Note: Confronting Victims: Why the Statements of Young Victims of Heinous Crimes Must Still Be Subject to Cross-Examination
By Joseph Meyer. Full text here. The case of Crawford v. Washington has turned upside down the traditional Confrontation Clause jurisprudence under Ohio v. Roberts. Now, prosecutors must produce for cross-examination the declarants of all testimonial hearsay that is admitted unless (1) the declarant is shown to be unavailable and (2) there has been a previous…
Continue ReadingNote: HIPAA-Cratic or HIPAA-Critical: U.S. Privacy Protections Should Be Guaranteed By Covered Entities Working Abroad
By Grace Fleming. Full text here. Clinical research has increasingly moved outside of U.S. borders sparking debate over the legal and ethical requirements for clinical researchers and research sponsors conducting studies overseas. Parallel to overseas research expansion, privacy and privacy rights in healthcare are being recognized as fundamental rights. The strength of privacy protections is being…
Continue ReadingNote: Oh the Places Stockholders Will Go! A Guide for Navigating Forum Selection Bylaws Outside of Delaware
By Stephanna F. Szotkowski. Full text here. Until 2010, stockholders initiated intra-corporate, derivative suits by default in the state of incorporation. Vice Chancellor Laster of the Delaware Court of Chancery suggested in dicta in In re Revlon that boards of directors and stockholders could include an exclusive forum selection clause in their charter provisions. One year…
Continue ReadingNote: State Sexual Harassment Definitions and Disaggregation of Sex Discrimination Claims
By Eleanor Frisch. Full text here. Sex discrimination hostile work environment jurisprudence has developed along two separate lines. Claims for harassment based on sexual advances or other sexual conduct constitute “sexual harassment” and must fulfill the sexual-specific definitions and rules developed by courts and the EEOC. On the other hand, hostile work environment claims based on…
Continue ReadingNote: Death and Taxes: The Crushing Tax Burden After a Student Loan Is Discharged Due to Death of a Student
By Terran Chambers. Full text here. The country is currently facing a student loan crisis, with the amount of outstanding student loan debt exceeding the amount of credit card and auto loan debt. Students, often uninformed of the intricacies in their lending options, may have the option to choose federal or private student loans. Unbeknownst to…
Continue ReadingNote: Changing Course to Navigate the Patent Safe Harbor Post-Momenta
By Emily M. Wessels. Full text here. The patent safe harbor, 35 U.S.C. § 271(e)(1), codifies an exception to the general concept of patent exclusivity that excuses entities from infringement liability for activities reasonably related to submitting information under federal laws that regulate drugs. For the past three decades, this provision has operated in a pharmaceutical…
Continue ReadingNote: Status Update: Adapting the Stored Communications Act to a Modern World
By Jake Vandelist. Full text here. This Note addresses the Stored Communications Act’s application to civil discovery. Congress passed the Stored Communications Act in 1986 to extend Fourth Amendment protection to electronic communications and remote computing. Congress never intended for the SCA to limit civil discovery of these communications, however, judges have expanded the SCA’s scope…
Continue ReadingNote: That’s Not on the Table: Why Employers Should Pay for the Walk from the Locker Room to the Work Station
By Emily E. Mawer. Full text here. The Fair Labor Standards Act requires employers to pay their employees continuously throughout the day, even for activities such as travel time, which may not be considered work. However, § 203(o) of the statute provides an exception to that obligation. The provision states that if the employer has established…
Continue ReadingNote: A Step in the Right Direction: Patent Damages and the Elimination of the Entire Market Value Rule
By Jaimeson Fedell. Full text here. This Note argues that the entire market value rule is an obsolete conception because it can award companies for value they did not create. Accordingly, the rule should be abandoned entirely and replaced with reasonable royalty calculations that focus on past licensing agreements if they are available.
Continue ReadingNote: Recognition of Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships as Marriages in Same-Sex Marriage States
By Inga Nelson. Full text here. There is currently a patchwork of laws governing same-sex relationships across the United States. Some states issue marriage licenses, while some states have civil unions, domestic partnerships, or other forms of legal recognition. When couples with alternate forms of legal recognition relocate from the issuing state their new state has…
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