In order to help him take down messages from his mother, George decides to hire a secretary. But fearing that he’ll never get any work done if he goes "down the tomato route", George decides to do a complete 360 and rejects secretarial candidates for being too attractive. He only considers candidates based on their … Continue reading “The Secretary” – Appearance Discrimination
After Sharon, an NYU journalism student, "outs" Jerry by saying that he and George are a couple, the bickering long time companions desperately try to demonstrate otherwise. Once the article is published, could Jerry sue the newspaper and the writer for defamation? To begin with, truth is the ultimate defense against a claim of defamation. … Continue reading “The Outing” – Defamation
After Kramer opens up a smoker’s lounge in his apartment, he believes he has a face-case against the tobacco company for failing to warn him that smoking could cause him to lose his allure, his twinkle, and turn his face into an old catcher's mitt. But, despite being represented by the splendid, magnificent attorney Jackie … Continue reading “The Abstinence” – Communication With a Person Represented by Counsel
During the Big Peterman Bash that Elaine throws to reward her people for working them so hard, Elaine gets it started with a dance routine that's more akin to a full body dry-heave set to music. To spare everyone this disturbing image and the additional worry of having to cry, and then cry again, upon … Continue reading “The Little Kicks” – Illegal Dancing
After Rabbi Glickman uses his big mouth to blab all over town that Elaine is filled with jealously and resentment of George for entering the holiest of unions, Elaine is mortified that their personal conversation was made public. Was the conversation between Elaine and the Rabbi protected by the clergy-penitent privilege? Can the Rabbi reveal … Continue reading “The Postponement” – Clergy/Penitent Privilege
In part 2 of our posts on “The Good Samaritan,” we ask whether George was guilty of adultery when he slept with Robin after he practiced the timeless art of seduction with his alluring: “God bless you.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlL_krkAd9s After George and Robin actually sleep together, George turns to Robin and cries “what's wrong? I'll tell … Continue reading “The Good Samaritan” – Adultery
After Kramer has a seizure during an episode of Entertainment Tonight, Elaine figures out that it’s the sound of Mary Hart’s voice that’s causing Kramer to have an epileptic fit. Can Kramer sue Entertainment Tonight or Mary Hart for causing his seizures? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gytrxCAFB9A While Seinfeld presents this scenario rather humorlessly, it is actually based … Continue reading “The Good Samaritan” – Assault
After a dispute between Kramer and Elaine regarding whether Elaine must compensate Kramer with her bicycle for him fixing her sore neck, the two agree to have Newman arbitrate their disagreement. Is Newman’s decision binding? Can Elaine appeal the decision? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsbgwNe4Rv4 Arbitration is a form of alternative dispute resolutions (ADR) where the parties agree to … Continue reading “The Seven” – Arbitration Agreements
After Kramer concocts an insurance scam to get the United States Postal Service to pay for Jerry’s new stereo, he claims that the $400 payment on the insurance claim is just a “write-off” for the independent federal agency. Is it actually a write-off? Does anyone even know what a write-off is? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEL65gywwHQ Let’s start with … Continue reading “The Package” – Write Offs
After Jerry makes a joke about dentists to Father Curtis, Jerry is accused of being an anti-dentite. Is it illegal to be an anti-dentite? Could Jerry’s joke be considered criminal? https://youtu.be/tnupnWcufsE?t=1m42s While hating a group of people or saying hate speech is not illegal, even about dentists, there are two doctrines outlined by the Supreme … Continue reading “The Yada Yada” – Hate Speech
