In its user service agreement, Facebook includes a forum selection clause that requires users with
legal disputes to file any lawsuits against Facebook in courts physically located near its northern
California corporate headquarters. Review the discussion of this issue in your textbook (Legal
Strategy 101, pp. 102-103); then, analyze the following questions:
Is forum shopping ethical? What are you using as your ethical standard?
Should courts enforce forum selection clauses in business- -consumer contracts like the to
Facebook user agreement? Why or why not?
Suppose Facebook did not have a forum selection clause in its user agreement. Would
Facebook be subject to the jurisdiction of every state court in the United States, since it
has millions of users in every U.S. state?
This assignment requires that you analyze both a legal concept (forum shopping) and its
application in a business contract (forum selection clause). Read the course material and
the assignment carefully, and do not confuse or conflate the two.
Title your thread "Ethical" or "Not Ethical" to identify your conclusion.
DISCUSSION GRADING RUBRIC
Content 70%
(70 points)
Discussion Thread - Levels of Achievement
Advanced
Proficient
Developing
Not present
Key
Components -
Thread
(10 points)
9 to 10 points
All key components of the
discussion prompt are
answered in the thread. The
required length and citation
requirements are met.
7 to 8 points
Most key components of
the discussion prompt are
answered in the thread. The
required length and citation
requirements are mostly
met.
1 to 6 points
Some key components of
the discussion prompt are
answered in the thread. The
required length and citation
requirements are somewhat
met.
0 points
No key components of the
discussion prompt are
answered in the thread. Th
required length and citation
requirements are not met.
Key
Components -
Replies
(10 points)
9 to 10 points
Contribution made to
discussion with each reply
(2) expounding on the
thread; replies are posted on
different days. The required
length and citation
requirements are met.
7 to 8 points
Marginal contribution made
to discussion with each
reply (2) marginally
expounding on the thread;
replies are posted on
different days. The required
length and citation
requirements are mostly
met.
1 to 6 points
Minimal contribution (2
minimal or only 1 reply)
made to discussion; replies
are posted on the same day.
The required length and
citation requirements are
somewhat met.
0 points
No contribution made to
discussion. The required
length and citation
requirements are not met.
Major
Point
Support -
Thread
(25 points)
23 to 25 points
