Review the information about the mailbox rule.  Under the mailbox rule, an authorized acceptance is effective when properly dispatched even if it is never received.

Review The United States Life Insurance Company in the City of New York v. Wilson on page 368-370.  Use pages 22-23 for reference.  Your brief should be 1 to 2 pages in Times New Roman font, 12 point.  In your brief, you should include the following information: 

• Identify theparties.

Possible questions to answer would be:  Who is the plaintiff?  The defendant?  The appellant?  The appellee?

• What is thehistory of the case?

Possible questions to answer would be:  Who won at trial court?  Who won at the lower appellate level?  Who won in this decision?  Please note that this is the history of the case in court—not the facts of the case.

• What are thefacts?

Possible questions to answer would be:  What happened that caused the plaintiff to sue?  What facts did the Court find relevant in its decision?

• What is theplaintiff's theory?

Possible questions to answer would be:  Why he thinks he should win?  What facts does the plaintiff think are important?

• What is thedefendant's theory?

Possible questions to answer would be:  Why she thinks she should win?  What facts does the defendant think are important?

• What is thelegal issue?

Tip:  this will be a question that can be answered with yes or no and should end with a question mark.

• What is theholding of the Court?

Tip:  this will be either yes or no and will answer the legal issue.

• What is thereasoning of the Court?

Possible questions to answer would be:  what facts and laws did the Court rely on to decide the case?; why was the case decided in the winner's favor?; why did the other side lose?

• Evaluative Question for Reflection: What do you think about this case? Was this case decided correctly? Why or why not?

***** Study tip: For the mid-term, remember that the issue is the question the court answered; the holding is the answer to that question*****