Complex Lit Blog

Sanctions: District Court May Not Award Appellate Fees Absent Statutory Authorization, Except for Interlocutory Appeal If Prevailing Party Later Wins Below — Even If District Court Proceedings Frivolous, Appeal May Not Be — $17 Million FCA Award

In re Natural Gas Royalties Qui Tam Litig., 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 142 (10th Cir. Jan. 4, 2017): This is the second appeal in a qui tam case lasting over 20 years and initially involving more than 300 natural gas industry defendants. The number of defendants has shrunk significantly, and the issues on this appeal present narrow ...

Text Message Authentication: Mere Proximity to Phone, Absent Proof of Ownership or Linkage to Content of Texts or Other Circumstantial Evidence Linking Alleged Owner to Messages, Insufficient to Authenticate

Garnett v. Commonwealth, 2016 Va. App. LEXIS 361 (Va. Ct. App. Dec. 20, 2016): * Pursuant to Code § 17.1-413, this opinion is not designated for publication. Terrell Dewayne Garnett appeals an order convicting him of possession with intent to distribute one-half ounce to five pounds of marijuana. ...

Spoliation Doesn’t Prevent Summary Judgment in Spoliator’s Favor If Only Adverse Inference Would Not Save Adversary’s Claims — Appeals: Failure to Order Transcript of Recorded Hearing As Required by FRAP 10(b)(1) Forfeits Claim of Error

Rodriguez v. Forthright, 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 22463 (3d Cir. Dec. 19, 2016): * This disposition is not an opinion of the full Court and pursuant to I.O.P. 5.7 does not constitute binding precedent. PER CURIAM Felix A. Rodriguez appeals from the District Court's order entering summary judgment against him and in f ...

Court May Take Judicial Notice of Document Filed in Another Case Not for the Truth of the Matters Asserted But Only to Establish Fact of Filing and What Is Asserted — Judicial Estoppel: Factors

United States v. First Am. Title Ins. Co., 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 175617 (N.D. Ill. Dec. 20, 2016): II. Judicial Estoppel Patel also argues that the doctrine of judicial estoppel bars the SBA from bringing this action. Judicial estoppel "generally prevents a party from prevailing in one phase of a c ...

United States v. First Am. Title Ins. Co., 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 175617 (N.D. Ill. Dec. 20, 2016): II. Judicial Estoppel Patel also argues that the doctrine of judicial estoppel bars the SBA from bringing this action. Judicial estoppel "generally …

Arbitration — If Complaint/Supporting Docs Unclear on Agreement to Arbitrate, Motion to Compel Should Follow Discovery, Be Decided under SJ Standard — While Continuing to Work after ADR Policy May=Consent to Arbitrate, Not So If Employee Dissents

Scott v Education Mgmt. Corp., 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 18662 (3d Cir. Oct. 18, 2016): In these consolidated appeals, two former employees of the Education Management Corporation ("EDMC") appeal from orders dismissing their separate claims of discrimination. The employees -- Michael Scott [*2] and Lamont Jones ...

RICO/9(b): Where Many Sued, Complaint Need Not Necessarily ID False Statements by Each But Conclusory Conspiracy Claim Not Enough — Each’s Role Must Be ID’ed; Collective Action OK If All Did Same Thing — Basis for Belief (Info+B) Must Be Stated

Puri v. Khalsa, 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 287 (9th Cir. Jan. 6, 2017): * This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3. The plaintiffs, individually and on behalf of Unto Infinity, LLC (UI), and Siri Singh Sahib Corporation (SSSC), brought claims al ...

Puri v. Khalsa, 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 287 (9th Cir. Jan. 6, 2017): * This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3. The plaintiffs, individually and on behalf of …

Video Evidence Should Be Reviewed by the Court In Camera before It Is Displayed to Jury — Fact That Attorney Referred Plaintiff to Physician Is Relevant, Admissible — Fact Plaintiff’s Counsel Advertises Excluded

Ernestine v. Hi-Vac LLC, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 141290 (S.D. Miss. Oct. 12, 2016): This matter is before the Court on the Motion in Limine [143] filed by Plaintiff Lionel Ernestine ("Plaintiff"), and the Motion in Limine [147] filed by Defendant [*2] Hi-Vac LLC ("Defendant"). Aft ...

Arbitration — Does the FAA Authorize Arbitrators to Issue Deposition Subpoenas Duces Tecum or Must a Hearing Be Held? — Circuit Split

McTammany v. Foundation Capital Partners LP, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 183559 (C.D. Cal. May 1, 2015): PROCEEDINGS (IN CHAMBERS): ORDER DENYING MOTION TO COMPEL DEPOSITION OF KELLY HOLOWATY [1] Before the Court is Plaintiffs' Motion to Compel Deposition of Kelly Holowaty (Dkt. 1). The Court finds this matter ap ...

McTammany v. Foundation Capital Partners LP, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 183559 (C.D. Cal. May 1, 2015): PROCEEDINGS (IN CHAMBERS): ORDER DENYING MOTION TO COMPEL DEPOSITION OF KELLY HOLOWATY [1] Before the Court is Plaintiffs' Motion to Compel Deposition of Kelly…

§ 1927 Sanctions: Once It Is Obvious An Asserted Position Has No Basis, Continuing to Assert It Exposes Counsel to Sanctions — The Court Aims To Resolve This Dispute, Not To Litigate The Same Points Ad Infinitum (Good Quotes)

Valley Forge Ins. Co. v. Hartford Iron & Metal, Inc., 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1187 (N.D. Ind. Jan. 4, 2017): Hartford Iron doesn't like the way Valley Forge has performed on its contract. After three motions to dismiss, numerous excess parties and numerous excess claims, what remains of Hartford Iron's counterclaim is an alleged ...

Removal: May a Non-Forum Defendant Remove before Service Is Effected on a Forum Defendant? — Circuit Split — Held, a Forum Defendant May Remove before It Has Been Served Even If There Are No Non-Forum Defendants

Hwang v. Gladden, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 177479 (M.D. Ala. Dec. 21, 2016): This matter is before the court on plaintiffs' motion to remand (Doc. 9), which is opposed by defendants Brent Gladden and University Real Estate Group, LLC (collectively, "defendants"). This case was initially assigned to the undersigned as presid ...

Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

Sanctions: District Court May Not Award Appellate Fees Absent Statutory Authorization, Except for Interlocutory Appeal If Prevailing Party Later Wins Below — Even If District Court Proceedings Frivolous, Appeal May Not Be — $17 Million FCA Award

Text Message Authentication: Mere Proximity to Phone, Absent Proof of Ownership or Linkage to Content of Texts or Other Circumstantial Evidence Linking Alleged Owner to Messages, Insufficient to Authenticate

Spoliation Doesn’t Prevent Summary Judgment in Spoliator’s Favor If Only Adverse Inference Would Not Save Adversary’s Claims — Appeals: Failure to Order Transcript of Recorded Hearing As Required by FRAP 10(b)(1) Forfeits Claim of Error

Court May Take Judicial Notice of Document Filed in Another Case Not for the Truth of the Matters Asserted But Only to Establish Fact of Filing and What Is Asserted — Judicial Estoppel: Factors

Arbitration — If Complaint/Supporting Docs Unclear on Agreement to Arbitrate, Motion to Compel Should Follow Discovery, Be Decided under SJ Standard — While Continuing to Work after ADR Policy May=Consent to Arbitrate, Not So If Employee Dissents

RICO/9(b): Where Many Sued, Complaint Need Not Necessarily ID False Statements by Each But Conclusory Conspiracy Claim Not Enough — Each’s Role Must Be ID’ed; Collective Action OK If All Did Same Thing — Basis for Belief (Info+B) Must Be Stated

Video Evidence Should Be Reviewed by the Court In Camera before It Is Displayed to Jury — Fact That Attorney Referred Plaintiff to Physician Is Relevant, Admissible — Fact Plaintiff’s Counsel Advertises Excluded

Arbitration — Does the FAA Authorize Arbitrators to Issue Deposition Subpoenas Duces Tecum or Must a Hearing Be Held? — Circuit Split

§ 1927 Sanctions: Once It Is Obvious An Asserted Position Has No Basis, Continuing to Assert It Exposes Counsel to Sanctions — The Court Aims To Resolve This Dispute, Not To Litigate The Same Points Ad Infinitum (Good Quotes)

Removal: May a Non-Forum Defendant Remove before Service Is Effected on a Forum Defendant? — Circuit Split — Held, a Forum Defendant May Remove before It Has Been Served Even If There Are No Non-Forum Defendants

Recent Posts

RICO: Indirect Injury Unrecoverable — Indirect Purchaser Rule Imported from Antitrust

RICO: No Causation Where Harm Flowed Several Steps After the Fraudulent Acts — RICO Causation Same As Antitrust Causation

Sanctions vs. Automatic Stay: Imposition of Sanctions (Here, Inherent Power Sanctions) Is Subject to the Police Power Exception to the Automatic Stay in Bankruptcy

The Word “Include” May Be A Word of Limitation As Opposed to a Word of Enlargement, Depending on the Context

Spoliation/Sanctions: “A Party Does Not Spoliate Evidence When, Without Notice Of The Evidence’s Potential Relevance, It Destroys The Evidence According To Its Policy Or In The Normal Course Of Its Business” (Good Quote)

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