Wanda is the owner of a small business, Salty Pawz, which makes and sells gourmet dog treats. One afternoon, Wanda sees a news story that reports on the recall of a well-known brand of dog treats that have sickened and even killed several dogs. Wanda is horrified and worries about the safety of her own treats. Wanda is very careful about her manufacturing process and only uses high-quality ingredients that come from sustainable farms. Still, these headlines make her nervous. If this well-known brand could make a mistake, could she? What if a batch of her Chicken Cuties is somehow contaminated and a dog dies from eating them?
Wanda comes to you for advice, not because you are an attorney, but because you know something about the legal environment of business and are concerned about her potential liability. To give Wanda as much help as possible, you will need to conduct research on the legal and regulatory environment for the dog treat industry. Once you have completed that research and have reviewed your course materials, you will be prepared to answer the following questions for Wanda:
What are some of the legal consequences that Wanda and the business could experience if a dog did get sick or even die from a treat?
How can Wanda protect herself and the business against lawsuits?
In addition to legal concerns related to dogs getting sick from Wanda’s treats, what other legal concerns exist for Wanda? Think about tort law, contract law, intellectual property law, and consumer protection law.
