Finding a Reported Kardashian Case

Trivia or Treat – Question

Who was the plaintiff in the most recent reported case in which one or more of the Kardashians was/were defendant(s)? (The question refers to the Kardashian family on the TV show, not just anyone with that name.)

 

Professor Glenn and the prize tote bag

This question was posted on our Facebook page Monday, October 16, and a winner was selected on Friday, October 20. Congratulations to Alicia Moss, winner of the lightweight navy blue canvas and faux-leather tote modeled by Professor Glenn.

Trivia or Treat – Answer

The answer is Kroma Makeup EU, LLC was the plaintiff in the most recent reported case (2017) in which one or more of the Kardashians were defendants. Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe were all named as defendants.

Part of the Trivia or Treat challenge had to do with the meaning of a reported case. A reported case appears in a printed reporter series. For example, if a case appears in any of South Carolina Reports (S.C.), West’s South Eastern Reporter, Second Series (S.E.2d), or United States Reports (U.S.), just to name a few reporters, it is a reported case.

Not every case decided by a court is included in the relevant reporter; the court may dictate excluding certain cases, or it may be a decision by the editors at a publishing company such as West. If you’re looking through the hard copy of a reporter on the library’s bookshelves, every case you’ll find in it is, by definition, a reported case. However, online services do their best to provide access to as many cases as they can, whether those cases were reported or not. Therefore, when looking for reported cases only, there is a need to filter online search results by reported status.

Finding the “Trivia or Treat” Answer in Westlaw
  • From the homepage, click Cases, ensure that All State & Federal is selected as the jurisdiction (in the right portion of the search bar), then click Advanced (to the right of the search bar).
  • In the Party Name field, type Kardashian, then click the orange magnifying glass to Search.
  • Change the Sort by dropdown just above the search results from Relevance to Date so the most recent cases are listed first.
  • To the left of the search results, under Reported Status, click the checkbox for Reported cases only.
  • In both of the 2017 cases listed, Kroma Makeup EU, LLC is the plaintiff.
Finding the “Trivia or Treat” Answer in Lexis Advance
  • From the homepage, click Cases, then click Advanced Search (just above the search bar, on the right side).
  • In the Party Name field, type Kardashian, then click the red magnifying glass to Search.
  • Change the Sort by dropdown on the right from Relevance to Date (newest-oldest) so the most recent cases are listed first.
  • To the left of the search results, under Publication Status, click on Reported cases only.
  • In the only 2017 case listed, Kroma Makeup EU, LLC is the plaintiff.

Look for more Trivia or Treat opportunities in the future, to test your legal research skills and win prizes!