Contracts Keyed to Calamari
Williams v. Walker-Thomas Furniture Co.
ProfessorMelissa A. Hale
CaseCast™ – "What you need to know"
Facts
Appellee operated a retail furniture store. Appellee permitted consumers to purchase furniture by paying monthly installments. Such purchases were governed by a form contract that provided the value of the item and purported to lease the item for a monthly payment. The contract stated that the appellee would retain title to the furniture until the total of all monthly payments equaled the value of the item. In the event of default, the appellee could repossess the item. The contract also contained an obscure provision that allowed the appellee to apply each monthly payment pro rata to all outstanding leases. The effect of such a provision is to keep a balance due on every item until there was no balance due on any of the items. This gave Appellees the right to repossess all items in the case of a default. Appellants Thorne and Williams both purchased items that were repossessed under a purchase contract.
Only StudyBuddy Pro offers the complete Case Brief Anatomy*
Access the most important case brief elements for optimal case understanding.
*Case Brief Anatomy includes: Brief Prologue, Complete Case Brief, Brief Epilogue
- The Brief Prologue provides necessary case brief introductory information and includes:
Topic:
Identifies the topic of law and where this case fits within your course outline.Parties:
Identifies the cast of characters involved in the case.Procedural Posture & History:
Shares the case history with how lower courts have ruled on the matter.Case Key Terms, Acts, Doctrines, etc.:
A case specific Legal Term Dictionary.Case Doctrines, Acts, Statutes, Amendments and Treatises:
Identifies and Defines Legal Authority used in this case.
- The Case Brief is the complete case summarized and authored in the traditional Law School I.R.A.C. format. The Pro case brief includes:
Brief Facts:
A Synopsis of the Facts of the case.Rule of Law:
Identifies the Legal Principle the Court used in deciding the case.Facts:
What are the factual circumstances that gave rise to the civil or criminal case? What is the relationship of the Parties that are involved in the case.Issue(s):
Lists the Questions of Law that are raised by the Facts of the case.Holding:
Shares the Court's answer to the legal questions raised in the issue.Concurring / Dissenting Opinions:
Includes valuable concurring or dissenting opinions and their key points.Reasoning and Analysis:
Identifies the chain of argument(s) which led the judges to rule as they did.
- The Brief Prologue closes the case brief with important forward-looking discussion and includes:
Policy:
Identifies the Policy if any that has been established by the case.Court Direction:
Shares where the Court went from here for this case.
Topic Resources
6m 28s