Weekly New Roundup
Yet another non-disparagement case, this time for WTOC.com. This time, it was a woman who cancelled an agreement with a wedding photographer within the contractually created cancellation period, and then went online to explain why she had done so. The photographer threatened legal action claiming that she had violated a non-disparagement clause in the now-cancelled contract.
There was an interesting story last week on the International Business Times about Yo-Yo car sales. Apparently, there are many variations to the practice, but the basic scheme runs as follows: car dealer sells a car to person with bad credit, who is happy to be able to buy a car on any terms. Then, the dealer tries to sell the loan to a third party. If it cannot do so, it calls the buyer back in and demands either a change in the loan terms or the return of the car. The IBT story focuses on a buyer whom the dealer claimed committed felony auto theft and fraud. The buyer filed a civil suit against the dealer, with claims ranging from violations of the Truth in Lending Act to defamation and deceptive trade practices. The dealer has counterclaimed for fraud and breach of contract.
According to an AP story posted here in the UK’s Daily Mail, California is wrangling with investors in a $2.3 billion deal for the sale and lease back of state properties. The deal was conceived in the Schwarzenegger administration, but Governor Brown has determined that the deal will cost the state $1.5 billion. California alleges that the investors failed to make an initial $50 million payment, triggering the State’s rights to terminate the contract. The investors are seeking a forced sale of the properties. My students have their exam this week, so they might want to think about what we have here: partial breach? material breach? total breach? failure of a condition? did California seek adequate written assurances? The AP story does not clarify these highly testable issues.
