Category: Uncategorized

[Parental Involvement] Lexie and Fernando, both artists, dis…

[Parental Involvement] Lexie and Fernando, both artists, discussed forming a partnership to paint portraits. Fernando’s parents were interested in investing in the partnership, but they wanted to avoid any liability. Fernando suggested forming a limited partnership. He told Lexie and his parents that they could do it very informally, that an oral agreement was sufficient, and that the parents would be protected from liability. However, Lexie insisted that a certificate of limited partnership be filed with the secretary of state, over Fernando’s objection that it was a waste of money. After a few months, Lexie and Fernando decided that they wanted to add a new partner, Melissa, to the partnership as a general partner. Melissa had some expertise in the portrait field but she had also had some scrapes with local law enforcement. Fernando’s parents objected strenuously to the admission of Melissa. Lexie and Fernando took the position that the parents, as limited partners, had no say in the admission of a new partner. Fernando’s father, who had an interest in painting and was concerned that the partnership was not making very much money, decided to start coming to the partnership studio to manage the business and attempt to bring it into profitability. Was Fernando’s belief that a limited partnership may be created informally through an oral agreement correct?

[Car Repair] Gordon and Leo are partners in SafeT Car, a ful…

[Car Repair] Gordon and Leo are partners in SafeT Car, a full service automotive repair company. Leo does nearly all of the day-to-day work as Gordon is thinking about retiring. When Leo was moving a customer’s car last week, he accidentally collided with the garage door, and the door had to be replaced at a cost of $6,000. Leo recently met with BigBox stores about a potential deal by which BigBox would set up a SafeT Car shop in every BigBox store nationwide. Leo signed an agreement to open a “test” store in one BigBox store. Leo hasn’t told Gordon yet, because Gordon hasn’t been in the office in a month. Gordon opens The Oil Place, an express oil change company, which he plans to have his sons operate in his retirement. When Leo learns about The Oil Place, he threatens to sue Gordon for breach of duty because Leo is sick of doing all the work at SafeT Car while Gordon was apparently opening a competing business. Gordon tells Leo that he hasn’t breached any duty and they don’t have a written agreement that restricts Gordon from opening his own store with his sons. Gordon also tells Leo that the $6,000 for the damaged door is coming out of Leo’s pocket. Leo, who’s thinking about the potential deal about BigBox, tells Gordon he wants to split up the partnership. Is Leo liable to the partnership for the $6,000 repair?

[Tutoring Concerns] André and Sasha want to go into business…

[Tutoring Concerns] André and Sasha want to go into business together and plan on offering a tutoring service to high school and college students. André proposes that they share control of the business and split profits equally and not bother with a written agreement. Sasha, however, is concerned about being able to pay their debts, since they will have to rent tutoring space, and purchase computers and supplies. She is also concerned about parents and students who may sue if their test scores do not improve. She tells André that she just bought a new boat and car, and that she does not want her assets to be in jeopardy. She tells André that they should form a corporation to shield their personal assets. André, however, tells Sasha that their personal assets are not in danger with his proposal because they are a business and that, furthermore, forming a corporation would result in a tax being imposed twice. What type of arrangement did André propose when he suggested that they share control of the business and split profits equally, not bothering with a written agreement?