Greg Joseph

Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

Disqualification — Trial Taint—Meaning of Substantially Related —Subst’l Relationship Raises Presumption Confidences Shared — Lack of Recollection Irrelevant — Malleability of Memory — Pre-Indictment Delay in Moving Not Counted in Waiver Ana

United States v. Huawei Techs. Co., 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 32144 (Feb. 25, 2020): On May 2, 2019, the Government moved to disqualify one of the defendants' attorneys, James M. Cole of Sidley Austin LLP. Mr. Cole was Deputy [*2] …

Arbitration Clause Doesn’t Strip Fed. Ct. of Jurisdiction — Meaning of “Pursuant to” — Sanctions: Inherent Power (IHP) to Revoke Pro Hac Vice, R. 11 Improper Purpose for Determined Indifference to Merits, §1927 $ to Adversary & Ct. (IHP?)

Royce v. Michael R. Needle P.C., 2020 U.S. App. LEXIS 5233 (7th Cir. Feb. 20, 2020): This dispute over attorney's fees has a long, tortured history. Not because it is unduly complex or involves novel legal issues, but because one…

Arbitration: Appropriate for Arbitrator to Apply Fed. Ct. Standards for Reconsideration & Arguments Not Timely Raised, Including First Raised on Reply — Doing So ≠ “Misbehavior in Any Sense” (Good Quote)

Anderson v. Am. Gen. Life Ins. Co., 2020 U.S. App. LEXIS 5031 (11th Cir. Feb. 19, 2020) (unpublished): PER CURIAM: William Anderson, a plaintiff proceeding pro se, appeals the district court's denial of his motion to vacate his arbitration award…

Rule 11 Sanctions Rejected for Reciting Correct Standard for Retaliation Claim But Mistakenly Citing Title VII, Not ADA (& Then Correcting Error) — Movant “Essentially Seeks $100,000 for An Inconsequential Typographical Error” (Good Quote)

Alston v. Miss. DOT, 2020 U.S. App. LEXIS 4783 (5th Cir. Feb. 12, 2020) (unpublished): PER CURIAM:* In this pro se employment-discrimination case, Jason D. Alston appeals the district court's grant of summary judgment to the Mississippi Department of…

Disqualification: Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Subject Matter Jurisdiction Is Decided before Motion to Disqualify, Moots DQ Motion If Jurisdiction Lacking

Washington-St. Tammany Elec. Coop., Inc. v. La. Generating, LLC, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 27177 (M.D. La. Feb. 20, 2020): 1 At oral argument, the Court also heard argument on Louisiana Generating LLC's Motion to Disqualify Counsel for Plaintiffs. (Doc. 203.) …

Sanctions: Dismissal for Shotgun Pleading (Defined), Dismissal Factors (11th Circuit) — Must Give 1 Amendment — Dismissal for Disregarding Order ≠ Abuse of Discretion, Especially If Warned — Pro Se Must Comply with Rules

Sarhan v. Miami Dade College, 2020 WL 428926 (11th Cir. Jan. 28, 2020) (unpublished): PER CURIAM: *1 Robert Sarhan, an adjunct professor at Miami-Dade College, filed several complaints in the underlying case against the College’s Board of Trustees, alleging violations…

Facebook Message Authenticated by Admission of Authorship, Distinctive Characteristics Manifest in Other Writing by Alleged Author (AA), Contents Known Only to AA & Statements Someone in AA’s Position Would Make

State v. Serrano, 2019 N.M. App. Unpub. LEXIS 499 (N.M. Ct. App. Dec. 13, 2019): P1 Defendant Sade Serrano appeals his convictions for two counts of criminal sexual penetration of a minor (CSPM), contrary to NMSA 1978, Section 30-9-11(G)(1) (2009)…

Social Media Authentication: Mycelium & Text Messages Set Time & Place for Meeting, Defendant Comes — Phone GPS App Used Regularly, Found Accurate — Facebook Profiles Found by Search for Phone Nos. Provided by Def. to Victim

Scott v. State, 2020 Nev. App. Unpub. LEXIS 108 (Nev. Ct. App. Feb. 11, 2020) (unpublished): ORDER OF AFFIRMANCE James Scott appeals from a judgment of conviction entered pursuant to a jury verdict of conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, and…

Sanctions & Post-Judgment Settlement: Parties May Seek to Eliminate Monetary Aspect of Sanction under Rule 60(b)(5) (& Can Moot $ Via Release), But Court May Refuse to Erase Sanctions Ruling — Exceptional Circumstances Standard

Banik v. Ybarra, 2020 U.S. App. LEXIS 4889 (5th Cir. Feb. 13, 2020)(unpublished): Before KING, COSTA, and HO, Circuit Judges. GREGG COSTA, Circuit Judge: * * Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should…

Attorney-Client Privilege Not Waived by Official Acknowledgment But Maybe by Public Reliance & Definitely by Adoption As Effective Law & Policy — Deliberative Process Privilege: Factors, Exceptions

ACLU v. NSA, 925 F.3d 576 (2d Cir. May 30, 2019): The American people have the right to know [**3] the laws and policies that bind our government and its agencies. At the same time, government officials must be able …

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Recent Articles

RICO: Indirect Injury Unrecoverable — Indirect Purchaser Rule Imported from Antitrust

Rule 11 Sanctions: (1) Improper Purpose of Harassment Reasonably Determined Based on Past Tactics (25 Lawsuits, 14 Ethics Complaints, and 150 FOIA Requests) As Well As Present Behavior — (2) Hearings Are Not Only Not Required to Satisfy Due Process But, If The Record Is Otherwise Adequate, Are Affirmatively Discouraged

RICO and Probate Exception to Federal Jurisdiction: Federal Jurisdiction over RICO Claim Not Barred by Probate Exception Even If the Federal Judgment May Be Binding on the Probate Proceedings (Or Vice Versa) — Calculating Damages Based on Diminution of Value of Estate ≠ Administration of the Estate — Doesn’t Matter If RICO Misconduct Includes Defendants’ Actions with Respect to The Estate

RICO: No Causation Where Harm Flowed Several Steps After the Fraudulent Acts — RICO Causation Same As Antitrust Causation

Sanctions vs. Automatic Stay: Imposition of Sanctions (Here, Inherent Power Sanctions) Is Subject to the Police Power Exception to the Automatic Stay in Bankruptcy

The Word “Include” May Be A Word of Limitation As Opposed to a Word of Enlargement, Depending on the Context

RICO — Pleading Conspiracy — Plaintiffs Must Plausibly Allege That the Defendants Knowingly Joined the RICO Conspiracy — Sparse Allegations of Knowledge of Fraud Due to Participation in a Commercial Transaction Insufficient to State RICO Conspiracy Claim Where Allegations Not Inconsistent with Ordinary Commercial Behavior — While Knowledge May Be Pled “Generally” under Rule 9(b), It Cannot Be Alleged Conclusorily and Must Satisfy the Twiqbal Plausibility Standard

Depositions: Improper to Object to Form to Straightforward Questions (Not Compound, Vague, Leading or Speculative) — Lack of Foundation Objection Improper in 30(b)(6) Deposition — Improper to “Educate” Witness During Breaks of 30(b)(6) Deposition Through Witness Calls to Knowledgeable Corporate Colleagues — Magistrate Judge May Impose Financial Sanctions

Spoliation/Sanctions: “A Party Does Not Spoliate Evidence When, Without Notice Of The Evidence’s Potential Relevance, It Destroys The Evidence According To Its Policy Or In The Normal Course Of Its Business” (Good Quote)

RICO: Fraud on Government Entities Causing Plaintiffs to Pay More for Inmate Calls Actionable on Bridge v. Phoenix Bond Analysis — Fact That Governments Had Separate Injuries As Part of the Scheme (from Reduced Commissions) Irrelevant — Plaintiffs’ Injuries Not Derivative of Governments’ — The Fraud on the Governments Was Not Too Distinct From Plaintiffs’ Injuries But Rather Necessary to Injure Plaintiffs — No Risk of Duplicative Recoveries and No Plaintiff Better Situated to Sue for Plaintiffs’ Injuries