Case analysis 3 Lawsuit Claims Dunkin’ Donuts Misleads About Blueber

Case analysis 3
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Lawsuit Claims Dunkin’ Donuts Misleads About Blueberries
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After a complaint was filed in federal court alleging that Dunkin’ Brands’ Dunkin’ Donuts’ steak sandwiches
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do not actually contain “steak,” a new suit makes similar charges about its blueberry bakery items. The
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plaintiff claims that the coffee chain’s various blueberry-named bakery products, including Glazed
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Blueberry doughnuts, Blueberry Butternut doughnuts, and Blueberry Crumb Cake doughnuts, contain
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imitation blueberries “that highly resemble actual blueberries due to their round shape and blue color.”
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Lawyers claim that if their client had known the products did not contain blueberries, he either would not
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have purchased them or would have paid significantly less for the products. They seek in excess of $5
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million to remedy the situation.
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What’s in the doughnuts?
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While Dunkin’ Donuts lists blueberries as an ingredient in its blueberry muffins, none of its blueberry
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doughnuts list the fruit as an ingredient. The company’s various “blueberry” doughnut flavors appear to use a mix of non-fruit ingredients to simulate blueberries in the baked treats. The lawsuit charges that this
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is an attempt to deceive consumers.
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The lawsuit contends that blueberries have health benefits that consumers would be willing to pay more
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for. It also notes that when buying a doughnut in-store, consumers see the blueberry doughnuts displayed
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alongside other products, including various doughnuts and muffins, that contain the fruit they are named
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for.
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Answer the following questions:
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1. Who has standing in this case?
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2. Could you join the lawsuit if you are offended by the lack of actual blueberries in Dunkin’ Donuts’
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baked goods even if you have never bought a blueberry product from Dunkin’ Donuts? Why or why not?
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3. How do you think a judge would rule in this case? Why?
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Case analysis 4
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United States v. Barrington, 648 F.3d 1178 (2011)
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Marcus Barrington, Christopher Jacquette, and Lawrence Secrease were undergraduate students at
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Florida A&M University (FAMU). They concocted a scheme to access FAMU’s Internet-based grading
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system. They went to the registrar’s office and secretly installed keylogger software on FAMU’s
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computers. The keylogger software recorded the keystrokes made by registrar employees as they signed
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into their computers, capturing their usernames and passwords. That data was automatically transmitted
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to various email accounts, including Barrington’s personal email address.
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With the usernames and passwords, Barrington and others, using their own computers and FAMU’s
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computers, accessed FAMU’s grading system and changed course grades for themselves and other
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students. Ultimately, the group made more than 650 unauthorized grade changes for at least 90 students.
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Eventually, a professor uncovered the scheme, and police and the FBI were notified.
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Barrington, Jacquette, and Secrease were indicted by a grand jury and charged with the federal crimes of
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fraud and identity theft. Jacquette and Secrease entered into a plea agreement and were each sentenced
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to 22 months in prison. Barrington went to trial and denied involvement in the scheme. Jacquette was a
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witness against Barrington at Barrington’s trial. Barrington was convicted on all counts and sentenced to
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7 years in prison.
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Answer the following questions:
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1. What crimes were the men charged with in this case?
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2. What level of crime (felony, misdemeanor, infraction) were the men charged with in this case? How
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do you know?
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3. Analyze the elements of crime (actus reus+mens rea=crime) in this situation.
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4. What burden of proof did the government have?
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5. Barrington received a much harsher sentence than the others. Should Barrington have also accepted
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a plea deal for less time in prison? Why or why not?
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