Joseph Hage Aaronson

Judicial Notice of Internet Evidence on 12(b)(6) Motion — Defendant’s Website — Current and Older Versions as Displayed on Wayback Machine Based on Complaint’s Reference to Website

Galanis v. Starbucks Corp., 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 142380 (N.D. Ill. Oct. 14, 2016): Memorandum Opinion and Order Steven Galanis alleges that Starbucks deceives its customers by misrepresenting the volume of its cold drinks because much of the volume is …

No Rule 11/Inherent Power Sanctions Where Law Unsettled, Lower Courts Agreed — No Attorney’s Fees for Pro Se — Mere Misstatement ≠ Bad Faith — Court Always Has Jurisdiction over Bond — Failing to Object ≠ Invited Error

City of Riviera Beach v. That Certain Unnamed Gray, Two-Story Vessel Approximately Fifty-Seven Feet in Length, 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 21310 (11th Cir. Nov. 29, 2016): Fane Lozman, proceeding pro se, appeals the district court's judgment and several orders in…

Emails between Prospective Partners Not Business Records Where No One Was Responsible for Keeping Them, It Was Unclear Which Were Required or Who Was Custodian — Use of “Indentured Servitude” on Summation OK

Queen v. Schultz, 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 23479 (D.C. Cir. Dec. 9, 2016): This appeal was considered on the record from the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, and briefed and argued by counsel. The Court has…

Texts Sent=Admissions, Received=Context — Facebook Posts Authenticated by Nickname, DOB, Residence, Email Addresses, Photos (Which Also Appear on Owner’s Phone), FB Application and Contents — Corroborative vs. Cumulative Evidence

United States v. Lewisbey, 843 F.3d 653 (7th Cir. Dec. 9, 2016): David Lewisbey was a Chicago-based gunrunner who used a fake Indiana I.D. to buy guns at Indiana gun shows and bring them back to Illinois to sell. He …

Docs [Emails] Created by Adversary & Produced=Admissions, Even If Not Business Records — Sham Affidavit Rule: Inconsistency Going to Credibility Not Necly Sham — Summary Judgment: Conclusory Affidavits Ignored; More Leeway Given to SJ Opponent

Daniels v. Tex. Dept. of Transp., 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 171017 (E.D. Tex. Dec. 10, 2016): MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER Pending before the Court are Defendants Texas Department of Transportation's ("TxDOT") and Executive Director James M. Bass's, in his official…

Sanctions: District Court May Not Award Appellate Fees Absent Statutory Authorization, Except for Interlocutory Appeal If Prevailing Party Later Wins Below — Even If District Court Proceedings Frivolous, Appeal May Not Be — $17 Million FCA Award

In re Natural Gas Royalties Qui Tam Litig., 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 142 (10th Cir. Jan. 4, 2017): This is the second appeal in a qui tam case lasting over 20 years and initially involving more than 300 natural gas…

Text Message Authentication: Mere Proximity to Phone, Absent Proof of Ownership or Linkage to Content of Texts or Other Circumstantial Evidence Linking Alleged Owner to Messages, Insufficient to Authenticate

Garnett v. Commonwealth, 2016 Va. App. LEXIS 361 (Va. Ct. App. Dec. 20, 2016): * Pursuant to Code § 17.1-413, this opinion is not designated for publication. Terrell Dewayne Garnett appeals an order convicting him of possession with intent to…

Spoliation Doesn’t Prevent Summary Judgment in Spoliator’s Favor If Only Adverse Inference Would Not Save Adversary’s Claims — Appeals: Failure to Order Transcript of Recorded Hearing As Required by FRAP 10(b)(1) Forfeits Claim of Error

Rodriguez v. Forthright, 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 22463 (3d Cir. Dec. 19, 2016): * This disposition is not an opinion of the full Court and pursuant to I.O.P. 5.7 does not constitute binding precedent. PER CURIAM Felix A. Rodriguez appeals…

Court May Take Judicial Notice of Document Filed in Another Case Not for the Truth of the Matters Asserted But Only to Establish Fact of Filing and What Is Asserted — Judicial Estoppel: Factors

United States v. First Am. Title Ins. Co., 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 175617 (N.D. Ill. Dec. 20, 2016): II. Judicial Estoppel Patel also argues that the doctrine of judicial estoppel bars the SBA from bringing this action. Judicial estoppel "generally …

Arbitration — If Complaint/Supporting Docs Unclear on Agreement to Arbitrate, Motion to Compel Should Follow Discovery, Be Decided under SJ Standard — While Continuing to Work after ADR Policy May=Consent to Arbitrate, Not So If Employee Dissents

Scott v Education Mgmt. Corp., 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 18662 (3d Cir. Oct. 18, 2016): In these consolidated appeals, two former employees of the Education Management Corporation ("EDMC") appeal from orders dismissing their separate claims of discrimination. The employees —…

Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

Judicial Notice of Internet Evidence on 12(b)(6) Motion — Defendant’s Website — Current and Older Versions as Displayed on Wayback Machine Based on Complaint’s Reference to Website

No Rule 11/Inherent Power Sanctions Where Law Unsettled, Lower Courts Agreed — No Attorney’s Fees for Pro Se — Mere Misstatement ≠ Bad Faith — Court Always Has Jurisdiction over Bond — Failing to Object ≠ Invited Error

Emails between Prospective Partners Not Business Records Where No One Was Responsible for Keeping Them, It Was Unclear Which Were Required or Who Was Custodian — Use of “Indentured Servitude” on Summation OK

Texts Sent=Admissions, Received=Context — Facebook Posts Authenticated by Nickname, DOB, Residence, Email Addresses, Photos (Which Also Appear on Owner’s Phone), FB Application and Contents — Corroborative vs. Cumulative Evidence

Docs [Emails] Created by Adversary & Produced=Admissions, Even If Not Business Records — Sham Affidavit Rule: Inconsistency Going to Credibility Not Necly Sham — Summary Judgment: Conclusory Affidavits Ignored; More Leeway Given to SJ Opponent

Sanctions: District Court May Not Award Appellate Fees Absent Statutory Authorization, Except for Interlocutory Appeal If Prevailing Party Later Wins Below — Even If District Court Proceedings Frivolous, Appeal May Not Be — $17 Million FCA Award

Text Message Authentication: Mere Proximity to Phone, Absent Proof of Ownership or Linkage to Content of Texts or Other Circumstantial Evidence Linking Alleged Owner to Messages, Insufficient to Authenticate

Spoliation Doesn’t Prevent Summary Judgment in Spoliator’s Favor If Only Adverse Inference Would Not Save Adversary’s Claims — Appeals: Failure to Order Transcript of Recorded Hearing As Required by FRAP 10(b)(1) Forfeits Claim of Error

Court May Take Judicial Notice of Document Filed in Another Case Not for the Truth of the Matters Asserted But Only to Establish Fact of Filing and What Is Asserted — Judicial Estoppel: Factors

Arbitration — If Complaint/Supporting Docs Unclear on Agreement to Arbitrate, Motion to Compel Should Follow Discovery, Be Decided under SJ Standard — While Continuing to Work after ADR Policy May=Consent to Arbitrate, Not So If Employee Dissents

Recent Articles

§ 1927 Sanctions — Must A Lawyer Who Unreasonably and Vexatiously Multiplies Federal Court Proceedings Be Acting “As An Attorney” When Committing the Misconduct To Be Subject to Sanction under § 1927?

Rule 37 Sanctions — Unfamiliarity With Litigation Process Does Not Excuse Intentional Disregard of Court Order — Also Affirming Rule 26(g) Sanctions on Clients and Counsel for False Representations That All Responsive Documents Had Been Produced

Supreme Court: Notice of Appeal Filed After The Original Deadline But Before Reopening by The District Court Is Timely — It Relates Forward to The Date of The Order Making The Appeal Possible — Second Notice of Appeal After Reopening Unnecessary

Rule 37 Default Judgment: Second Circuit’s Four-Factor Test for Imposing Defaults and Three-Factor Test for Lifting Them

RICO: Cover-Up Within Limitations Period of Untimely RICO Violation “Was Merely A Continuation” Of The Original Injury And Could Not Be Used “As A ‘Bootstrap’ To Salvage [The] Time-Barred Claims–Declining to Apply Pinkerton Doctrine to Civil RICO Claims

Inherent Power — Circumstantial Evidence — Fact That Bad Faith May Be Shown by Establishing That Conduct Was So Egregious It Was Necessarily Committed in Bad Faith Does Not Mean That Bad Faith Must Be The Sole Explanation for The Bad Conduct

RICO Causation: Testing Labs’ Misstatements As to Alcohol Tests’ Efficacy Not Communicated to Plaintiffs’ Employers Did Not Cause Plaintiffs’ Professional Harm

Rule 37(d) Sanctions — For Failure to Serve Answers, Objections, Or Written Response to Discovery Requests — Are Not Limited to Intentional Misconduct; Even Innocent Mistakes May Be Covered

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