Larry London (LL) has a sad story. LL lives in Missouri, but he recently visited Los Angeles for a business trip. LL rented a car, and was out with clients having drinks one night. After he had consumed several drinks, he went to the parking lot, looking for his rental. He believed he had found his car, but inadvertently got into a very similar car that worked with his key.
LL was in a minor accident, and damaged the car he was driving. The owner of the car contacted the police, and the police arrested LL. The rightful owner was a powerful L.A. movie producer, Stephan Siegel (SS), who threatened to take LL “all the way to the Supreme Court.” The police also want to investigate LL’s mishaps.
Pretend you are a lawyer, and that you must advise one of the different parties involved in this scenario. If your last name begins with A-M, you are a lawyer representing LL. If your last name begins with N-Z, are representing SS.
Here are some questions to consider as you create your advice: Where would the owner of the damaged car file a civil lawsuit?
Where would criminal charges be filed? With what crimes might Larry be charged?
What is the likelihood of the criminal case ending up in a plea bargain and what are possible sentences in students’ respective jurisdictions?
What are the alternatives to litigation on the civil claims?
Keep the focus on criminal law and jurisdiction rather than tort law. Most importantly, make a case for why your client should win at trial.
