Name _______________________________________

THE CASE OF THE TITANIC TICKET

This assignment will help you review digests, finding aids (descriptive word indexes), statutes and case law interpreting statutes. It will also help you practice identifying relevant issues.

You are the clerk for the trial court judge assigned to this case. She would like to know what state and federal statutes apply and the position of each of the three claimants in the cases, which are

1. Westby v. Gorsuch

2. Hendricksen et al. v. Westby

3. Hendricksen et al. v. Gorsuch

What are Westby"s strongest claims against Gorsuch? What are Gorsuch's defenses?

What claims, if any, does the Hendricksen family have against Westby? Against Gorsuch?

List the issues you think are important. What facts that you don=t have might also be important? Would it make a difference if Westby were a successful businessman rather than a retired steelworker? Would it make a difference if Gorsuch had a small antiques business that never grossed more than $50,000 a year in southern Washington rather than in the SEATAC area? What about if the seller had been a member of the Henricksen family rather than Westby? What other factors might make a difference?

Are there rules or regulations other than statutes or case law that might regulate the behavior of one or more of the parties? What might they be and where might you find them?