Complex Lit Blog

Inherent Power Sanctions — Vexatious Litigant Injunction — Factors — Apt in “Extraordinary Circumstances,” Even If Other Rules Apply — Repeated Litigation of Same Issues without Any Objective Good Faith Hope of Winning

Armatas v. Maroulleti, 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 8628 (2d Cir. May 17, 2017): SUMMARY ORDER UPON DUE CONSIDERATION, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the orders of the district court are AFFIRMED in part, and the appeal is DISMISSED in p ...

Armatas v. Maroulleti, 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 8628 (2d Cir. May 17, 2017): SUMMARY ORDER UPON DUE CONSIDERATION, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the orders of the district court are AFFIRMED in part, and the appeal is…

Rule 11 Sanctions: Appellate Jurisdiction — Once All Issues Relating to Order Adjudicated, Premature Notice of Appeal Ripens (All Details of Non-Monetary Sanctions Need Not Be Settled) — Law School Lectures as Sanction

Salmon v Nutra Pharma Corp., 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 7544 (10th Cir. April 28, 2017): * After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist in the determination of this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2); 10th Cir. ...

Supreme Court: Arbitration — Rule That Inhibits Entering Arbitration Agreement (Requires Power of Attorney to Specifically OK Jury Waiver) Violates FAA — Rule “Applicable to Arbitration Agreements and Black Swans” (Good Quotes)

Kindred Nursing Ctrs. LP v. Clark, 2017 U.S. LEXIS 2948 (U.S. May 15, 2017): The Federal Arbitration Act (FAA or Act) requires courts to place arbitration agreements [*5] "on equal footing with all other contracts." DIRECTV, Inc. v. Imburgia, 577 U. S. ___, ___, 136 S. Ct. 463, 468, 19 ...

Kindred Nursing Ctrs. LP v. Clark, 2017 U.S. LEXIS 2948 (U.S. May 15, 2017): The Federal Arbitration Act (FAA or Act) requires courts to place arbitration agreements [*5] "on equal footing with all other contracts." DIRECTV, Inc. v. Imburgia,…

Instagram Authentication — Contents, Including Photos with Kids, Sufficient Evidence of Authenticity — Burden on Opponent to Show Hacking — “To Agree Evidence Is Weak Is Not to Agree It Is Speculative or Untenable” (Good Quote)

People v. Taylor, 2017 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 3247 (Cal. Ct. App. May 12, 2017): Following a joint trial, a jury convicted Ruben Ramon Guajardo, the shooter, and his cousin Gino Wayne Taylor, an aider ...

People v. Taylor, 2017 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 3247 (Cal. Ct. App. May 12, 2017): Following a joint trial, a jury convicted Ruben Ramon Guajardo, the shooter, and his cousin Gino Wayne Taylor, an aider and abettor, of the first …

Cumulative Racist Text Messages Excluded under Rule 403 in Employment Discrimination Trial — Attempted Spoliation of Texts Excluded as Irrelevant Where Contents “Repeated for the Jury Ad Nauseam”

Phoenix v. Coatesville Area Sch. Dist., 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 4871 (3d Cir. Mar. 20, 2017): * This disposition is not an opinion of the full Court and pursuant to I.O.P. 5.7 does not constitute binding precedent. In an employment discrimination action alleging constructive discharge on the basis of race, Jahmal Phoen ...

Rule 11, §1927 and Inherent Power Sanctions — Standards — Vexatious Litigant Injunctions Typically Used for Egregious Abuse of the Judicial Process — Mere Lack of Merit Insufficient for Imposition of Sanctions (Good Quotes)

Sorenson v. Wolfson, 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 4591 (2d Cir. Mar. 16, 2017): SUMMARY ORDER UPON DUE CONSIDERATION, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the order of the district court is AFFIRMED. Appellant Stanley Wolfson appeals from the district court ...

Sorenson v. Wolfson, 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 4591 (2d Cir. Mar. 16, 2017): SUMMARY ORDER UPON DUE CONSIDERATION, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the order of the district court is AFFIRMED. Appellant Stanley Wolfson appeals from…

RICO/McCarran Ferguson: Claims Attacking Financial Condition, Accounting of Insurer Impair Regulation of Insurance, Requiring Second Guessing of Regulatory Judgments — Twiqbal: Unsophistication of Plaintiff Doesn’t Render Complex Claims Implausible

Ludwick v. Harbinger Grp., Inc., 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 6391 (8th Cir. April 13, 2017): The question in this case is whether letting Dale Ludwick pursue her federal racketeering claims against an insurance company and its affiliates would impair state regulation of the insurance business in Iowa, Maryland, or Missouri. We agree ...

Ludwick v. Harbinger Grp., Inc., 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 6391 (8th Cir. April 13, 2017): The question in this case is whether letting Dale Ludwick pursue her federal racketeering claims against an insurance company and its affiliates would impair state …

May a Court Grant a 12(b)(6) Motion to Dismiss Solely on the Ground That the Plaintiff Failed to Respond to the Motion? (Circuit Split)

Block v. Dakota Nation Gaming Comm'n & Dakota Sioux Casino & Hotel, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 67325 (D. S.D. May 3, 2017): Plaintiff Dawn Block filed a complaint with this Court on December 1, 2016, claiming: (1) breach of confidentiality; (2) Privacy Act of 1974; and (3) defamation. The defendants have moved to dismiss all counts pur ...

Homicide as Spoliation: Spoliation by Shooting, Allowing Decedent in Death Action to Die — Rules of Interpretation of US/Native American Treaties — Issue Preclusion: Honoring Statements of First Court as to What It Was Deciding

Jones v. United States, 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 1479 (Fed. Cir. Jan. 27, 2017): Debra Jones, Arden C. Post, and the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservations (collectively, "Jones"), appeal the judgment of the United States Court of Federal Claims ("CFC") dismissing (1) Jones's claims for damages again ...

Text Authentication — Admission of Ownership of Cell Phones Suffices to Authenticate Content Extracted via Data Dump and Tie It Owner (Note That Some of the Texts Self-Identified the Author As Sender) [Email]

Hoey v. State, 2017 Ark. App. LEXIS 267 (Ark. Ct. App. April 27, 2017): Robert Maurice Hoey was convicted in the Miller County Circuit Court of possession of more than twenty-five pounds of marijuana with intent to deliver, and he was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment in the Arkansas Department of Correction. On appeal, Hoe ...

Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

Inherent Power Sanctions — Vexatious Litigant Injunction — Factors — Apt in “Extraordinary Circumstances,” Even If Other Rules Apply — Repeated Litigation of Same Issues without Any Objective Good Faith Hope of Winning

Rule 11 Sanctions: Appellate Jurisdiction — Once All Issues Relating to Order Adjudicated, Premature Notice of Appeal Ripens (All Details of Non-Monetary Sanctions Need Not Be Settled) — Law School Lectures as Sanction

Supreme Court: Arbitration — Rule That Inhibits Entering Arbitration Agreement (Requires Power of Attorney to Specifically OK Jury Waiver) Violates FAA — Rule “Applicable to Arbitration Agreements and Black Swans” (Good Quotes)

Instagram Authentication — Contents, Including Photos with Kids, Sufficient Evidence of Authenticity — Burden on Opponent to Show Hacking — “To Agree Evidence Is Weak Is Not to Agree It Is Speculative or Untenable” (Good Quote)

Cumulative Racist Text Messages Excluded under Rule 403 in Employment Discrimination Trial — Attempted Spoliation of Texts Excluded as Irrelevant Where Contents “Repeated for the Jury Ad Nauseam”

Rule 11, §1927 and Inherent Power Sanctions — Standards — Vexatious Litigant Injunctions Typically Used for Egregious Abuse of the Judicial Process — Mere Lack of Merit Insufficient for Imposition of Sanctions (Good Quotes)

RICO/McCarran Ferguson: Claims Attacking Financial Condition, Accounting of Insurer Impair Regulation of Insurance, Requiring Second Guessing of Regulatory Judgments — Twiqbal: Unsophistication of Plaintiff Doesn’t Render Complex Claims Implausible

May a Court Grant a 12(b)(6) Motion to Dismiss Solely on the Ground That the Plaintiff Failed to Respond to the Motion? (Circuit Split)

Homicide as Spoliation: Spoliation by Shooting, Allowing Decedent in Death Action to Die — Rules of Interpretation of US/Native American Treaties — Issue Preclusion: Honoring Statements of First Court as to What It Was Deciding

Text Authentication — Admission of Ownership of Cell Phones Suffices to Authenticate Content Extracted via Data Dump and Tie It Owner (Note That Some of the Texts Self-Identified the Author As Sender) [Email]

Recent Posts

RICO: Statutory Requirement that RICO Be Liberally Construed Does Not Establish a More Liberal Pleading Standard for RICO Claims — “To Be Sure, Adequately Pleading a RICO Claim Can Be Challenging” (Good Quote) — Court May Dismiss Action Pursuant to Rule 41(b) Absent A Motion

For An Appeal to Be Timely, A Motion for Reconsideration in The District Court (A Rule 59(e) Motion) Must Be Filed, And Not Just Served within 30 Days of The Decision, to Toll The 30-Day Period for Filing An Appeal

There Is No Good-Faith Defense For Issuing An Overly Burdensome Subpoena

Purposes of Rule 37 and Section 1927 Sanctions

While Rule 11 Doesn’t Apply to Appellate Proceedings (Unless It Has Been Incorporated in Local Appellate Rules), Rule 11 Caselaw Is Looked to for Guidance in Interpreting Applicable Sanctions Powers on Appeal

Rule 11 Sanctions & Appellate Review: Abuse of Discretion Standard Applies Unless Sanctions Are Based Solely (Not Just in Part) on Legal Issues, in Which Case Review Is De Novo

Spoliation: Fed. R. Civ. P. 37(e) Imposes a Higher Standard — Intent — Than Fourth Circuit Law Previously Applied to Spoliation of Electronically-Stored Information (And Still Does As to Non-ESI) — Willfulness vs. Intent

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