Case Brief Format

Date: November 17, 2022

Class: Bus200;
Britton V. Turner.
6 N.H. 481

Facts:

Plaintiff worked for March 9, 1831, to December 27, 1831

Plaintiff contracted to work for 1 year; March 1831 to 1832 for $120
Plaintiff left defendant’s service without defendant’s consent
The defendant did not suffer any damages due to early departure of the plaintiff
The jury, under his quantum meruit, awarded plaintiff $95 for the work that he had done

Procedure:
Heard at the Court of Common Pleas; Defendant appeals

Issue:
Can a party receive part-payment under his/her quantum meruit even if the contract was not
entirely fulfilled, but the labor was also performed.

Holding:
Yes because the plaintiff had performed at least a part of his contracted labor

Reasoning:
The defendant fails to furnish damages caused by the plaintiff’s early departure. Also, the
plaintiff had been employed for nine months and had performed labor during his employment.
For this, he is entitled to at least part-payment for the work he had done.

Disposition:
Affirmed. Commands defendant to pay $95

Concurring/dissenting opinions: Concurring

Notes:
What happens if a contractor gets contracted for ten months to build a house, but he builds it
in 8 months? Does the contractor lose two months of pay?
 Case Brief Format

Case briefs should be about one full page in length, single spaced.
Longer = too much detail. Shorter = not enough information.

Title (example: Roe v. Wade)

Citation (example: 410 U.S. 113 (1973)  if multiple, choose one; include year)

Facts: What are the facts of the case? Summarize only the essential facts that you need to
understand the holding and reasoning of the case. Provide them in chronological order.

Procedure: What happened in the lower court? All of the cases that you will read in this class
will be appellate-level court decisions. Do not go into too much detail; one or two sentences
are sufficient. Example: Heard in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. Trial
court ruled in favor of defendant, plaintiff appeals.

Issue: What is the fundamental question facing the court? The entire outcome of the case
hinges on the answer to this question. It will never be as simple as, “Is the defendant
liable/guilty?” What specifically must the court decide in order to determine whether the
defendant is liable/guilty? Write the issue as a yes/no question. Example: Does pulling at the
plaintiff’s clothing constitute unconsented harmful or offensive contact with “a person”, such
that defendant is liable for the tort of battery?

Holding: How did the court answer the issue question? First state YES or NO, then include a
brief statement as to why. Do not go into too much detail on how the court arrived at the
holding - save it for the Reasoning section below. Example: Yes, clothing is so closely
associated with the body that pulling it constitutes contact with the person.

Reasoning: How did the court arrive at the holding? This is the most important section of your
case brief. Describe the court’s reasoning in reaching its decision. What were the court’s logic
steps? How did the court change the law? Did the court articulate a “test” for future situations
of this kind? You can be quite detailed in this section.

Disposition: Was the lower court’s ruling affirmed, reversed or remanded? Who won and who
lost? What remedy did the court grant? Example: Affirmed. The court finds for the plaintiff.

Concurring/dissenting opinions: Is there a concurring or dissenting opinion? Simply state yes

or no. There will only be a few cases in this class that do. If there is, read it and consider the
key distinction from/dispute with the majority opinion, but you do need to summarize it.

Notes: Jot down any questions or thoughts you have about the case. Raise any questions you
have in class.

DO NOT READ BRIEFS FROM THE INTERNET. THIS WASTES BOTH YOUR TIME AND MINE. I
WOULD RATHER SEE A “WRONG” ANSWER THAT YOU CAME UP WITH ON YOUR OWN THAN
A “CORRECT” ANSWER THAT DID NOT REQUIRE THE EXERCISE OF YOUR BRAIN.