Joseph Hage Aaronson

Waiver of Right to Compel Arbitration — Factors — The Key to a Waiver Analysis Is Prejudice (Good Quote) — Types of Prejudice: Substantive, Excessive Cost — No Waiver Absent Substantial Motion Practice or Discovery

Sutherland v. Ernst & Young, LLP, 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 773 (2d Cir. Jan. 20, 2015): We review [*2] a district court's decision regarding waiver of a party's right to arbitrate de novo. Thyssen, Inc. v. Calypso Shipping Corp., S.A.,…

Primary Jurisdiction Doctrine Limited to Issues of First Impression or That Are Particularly Complicated and Committed to Agency Discretion, and If Protections of Regulatory Scheme Dictates Preliminary Resort to Agency — Factors

Alvarado v. Bay Area Credit Serv., LLC, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5646 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 16, 2015): "The primary jurisdiction doctrine allows courts to stay proceedings or to dismiss a complaint without prejudice pending the resolution of an issue within…

First Amendment Bars Courts from Deciding Religious Questions, But Not Disputes Secular in Nature — RICO Claim Dependent on Resolution of Disputed Religious Question Precluded — Judicial Estoppel: Factors (Majority View)

Hutterville Hutterian Brethren, Inc. v. Sveen, 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 523 (8th Cir. Jan. 13, 2015): This case publishes a new chapter in the legal struggle for control of Hutterville Hutterian Brethren, Inc. (Hutterville), a South Dakota religious nonprofit corporation …

Appellate Review of Decisions under Rule 56(h) (Bad Faith Affidavit on Summary Judgment) = Abuse of Discretion

Olem Shoe Corp. v. Washington Shoe Corp., 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 434 (11th Cir. Jan. 12, 2015): In this copyright case, Washington Shoe Company1 seeks reversal of the District Court's summary judgment ruling that Olem Shoe Corporation did not willfully…

Judicial Notice of Internet Evidence — Party’s Financial Condition as Reflected in Its 10-K Retrieved from EDGAR Considered on Irreparable Harm Prong of Preliminary Injunction Application

Honeywell Int’l, Inc. v. N. Am Refractories Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust (In re All Matters Related to N. Am. Refractories Co.), 2015 Bankr. LEXIS 4191 (Bankr. Dec. 16, 2015): Presently before the Court for decision following an extensive hearing,…

District Court Cannot Grant Untimely Motion under Rule 59 — Circuit Split As to Whether Court May Consider an Amendment to a Timely Filed Motion After the Period Set Forth in Rule 59 — 59(e), 52(b) Factors — 59 vs. 60 Depends on Timing

Segundo v. Stephens, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 163432 (N.D. Tex. Dec. 7, 2015): On July 13, 2015, petitioner Juan Ramon Meza Segundo filed his "Motion under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 59(e) and 60(a) to Amend and Correct Memorandum Opinion…

Sanctions — Striking Answer for Filing False Third Party Decl. on a Motion OK Even If Adversary’s Case Not Decimated; Prejudice = Prying Info. from Deceitful Person (Good Quote) — Party Can’t Complain of No Hearing When It Didn’t Depose

Forsberg v. Pefanis, 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 21402 (11th Cir. Dec. 11, 2015): After Evangelina Forsberg sued James Pefanis, her boss, for inappropriately touching her and making lewd comments in front of a coworker, Pefanis filed in his defense a …

Supreme Court — Arbitration — Clause Incorporating State Law Barring Class Arbitration Void under FAA — State Law Can’t Treat Arbitration Contracts Different from Others — What State Law, If Any, Can Drafters Effectively Designate?

DirecTV, Inc. v. Imburgia, 2015 U.S. LEXIS 7999 (U.S. Dec. 14, 2015): The Federal Arbitration Act states that a "written provision" in a contract providing for "settle[ment] by arbitration" of "a controversy . . . arising out of" that "contract…

Privilege — Crime-Fraud — Materials Must Be Intended to Further C/F — Intent vs. Effect — Violation of Ethics Waives Privilege Only As to Materials Generated by Violation — Overzealous Discovery Conduct ≠ Misconduct Waiving Privilege

In re GM LLC Ignition Switch Litig., 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 159721 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 25, 2015): This multi-district litigation proceeding ("MDL"), familiarity with which is presumed, relates to highly publicized defects in certain General Motors branded vehicles and associated vehicle…

Attorney-Client Privilege — No Adverse Inference from, Evidence of or Argument Concerning Assertion of Privilege Permitted

In re GM LLC Ignition Switch Litig., 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 163255 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 3, 2015): In its Ninth Motion in Limine, New GM asks the Court to rule that evidence or argument regarding [*383] New GM's privilege assertions is …

Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

Waiver of Right to Compel Arbitration — Factors — The Key to a Waiver Analysis Is Prejudice (Good Quote) — Types of Prejudice: Substantive, Excessive Cost — No Waiver Absent Substantial Motion Practice or Discovery

Primary Jurisdiction Doctrine Limited to Issues of First Impression or That Are Particularly Complicated and Committed to Agency Discretion, and If Protections of Regulatory Scheme Dictates Preliminary Resort to Agency — Factors

First Amendment Bars Courts from Deciding Religious Questions, But Not Disputes Secular in Nature — RICO Claim Dependent on Resolution of Disputed Religious Question Precluded — Judicial Estoppel: Factors (Majority View)

Appellate Review of Decisions under Rule 56(h) (Bad Faith Affidavit on Summary Judgment) = Abuse of Discretion

Judicial Notice of Internet Evidence — Party’s Financial Condition as Reflected in Its 10-K Retrieved from EDGAR Considered on Irreparable Harm Prong of Preliminary Injunction Application

District Court Cannot Grant Untimely Motion under Rule 59 — Circuit Split As to Whether Court May Consider an Amendment to a Timely Filed Motion After the Period Set Forth in Rule 59 — 59(e), 52(b) Factors — 59 vs. 60 Depends on Timing

Sanctions — Striking Answer for Filing False Third Party Decl. on a Motion OK Even If Adversary’s Case Not Decimated; Prejudice = Prying Info. from Deceitful Person (Good Quote) — Party Can’t Complain of No Hearing When It Didn’t Depose

Supreme Court — Arbitration — Clause Incorporating State Law Barring Class Arbitration Void under FAA — State Law Can’t Treat Arbitration Contracts Different from Others — What State Law, If Any, Can Drafters Effectively Designate?

Privilege — Crime-Fraud — Materials Must Be Intended to Further C/F — Intent vs. Effect — Violation of Ethics Waives Privilege Only As to Materials Generated by Violation — Overzealous Discovery Conduct ≠ Misconduct Waiving Privilege

Attorney-Client Privilege — No Adverse Inference from, Evidence of or Argument Concerning Assertion of Privilege Permitted

Recent Articles

nherent Power Sanction of Dismissal — Preponderance of the Evidence Burden of Proof, Not Clear and Convincing Evidence (7th Circuit)

§ 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

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