Joseph Hage Aaronson

Trials: Cross “Is Greatest Engine Invented for Discovery of Truth” — Ct. App. “Must Pay Deference to Trial Judge’s Feel of Case … [S/he] Sees Jurors Wince, Weep, Snicker…” (Good Quotes) — Must Impeachment Evid. Be Admissible?

Angeles v. Nieves, 2018 WL 3149551 (N.J. Super. App. Div. June 28, 2018) (unpublished): *1 After an auto accident, a jury found defendant Carmen I. Nieves liable and awarded plaintiff Christian Angeles a $3,000,000 judgment. Both parties appeal from a…

Personal Jurisdiction: Out-of-State Litigation against State Domiciliary Insufficient to Establish Personal Jurisdiction against Lawyer Involved in the Out-of-State Litigation

John Crane, Inc. v. Shein Law Center, Ltd., 891 F.3d 692 (7th Cir. 2018): John Crane, Inc., as a manufacturer of products containing asbestos, has been sued many times for injuries caused by exposure to asbestos. Now it claims some …

Rooker-Feldman Applies to Removed Cases, Circuit Split on Whether State Court Appeals Must Be Concluded (Here, No) — Law of the Case Dictates Same Result — Good Quote on Policy Underlying Law of the Case Doctrine

Gruppo Formstar LLC v. FM Forrest, Inc. (In re FM Forrest, Inc.), 2018 Bankr. LEXIS 2132 (S.D. Tex. July 18, 2018): I. Introduction The dispute at bar is governed by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b) for which there…

R. 11 Sanctions: No Right to Warning You Disobey Orders at Your Peril — May Infer Bad Faith from Frivolousness — “Legal Theory May Be Frivolous Even If We Never Said So Before” (Good Quote) — Inherent Power = Lesser Equivalent of Contempt

Huebner v. Midland Credit Mgmt., 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 19954 (2d Cir. July 19, 2018): Plaintiff-Appellant Levi Huebner ("Huebner") is an attorney who has litigated several cases under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ("FDCPA"), 15 U.S.C. § 1692, …

Rule 41(b) Dismissal — Refusal to Respond to Court’s Ultimatum Either to Amend Complaint or Stand by Complaint = Failure to Prosecute, Is Properly Met with Dismissal

Simmonds v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 17230 (9th Cir. June 25, 2018) (unpublished): Amany Simmonds appeals from the district court's order dismissing for failure to prosecute her diversity action arising from foreclosure proceedings. We have…

R. 16(f) / 37(b)(2)(C) Sanctions — Default Requires Willful Misconduct But Not Wrongful Intent — Aggravating Factors Must Outweigh Desire for Merits-Based Decns — Factors (10th Cir.) — Failing to Hire Counsel & Refusing to Appear Pro Se Is Enough

Derma Pen, LLC v. 4EverYoung Limited, 2018 WL 2684216 (10th Cir. June 5, 2018): *1 This case began as a dispute over trademark infringement and counterclaims for breach of contract. The district court detailed much of the procedural history below.…

Sanctions/Spoliation — Failure to File Transcript of Sanctions Hearing Precludes Appellate Review of District Court Ruling

Critchfield v. Blazin Wings, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 19454 (10th Cir. July 16, 2018) (unpublished): ORDER AND JUDGMENT* I. INTRODUCTION Roland Critchfield slipped and fell on the wet, soapy bathroom floor of a Buffalo Wild Wings Bar &…

Rule 15(b)(2) Amendment of Complaint by Implied Consent: “Notice of a Claim Is Defendant’s Entitlement, Not Defendant’s Burden” — Can’t “Superimpose New (Untried) Theory on Evidence Introduced for Other Purposes” (Good Quotes)

In re Fustolo, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 19496 (1st Cir. July 16, 2018): Following trial on The Patriot Group, LLC's ("Patriot") adversary complaint requesting denial of the discharge in bankruptcy of Steven Fustolo's ("Fustolo") debt, the bankruptcy court allowed…

Rule 37(c)(1) Sanctions: Failure to Disclose Corp. Officer Would Give Expert Testimony — Fact Adversary Knew He’d Testify Doesn’t Eliminate Prejudice — Rule 13(a): Counterclaim Is Compulsory Only If It Existed When Complaint Filed

Karum Holdings LLC v. Lowe's Cos., 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 19269 (7th Cir. July 13, 2018): When Lowe's Companies, Inc. (Lowe's Inc.) expanded its retail home improvement stores into Mexico, Lowe's Companies Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V. (Lowe's…

Appellate Jurisdiction — Even Though Motion to Reconsider Tolls Time to Appeal Until It’s Decided, It Does Not Extend Time If Made & Resolved before Judgment Entered — No Penalty or Benefit from Prematurely Filing Post-Judgment Motion

Havensight Capital LLC v. Nike, Inc., 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 15367 (9th Cir. June 7, 2018): This appeal is the latest in an ongoing and bizarre dispute between Havensight Capital LLC (Havensight) and Nike, Inc. (Nike). Throughout these proceedings, …

Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

Trials: Cross “Is Greatest Engine Invented for Discovery of Truth” — Ct. App. “Must Pay Deference to Trial Judge’s Feel of Case … [S/he] Sees Jurors Wince, Weep, Snicker…” (Good Quotes) — Must Impeachment Evid. Be Admissible?

Personal Jurisdiction: Out-of-State Litigation against State Domiciliary Insufficient to Establish Personal Jurisdiction against Lawyer Involved in the Out-of-State Litigation

Rooker-Feldman Applies to Removed Cases, Circuit Split on Whether State Court Appeals Must Be Concluded (Here, No) — Law of the Case Dictates Same Result — Good Quote on Policy Underlying Law of the Case Doctrine

R. 11 Sanctions: No Right to Warning You Disobey Orders at Your Peril — May Infer Bad Faith from Frivolousness — “Legal Theory May Be Frivolous Even If We Never Said So Before” (Good Quote) — Inherent Power = Lesser Equivalent of Contempt

Rule 41(b) Dismissal — Refusal to Respond to Court’s Ultimatum Either to Amend Complaint or Stand by Complaint = Failure to Prosecute, Is Properly Met with Dismissal

R. 16(f) / 37(b)(2)(C) Sanctions — Default Requires Willful Misconduct But Not Wrongful Intent — Aggravating Factors Must Outweigh Desire for Merits-Based Decns — Factors (10th Cir.) — Failing to Hire Counsel & Refusing to Appear Pro Se Is Enough

Sanctions/Spoliation — Failure to File Transcript of Sanctions Hearing Precludes Appellate Review of District Court Ruling

Rule 15(b)(2) Amendment of Complaint by Implied Consent: “Notice of a Claim Is Defendant’s Entitlement, Not Defendant’s Burden” — Can’t “Superimpose New (Untried) Theory on Evidence Introduced for Other Purposes” (Good Quotes)

Rule 37(c)(1) Sanctions: Failure to Disclose Corp. Officer Would Give Expert Testimony — Fact Adversary Knew He’d Testify Doesn’t Eliminate Prejudice — Rule 13(a): Counterclaim Is Compulsory Only If It Existed When Complaint Filed

Appellate Jurisdiction — Even Though Motion to Reconsider Tolls Time to Appeal Until It’s Decided, It Does Not Extend Time If Made & Resolved before Judgment Entered — No Penalty or Benefit from Prematurely Filing Post-Judgment Motion

Recent Articles

FRAP 38 Sanctions — Sixth Circuit Usually Declines to Impose FRAP 38 Sanctions Unless An Improper Purpose Was Behind the Appeal

FRAP 38: Permissible for Appeals Court to Affirm Sanctions But Deny FRAP 38 Sanctions for Appeal — A Defendant’s Voluntary Cessation of Complained of Behavior Does Not Moot a Case Unless It Is Clear That The Behavior Could Not Reasonably Be Expected to Recur

Rule 11: Violation of 21 Day Safe Harbor “Overlook[ed]” As Non-Prejudicial by First Circuit — “Rule 11 Monetary Sanctions Must Be Reasonable” (Good Quote) — Rule 11(c)(4) Requires Consideration of Offender’s Ability to Pay

Temporary Restraining Order = Preliminary Injunction: 3 Supreme Court Cases (TRO=PI x 3)

Rule 37(c)(1) Sanctions — Exclusion of Untimely Expert Report — Eighth Circuit’s 4-Factor Test

RICO: So Insubstantial A Claim As to Fail to Confer Subject Matter Jurisdiction

RICO: Distinctiveness Issues Most Likely to Appear When The Enterprise Is An Entity Capable of Being Sued, Like A Corporation

FRAP 38 Sanctions: Eleventh Circuit Generally Declines to Impose FRAP 38 Sanctions on Pro Se Appellants Absent a History of Frivolous Litigation or an Explicit Warning

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