Public Service Case File Packet: Cooper v. Cooper, Montane v. Hadden, First Edition

In Cooper v. Cooper, food and fists fly in a domestic showdown at the Yankee Doodle Restaurant, where the young Mr. and Mrs. Cooper physically and publically grapple with their shared history of alcoholism, economic hardship, and allegations of domestic violence. Issues relating to public assistance, chronic substance abuse, and protective orders figure into this “he said, she said” tale of tumultuous matrimony hitting rock bottom. Montane v. Hadden is a residential landlord-tenant case involving two sisters living in the U.S. as political refugees, who allege they got more than they bargained for upon discovering bed bugs swarming their rental apartment and wish to break their lease. Landlord Hadden disputes their claim, insisting that the bloodsuckers leeched a ride in the sisters’ baggage during an extended stay in a refugee detention facility. The two short yet complete case files in this Public Service Case File Packet allow readers to try, review, and compare the cases in less time. Cooper is designed to be presented as a bench trial, while Montane may be presented as either a bench trial or a jury trial. Both cases aim to sharpen lawyers’ and law students’ witness examination and public service trial skills, and focus on storytelling as it relates to presenting factual information to judges and juries.