Joseph Hage Aaronson

Diversity Jurisdiction — Supreme Court Has Granted Cert to Resolve Circuit Split as to Whether Citizenship of a Trust Is Determined by Citizenship of Controlling Trustees, Trust Beneficiaries or Some Combination of Both

WNWSR, LLC v. Chesapeake Energy Corp., 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 159527 (S.D. Tex. Nov. 19, 2015): 5 The courts of appeals agree that the citizenship of a limited liability company is determined by the citizenship of the company's shareholders. Grupo…

30(b)(6) Testimony Binding Only in Sense It Can Be Used Against Organization — Testimony Can be Corrected, Explained or Supplemented — Entity Isn’t Bound to Whatever a Fairly-Prepared and Candid Deponent Happens to Recall

Keepers, Inc. v. Sidepockets, Inc., 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 20223 (2d Cir. Nov. 20, 2015): Plaintiff Keepers, Inc. ("Keepers") and defendant City of Milford, Connecticut ("Milford" or "the City") appeal and cross-appeal, respectively, from partial summary judgment awards to each…

Changes to Deposition Testimony — Circuit Split as to Whether Substantive Changes Allowed — In Some Circuits That Allow Substantive Changes, Sham Affidavit Rule Bars Contradiction, But Applies Only on Summary Jmt; Otherwise, Credibility Is for Jury

Arce v. Chi. Trans. Auth., 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 159917 (N.D. Ill. Nov. 30, 2015): On June 29, 2015, Defendant Chicago Transit Authority (the "CTA") deposed Charlotte Arce, spouse of Plaintiff Israel Arce, based upon Plaintiff's Rule 26(a) disclosure that …

RICO — “Difficult, Though Not Impossible, to Certify a Class in a RICO Mail Fraud Case” — First Party Reliance Usually Means Individual Inquiry — Setting Sights Lower Could Work Using Generalized Proof — Potential Use of Regression Analyses

Sergeants Benevolent Ass’n Health & Welfare Fund v. Sanofi-Aventis U.S. LLP, 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 19797 (2d Cir. Nov. 13, 2015 (2d Cir Nov. 13, 2015): Plaintiffs-Appellants are three health-benefit plans ("HBPs") that brought suit under the Racketeer Influenced and …

Spoliation — Adverse Inference Rejected — Lost Documents Likely Irrelevant — Presumption Insufficient to Show Prejudice — Instruction Could Effectively End Case — Fees Awarded for Needed Additional Discovery

Ruzhinskaya v. HealthPort Techs., LLC, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 156685 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 19, 2015): This decision resolves a motion for sanctions against plaintiff Tatyana Ruzhinskaya ("Ruzhinskaya") and her counsel. The motion, by defendant HealthPort Technologies, LLC ("HealthPort"), seeks sanctions arising …

Documents Obtained from FDIC (or Other Governmental) Website Are Self-Authenticating and Properly Considered on Summary Judgment — Judicial Notice OK — (Official Documents of the Agency, Not Third Party Documents Posted on Site)

Avery v. LPP Mortgage, Ltd., 2015 Tex. App. LEXIS 11136 (Tex. Ct. App. Oct. 29, 2015): Appellant, Allan R. Avery, appeals the trial court's grant of summary judgment in favor of appellee, LPP Mortgage, Ltd. [LPP], on two notes guaranteed…

Rule 37(e): The New Law of Electronic Spoliation

Rule 37(e): The New Law of Electronic Spoliation, 99 Judicature No. 3 at 35 (Winter 2015)

Rule 15(a) — Court Can’t Order Plaintiff to Amend before Decision on 12(b)(6) Motion or Lose Right to Do So — Liberal Amendment Especially Important in Light of Twiqbal — Rigorous Appellate Review If No Amendment Allowed

Runnion v. Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago, 786 F.3d 510 (7th Cir. 2015): This appeal presents substantive issues concerning the scope of the federal Rehabilitation Act's coverage of private organizations (like the Girl Scouts) that receive federal funding. Before addressing…

Internet Evidence — Official Records from Government Websites Bearing Distinctive Characteristics (Official Insignias) Are Self-Authenticating under Fed. R. Evid. 902(5)

Johnson v. Cate, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 120839 (E.D. Cal. Sept. 10, 2015): Plaintiff is a state prisoner proceeding pro se in this civil rights action brought pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The matter proceeds against Defendant Harrington on…

Spoliation Sanctions under Inherent Power Require Finding of Bad Faith — Prelitigation Spoliation Not Sanctionable under Rule 37(b)(2)

Environmental World Watch, Inc. v. Walt Disney Co., 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 19782 (9th Cir. Nov. 13, 2015): These appeals arise from litigation filed in 2009 by Environmental World Watch ("EWW") and individuals against The Walt Disney Company, Disney Enterprises,…

Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

Diversity Jurisdiction — Supreme Court Has Granted Cert to Resolve Circuit Split as to Whether Citizenship of a Trust Is Determined by Citizenship of Controlling Trustees, Trust Beneficiaries or Some Combination of Both

30(b)(6) Testimony Binding Only in Sense It Can Be Used Against Organization — Testimony Can be Corrected, Explained or Supplemented — Entity Isn’t Bound to Whatever a Fairly-Prepared and Candid Deponent Happens to Recall

Changes to Deposition Testimony — Circuit Split as to Whether Substantive Changes Allowed — In Some Circuits That Allow Substantive Changes, Sham Affidavit Rule Bars Contradiction, But Applies Only on Summary Jmt; Otherwise, Credibility Is for Jury

RICO — “Difficult, Though Not Impossible, to Certify a Class in a RICO Mail Fraud Case” — First Party Reliance Usually Means Individual Inquiry — Setting Sights Lower Could Work Using Generalized Proof — Potential Use of Regression Analyses

Spoliation — Adverse Inference Rejected — Lost Documents Likely Irrelevant — Presumption Insufficient to Show Prejudice — Instruction Could Effectively End Case — Fees Awarded for Needed Additional Discovery

Documents Obtained from FDIC (or Other Governmental) Website Are Self-Authenticating and Properly Considered on Summary Judgment — Judicial Notice OK — (Official Documents of the Agency, Not Third Party Documents Posted on Site)

Rule 37(e): The New Law of Electronic Spoliation

Rule 15(a) — Court Can’t Order Plaintiff to Amend before Decision on 12(b)(6) Motion or Lose Right to Do So — Liberal Amendment Especially Important in Light of Twiqbal — Rigorous Appellate Review If No Amendment Allowed

Internet Evidence — Official Records from Government Websites Bearing Distinctive Characteristics (Official Insignias) Are Self-Authenticating under Fed. R. Evid. 902(5)

Spoliation Sanctions under Inherent Power Require Finding of Bad Faith — Prelitigation Spoliation Not Sanctionable under Rule 37(b)(2)

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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