Joseph Hage Aaronson

Ponzi Schemes — Rising Tide vs. Net Loss Method of Allocating Recovered Assets — Reinvestment (in the Scheme) Wrinkle — Bankruptcy Methodology and Fraudulent Conveyance Issues

SEC v. Huber, 2012 U.S. App. LEXIS 24547 (7th Cir. Nov. 29, 2012): William Huber operated a Ponzi scheme in which 118 investors lost a total of $22.6 million. He had told his investors–mainly friends and acquaintances, who trusted him–that…

Existence of Circuit Split on Meaning Does Not Itself Establish That Statutory Text Is Ambiguous

Cuellar De Osorio v. Napalitano, 695 F.3d 1003 (9th Cir. 2012): The existence of a circuit split does not itself establish ambiguity in the text of the CSPA [Child Status Protection Act]. See, e.g., Roberts v. Sea-Land Servs., Inc., 132…

Six Months’ of Litigation Insufficient to Forfeit Right to Arbitrate, with Decent Excuse — How Little Is Required to Prove “Interstate Commerce” Triggering FAA — State Choice of Law Clause Does Not Trump FAA

Rota-McLarty v. Santander Consumer USA, Inc., 2012 U.S. App. LEXIS 24447 (4th Cir Nov. 28, 2012): Rota-McLarty filed a putative class action in state court against Santander on March 9, 2010, alleging violations of various Maryland consumer protection laws for…

Securities — True Statements About Statistical Results Are Not False or Misleading Simply Because the Methodology Producing Them Was Not the Best or Most Accepted

In re Rigel Pharm., Inc. Secs. Litig., 697 F.3d 869 (9th Cir. 2012): Neither the Supreme Court nor this court has addressed the question of whether statements concerning statistical results of a clinical trial may be considered false or misleading…

Sanctions Reversed Where Inference of Bad Faith Drawn in Part from Conduct of Others — “[O]nly Conduct Explicitly Referred to in the Instrument Providing Notice Is Sanctionable”

Cameron Int’l Trading Co. v. Hawk Importers, Inc., 2012 U.S. App. LEXIS 22294 (2d Cir. Oct. 25, 2012): Movants J. Curtis Edmondson and Scott D. Frendel (collectively “movants”), defendants’ counsel in this matter, appeal from a January 18, 2011, memorandum…

Wilton Abstention — Although Court Has Discretion to Abstain If Federal Plaintiff Seeks Only Declaratory Relief, There Is a 5-Way Circuit Split If Complaint Seeks Both Coercive (Damages, Injunction) and Declaratory Relief

Rolon v. Univision TV Group, Inc., 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 141019 (D. P.R. Sept 27, 2012): Univision also argues that this Court has discretion to abstain under Wilton v. Seven Falls, 515 U.S. 277 (1995), because Plaintiffs request declaratory relief.…

Imposition of Vexatious Litigant Sanctions in Prior Case, and Earlier Judge’s Warning That Future Harassing Litigation Would Be Sanctioned, Does Not Excuse Lack of Notice Before Imposing Sanctions for New Conduct in New Case — Due Process Denied

Truong v. Nguyen, 2012 U.S. App. LEXIS 23827 (2d Cir. Nov. 20, 2012) (note: citation subject to change when headnotes added by LEXIS): Here, the district court did not provide adequate notice to Truong prior to imposing either leave-to-file or…

Work Product Protects Consulting Expert Even If Investigation in Part for Business Reasons “Unless the Documents Would Have Been Created in Essentially Similar Form Irrespective of the Litigation” — Factors Weighing Against Discovery

Spirit Master Funding, LLC v. Pike Nurseries Acquisition, LLC, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 165334 (N.D. Ga. Nov. 20, 2012): B. Dual Purpose: Anticipation of Litigation vs. Ordinary Course of Business Pike asserts that the documents at issue here, i.e. communications…

“Actual and Ascertainable Damages” Required to State Legal Malpractice Claim in New York

Campbell v. Planet Asef Realty, 35 Misc. 3d 131A, 951 N.Y.S.2d 85, 2012 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1807 (App. Term 2d Dept. 2012): To prevail in an action for legal malpractice, a plaintiff must establish that the defendant attorney failed to…

Expert Whose Report Is Attached to and Incorporated in Earlier Iteration of Complaint Is Subject to Deposition Even If Not Identified as Testifying Expert

In re iPhone, iPad App. Consumer Privacy Litig., 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 166711 (N.D. Cal. Nov. 21, 2012): In this multi-district consolidated class action suit, Plaintiffs Isabella and Alejandro Capiro (“Capiros”) seek a protective order to prevent Defendant Apple, Inc.…

Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

Ponzi Schemes — Rising Tide vs. Net Loss Method of Allocating Recovered Assets — Reinvestment (in the Scheme) Wrinkle — Bankruptcy Methodology and Fraudulent Conveyance Issues

Existence of Circuit Split on Meaning Does Not Itself Establish That Statutory Text Is Ambiguous

Six Months’ of Litigation Insufficient to Forfeit Right to Arbitrate, with Decent Excuse — How Little Is Required to Prove “Interstate Commerce” Triggering FAA — State Choice of Law Clause Does Not Trump FAA

Securities — True Statements About Statistical Results Are Not False or Misleading Simply Because the Methodology Producing Them Was Not the Best or Most Accepted

Sanctions Reversed Where Inference of Bad Faith Drawn in Part from Conduct of Others — “[O]nly Conduct Explicitly Referred to in the Instrument Providing Notice Is Sanctionable”

Wilton Abstention — Although Court Has Discretion to Abstain If Federal Plaintiff Seeks Only Declaratory Relief, There Is a 5-Way Circuit Split If Complaint Seeks Both Coercive (Damages, Injunction) and Declaratory Relief

Imposition of Vexatious Litigant Sanctions in Prior Case, and Earlier Judge’s Warning That Future Harassing Litigation Would Be Sanctioned, Does Not Excuse Lack of Notice Before Imposing Sanctions for New Conduct in New Case — Due Process Denied

Work Product Protects Consulting Expert Even If Investigation in Part for Business Reasons “Unless the Documents Would Have Been Created in Essentially Similar Form Irrespective of the Litigation” — Factors Weighing Against Discovery

“Actual and Ascertainable Damages” Required to State Legal Malpractice Claim in New York

Expert Whose Report Is Attached to and Incorporated in Earlier Iteration of Complaint Is Subject to Deposition Even If Not Identified as Testifying Expert

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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