Jones v. Royal Administration Services, Inc.

An advertiser bears vicarious liability for a telemarketer’s Telephone Consumer Protection Act violations, if the telemarketer was an agent rather than an independent contractor—a question resolved under federal common law by applying the 10-factor Restatement of Agency test.  An advertiser bears vicarious liability for its telemarketer’s TCPA violations only if the telemarketer is an agent…

Alvarez v. Seaside Transportation Services, LLC

A defendant meets its initial burden on summary judgment by showing that plaintiff suffered a workplace injury while employed by an independent contractor that defendant hired; plaintiff then bears the burden of producing evidence that defendant retained control over the way the contractor performed its work or over workplace safety.  Privette v. Superior Court, 5…

Hutcheson v. Eskaton Fountainwood Lodge

Committing a senile elderly person to a residential care facility is a “health care” decision, so only a person holding a health care power of attorney may make that decision for the elder; as a result, a facility’s arbitration agreement signed by an agent with only a regular power of attorney was not binding.  California…

Iqbal v. Ziadeh

“Affiliate” means a person in a dependent or subordinate relationship with another, not just anyone with some sort of connection to the other; so a settlement agreement’s release did not extend to the lessor of released defendants and plaintiff’s suit against that entity could proceed.  A release of a used car dealer and a tow…