[Cookie Problems] Rashi makes great chocolate chip cookies a…

Rashi makes great chocolate chip cookies and sells them in her café called Rashi’s Famous Cookies. Some of her friends have expressed interest in selling her cookies. They want to use her name and identify the cookies as Rashi’s Famous Cookies. Seeing a business opportunity, Rashi agrees to bake the cookies and provide them frozen to her friends who will open other cafés under her café’s name. Rashi strictly controls all packaging and sales. She also frequently inspects kitchens used by the sellers, pursuant to her agreements with them. Lola, one of Rashi’s friends who entered into an agreement with Rashi to open a café and sell the cookies, was not being careful and negligently put a harmful ingredient into the cookie dough resulting in a customer, Jonah, becoming ill. Jonah threatens to sue both Lola and Rashi. Rashi is so exasperated that she cancels all the franchise contracts. Although the franchise agreements provide that,as long as requirements are met, the franchise agreements will continue for a period of two years, Rashi takes the position that the cookies involve a personal service using a trade secret, and that she cannot be held liable to her franchisees for discontinuation of the franchises. Is Rashi correct that she was entitled to cancel all franchise agreements?

[Mortuary Blues] Jack and Bianca had a partnership running a…

Jack and Bianca had a partnership running a mortuary. Bianca died, and after her death, Jack decided to shut down the mortuary. Jack incurred some expenses in closing the business affairs of the mortuary. He sought compensation for those expenses but Gus, the executor of Bianca’s estate, objected. Gus also claimed that Jack had no rights in Bianca’s share of the partnership property and that Gus, the executor, had the right to confiscate her share of the property and sell it at auction. Jack, however, took the position that all interests of Bianca passed to Jack and that Jack owed her estate nothing. The articles of partnership did not address death. Did the executor have any rights in Bianca’s share of the property to sell at auction?

[Battle for the Board] The Board of Directors of InfoHub, an…

The Board of Directors of InfoHub, an internet service provider, contains 9 directors. Two of the directors, Jude and Rostan, decide they want to replace several of the directors with individuals who support their position and then take over the Board and control the company. Jude thinks it’s a long shot, but Rostan tells him they could do it because Rostan has gradually been accumulating shares and they can get a majority of proxies on their side. Jude says the proxies are not important, because it’s the shareholders that vote for the members of the board but it is difficult for them to find the names of shareholders. Rostan tells him not to worry, because he will get the shareholder list and focus only a few key shareholders, then get their proxies on his side before the next shareholder meeting. Is InfoHub likely to refuse to provide the shareholder list?

[Mortuary Blues] Jack and Bianca had a partnership running a…

Jack and Bianca had a partnership running a mortuary. Bianca died, and after her death, Jack decided to shut down the mortuary. Jack incurred some expenses in closing the business affairs of the mortuary. He sought compensation for those expenses but Gus, the executor of Bianca’s estate, objected. Gus also claimed that Jack had no rights in Bianca’s share of the partnership property and that Gus, the executor, had the right to confiscate her share of the property and sell it at auction. Jack, however, took the position that all interests of Bianca passed to Jack and that Jack owed her estate nothing. The articles of partnership did not address death. Did the executor have any rights in Bianca’s share of the property to sell at auction?

[Nail Salon] Thea and her friends Josef and Danny, all U.S….

Thea and her friends Josef and Danny, all U.S. citizens, want to open a nail salon. They would all like to avoid personal liability for debts of the business and/or wrongful acts of each other. They would also like to minimize taxation. Thea is in favor of a corporation and asks if there is any problem with that form of business. Josef and Danny say that they are concerned about double taxation with a corporation and that they are in favor of a partnership, even if personal liability is a concern. Thea said that she was concerned about the deductibility of losses if the corporate form was chosen. She did some research and suggested an S corporation to Josef and Danny which she claimed would avoid the problem of double taxation. Regarding the concerns of Josef and Danny about double taxation and Thea’s suggestion regarding an S corporation, which of the following is true?