability for facilitating discriminatory housing preferences in violation of the FHA? Question: Did §230 provide immunity to Roommates.com for usergenerated content that violated the FHA? Next Steps: For each case, the legal reasoning will vary based on statutory interpretation, judicial precedent, and policy considerations. Each raises unique questions about the application of federal and state laws to modern or hypothetical disputes.