Joseph Hage Aaronson

If Daubert Framework Followed, Appellate Review = Abuse of Discretion—Expert [Here, Experience-Based] Must “Demonstrate Conclusions More Than Guesses,” Have “Justification Beyond A Simple Say-So” (Good Quotes)

Varlen Corp. v. Liberty Mut. Ins. Co., 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 14529 (7th Cir. May 16, 2019): Varlen Corporation owned and operated two industrial sites that were found to have significant amounts of groundwater contamination related to the sites' …

Daubert: Fingerprint Analysis ≠ Junk Science — Court Must Explicitly Find Reliability, Can’t Defer to Jury [104(a) vs. (b)] — “Reliability Analysis Is a Malleable One” (Good Quote) — Fact Expert Found Qualified in Past Not, Alone, Enough

United States v. Ruvalcaba-Garcia, 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 13986 (9th Cir. May 10, 2019): PER CURIAM: Mario Ruvalcaba-Garcia was convicted of violating 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a) for illegally reentering the United States after having been removed. His conviction was …

2-Part Test for Disqualification (DQ) Due to Receipt of Inadvertently-Disclosed Information: Privilege + Unfair Advantage — DQ of One Lawyer Doesn’t Necessarily Require DQ of Co-Counsel: Each Must Be Judged Separately

Hildmeyer v. PNC Bank, N.A., 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 77648 (M.D. Fla. May 9, 2019): Order On January 24, 2019, Magistrate Judge Irick entered his Report and Recommendation (Doc. 100) (henceforth, the "Report") regarding the Motion to Disqualify (Doc.…

RICO: LIBOR Fraud Not Proximate Cause of Loss on Bonds Not Tied to LIBOR — Injury Directly Caused by Independent Actors — Inaptness of Fraud on Market Theory, Event Studies & Efficient Capital Markets Hypothesis Evidences No Proximate Cause

7 West 57th Street Realty Co., LLC v. Citigroup, Inc., 2019 WL 1914278 (2d Cir. April 30, 2019) (unpublished): SUMMARY ORDER Appellant 7 West 57th Street Realty Company, LLC appeals from the March 20, 2018, judgment of the United States…

Sanctions: Under R. 11, Court Need Only Assess Objective Reasonableness, Needn’t Assess Fraud Just Because It Is Claimed — Party May Hold Unreasonable Belief in Good Faith (No IHP) — Lack of Dilatoriness Supports Denial of §1927 Sanctions

Rowe v. Gary, 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 13850, 2019 WL 2059826 (11th Cir. May 9, 2019) (unpublished): PER CURIAM: *1 Maria Sperando, a lawyer proceeding pro se, appeals the district court’s order granting in part and denying in…

Federal, Not State, Sanctions Law Applies in Fed. Court — Neither R. 11, 26(g), or 37, or §1927 Applied — No §1927 Sanctions on Client — Fed. R. Civ. P. Don’t Require Party Opposing 12(c) Motion to Attach Documents to Its Opposition

Cooke v. Jackson Nat'l Life Ins. Co., 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 9002, 2019 WL 1348291 (7th Cir. Mar. 26, 2019): In this suit under the diversity jurisdiction, a district court ordered Jackson National Life Insurance to [*2] pay about …

Sanctions: Vexatious Litigant Injunctions — Sixth Circuit Adopts 4-Part Test of Ninth Circuit

Clemons v. Dewine, 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 13271 (6th Cir. May 1, 2019) (unpublished): ORDER Cornelius Clemons, a pro se Ohio resident, appeals the district court's sua sponte dismissal of his civil rights action under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B).…

Spousal Privileges — (1) Adverse Spousal Testimony Priv. Invokable Only by Witness; Preferred Procedure Delineated — (2) Marital Communications Priv.: Invokable by Either; 3 Prongs; Inapplicable to Commc’ns re Joint Illegal Activity

United States v. Jackson, 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 9807, 2019 WL 1501539 (6th Cir. April 3, 2019): A jury found Darries Jackson guilty of two counts of possessing ammunition as a felon. Deciding that Jackson's prior convictions qualified as…

Bench Trials — Post-Trial Motions: Rule 59(e) Inapt for Newly-Discovered Evidence — Should Use 59(a)(2) — New Evidence of Spoliation Insufficient If, Indulging Adverse Inference, Result Would Not Change

Jenkins v. Anton, 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 12878 (11th Cir. April 29, 2019): Jennifer Jenkins worked as a paralegal for David Anton for about nine months. She had a flexible work schedule, and records of the hours she worked …

Rule 11 — Least Severe Sanction to Be Imposed — District Court May Deny Sanctions on Ground That Substantive Dismissal Is Enough, Or Could Add Dismissal Is Also on Rule 11 Grounds

Mr. Mudbug, Inc. v. Bloomin' Brands, 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 13432 (5th Cir. May 1, 2019) (unpublished): PER CURIAM:* Mr. Mudbug, Inc. ("MMI") appeals the dismissal of its breach-of-contract and detrimental-reliance claims on summary judgment. Bloomin' Brands, Inc.…

Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

If Daubert Framework Followed, Appellate Review = Abuse of Discretion—Expert [Here, Experience-Based] Must “Demonstrate Conclusions More Than Guesses,” Have “Justification Beyond A Simple Say-So” (Good Quotes)

Daubert: Fingerprint Analysis ≠ Junk Science — Court Must Explicitly Find Reliability, Can’t Defer to Jury [104(a) vs. (b)] — “Reliability Analysis Is a Malleable One” (Good Quote) — Fact Expert Found Qualified in Past Not, Alone, Enough

2-Part Test for Disqualification (DQ) Due to Receipt of Inadvertently-Disclosed Information: Privilege + Unfair Advantage — DQ of One Lawyer Doesn’t Necessarily Require DQ of Co-Counsel: Each Must Be Judged Separately

RICO: LIBOR Fraud Not Proximate Cause of Loss on Bonds Not Tied to LIBOR — Injury Directly Caused by Independent Actors — Inaptness of Fraud on Market Theory, Event Studies & Efficient Capital Markets Hypothesis Evidences No Proximate Cause

Sanctions: Under R. 11, Court Need Only Assess Objective Reasonableness, Needn’t Assess Fraud Just Because It Is Claimed — Party May Hold Unreasonable Belief in Good Faith (No IHP) — Lack of Dilatoriness Supports Denial of §1927 Sanctions

Federal, Not State, Sanctions Law Applies in Fed. Court — Neither R. 11, 26(g), or 37, or §1927 Applied — No §1927 Sanctions on Client — Fed. R. Civ. P. Don’t Require Party Opposing 12(c) Motion to Attach Documents to Its Opposition

Sanctions: Vexatious Litigant Injunctions — Sixth Circuit Adopts 4-Part Test of Ninth Circuit

Spousal Privileges — (1) Adverse Spousal Testimony Priv. Invokable Only by Witness; Preferred Procedure Delineated — (2) Marital Communications Priv.: Invokable by Either; 3 Prongs; Inapplicable to Commc’ns re Joint Illegal Activity

Bench Trials — Post-Trial Motions: Rule 59(e) Inapt for Newly-Discovered Evidence — Should Use 59(a)(2) — New Evidence of Spoliation Insufficient If, Indulging Adverse Inference, Result Would Not Change

Rule 11 — Least Severe Sanction to Be Imposed — District Court May Deny Sanctions on Ground That Substantive Dismissal Is Enough, Or Could Add Dismissal Is Also on Rule 11 Grounds

Recent Articles

Rule 37 Discovery Sanctions: Ninth Circuit’s Five-Factor Test for Gauging Appropriateness of Dismissal — The Limited Utility of Rule 12(f) Motions to Strike

Inherent 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

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