Joseph Hage Aaronson

Text/Email Authentication — Password / Passcode / Key Is Self-Authenticating If It Works to Unlock Cell Phone [or Other Device]

State v. Stahl, 206 So. 3d 124 (Fla. Ct. App. 2016):The State seeks a writ of certiorari quashing the trial court's order denying the State's motion to compel the production of the passcode to unlock Aaron Stahl's cellphone. We…

Disqualification: “Questionable at Best” Whether Party Has Standing to Raise a Conflict between Opposing Parties & Their Counsel (Good Quote) — Speculation That Adversay “Knew” a Lawsuit Was Coming Not Enough for Spoliation Sanctions

Plouffe v. Cevallos, 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 17603 (3d Cir. June 12, 2019) (unpublished): This is a [*5] consolidated appeal of two employment-related civil actions stemming from William C. Plouffe, Jr.'s firing by Kutztown University. The first action was against…

Non-Signatory May Not Compel Arbitration under NY Convention (NYC) — While FAA Permits This If State Law Allows, If the FAA Allows What the NYC Prohibits, the NYC Controls

Setty v. Shrinivas Sugandhalaya (BNG) LLP, 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 17071 (9th Cir. June 6, 2019) (unpublished): MEMORANDUM* Shrinivas Sugandhalaya LLP ("SS LLP"), an incense manufacturing company based in Mumbai, appeals the district court's order denying its motion to…

28 U.S.C. § 1782 — Foreign Recognition, Enforcement, Attachment & Garnishment Proceedings after Merits Decided Are Not “Adjudicative” & Thus Not “Proceedings” within §1782 — No Discovery Permitted

In re Galaxy Energy & Res. Co. Pte. Ltd., 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 109718 (S.D.N.Y. July 1, 2019): Before the Court is the ex parte Petition of Galaxy Energy and Resources Co. Pte. Ltd. ("Galaxy" or "Petitioner") seeking permission to …

§1927 Sanctions — Failure to Withdraw Claim Despite Letter Identifying Flaws But Later Seeking to Do So When Same Flaws Are Identified to Court in Dismissal Motion Is Unreasonable and Vexatious within §1927

Coleman v. Oasis Outsourcing, Inc., 2019 WL 2913718 (11th Cir. July 8, 2019) (unpublished): PER CURIAM: Brandon Coleman appeals the district court’s award of sanctions and grant of summary judgment to Oasis Outsourcing, Inc. (Oasis). Coleman asserts the district court…

Daubert: Court Properly Excluded Testimony from Expert Whose Report Was Researched, Drafted by Counsel with Only Minimally Revisions by Expert — That Process “Substantially Detracts from His Testimony’s Reliability and Usefulness” (Good Quote)

Puppolo v. Welch, 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 18493, 2019 WL 2537526 (2d Cir. June 20, 2019) (unpublished): *1 UPON DUE CONSIDERATION WHEREOF, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the order of the District Court be and hereby…

Arbitration: Denial without Prejudice of Motion to Compel Arbitration Is Reviewable under the FAA, 9 U.S.C. § 16(a)(1)(B) — Striking Such a Motion on Technical Grounds, Maybe Not

Griggs v. Kenworth of Montgomery, Inc., 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 16786 (11th Cir. June 4, 2019) (unpublished): PER CURIAM: Kenworth of Montgomery Inc. brings this interlocutory appeal under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA), 9 U.S.C. § 16, contending …

Sanctions: Dismissal for Evading Answers at Dep (“Deliberate Obtuseness”), = Lying to Avoid Giving Evidence, “Essentially Falsified Testimony” — Inherent Power, R. 37, R. 30(d): “Sanctions … Must Be Proportionate” (Good Quotes)

Donelson v. Hardy, 2019 WL 2949473 (7th Cir. July 9, 2019) (unpublished): ORDER *1 Charles Donelson sued a nurse and Wexford Health Sources, Inc., for allegedly providing him with constitutionally deficient medical care in prison and retaliating against him for…

Class Action Fairness Act If Federal Jurisdiction Is Based Only on CAFA, Which Provides Jurisdiction Only for “Class Action[s],” Does Denial of Class Certification Divest Court of Jurisdiction? — No

Coba v. Ford Motor Co., 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 20183 (3d Cir. July 8, 2019): Problematic as a lemon of a vehicle may be, the problem becomes more complex when it is peeling. This appeal involves a putative consumer class …

Text Authentication OK Via Non-Participant Witness Who Observed Exchange of Texts and Knows Contents, Coupled with Alleged Recipient’s Acting in Accordance with Contents

State v. Bitner, 2019 Wash. App. LEXIS 1661 (Wash. Ct. App. June 25, 2019): James Bitner appeals his conviction for delivery of a controlled substance — methamphetamine. The State charged Bitner after law enforcement directed a confidential informant (CI) to …

Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

Text/Email Authentication — Password / Passcode / Key Is Self-Authenticating If It Works to Unlock Cell Phone [or Other Device]

Disqualification: “Questionable at Best” Whether Party Has Standing to Raise a Conflict between Opposing Parties & Their Counsel (Good Quote) — Speculation That Adversay “Knew” a Lawsuit Was Coming Not Enough for Spoliation Sanctions

Non-Signatory May Not Compel Arbitration under NY Convention (NYC) — While FAA Permits This If State Law Allows, If the FAA Allows What the NYC Prohibits, the NYC Controls

28 U.S.C. § 1782 — Foreign Recognition, Enforcement, Attachment & Garnishment Proceedings after Merits Decided Are Not “Adjudicative” & Thus Not “Proceedings” within §1782 — No Discovery Permitted

§1927 Sanctions — Failure to Withdraw Claim Despite Letter Identifying Flaws But Later Seeking to Do So When Same Flaws Are Identified to Court in Dismissal Motion Is Unreasonable and Vexatious within §1927

Daubert: Court Properly Excluded Testimony from Expert Whose Report Was Researched, Drafted by Counsel with Only Minimally Revisions by Expert — That Process “Substantially Detracts from His Testimony’s Reliability and Usefulness” (Good Quote)

Arbitration: Denial without Prejudice of Motion to Compel Arbitration Is Reviewable under the FAA, 9 U.S.C. § 16(a)(1)(B) — Striking Such a Motion on Technical Grounds, Maybe Not

Sanctions: Dismissal for Evading Answers at Dep (“Deliberate Obtuseness”), = Lying to Avoid Giving Evidence, “Essentially Falsified Testimony” — Inherent Power, R. 37, R. 30(d): “Sanctions … Must Be Proportionate” (Good Quotes)

Class Action Fairness Act If Federal Jurisdiction Is Based Only on CAFA, Which Provides Jurisdiction Only for “Class Action[s],” Does Denial of Class Certification Divest Court of Jurisdiction? — No

Text Authentication OK Via Non-Participant Witness Who Observed Exchange of Texts and Knows Contents, Coupled with Alleged Recipient’s Acting in Accordance with Contents

Recent Articles

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

Sanctions: (1) Rule 11 Does Not Apply to Litigation Papers Initially Filed in State Court — Only Reaffirmance in Federal Court Post-Removal Is Subject to Sanction — (2) “The Fact That A Legal Theory Is A Long-Shot Does Not Necessarily Mean It Is Sanctionable” (Good Quote)

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