Complex Lit Blog

Rule 11 Sanctions — Baseless Objection to Class Action Settlement — Good Quote: Burying One’s Head in the Sand, in the Hope That a Judge Will Disregard an Adverse Decision by the Supreme Court, Is a Paradigm of Frivolous Litigation

In re Polyurethane Foam Antitrust Litig., 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 156546 (N.D. Ohio Nov. 19, 2015): The Direct Purchaser Class moves for Rule 11 sanctions against Objector Michael Narkin (Doc. 1743), and Narkin moves for sanctions against Class Counsel (Doc. 1800). Sanctions are appropriate because Narkin is not a class ...

Lay Opinion Testimony Based on Hearsay Statements Made by Unidentified Individuals, Well Beyond Witness’s Personal Experience, Violates Rule 701 — Email Containing Hearsay That Is Relevant to State of Mind Only If Hearsay Is True Is Inadmissible

United States v. Lloyd, 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 21056 (9th Cir. Dec. 4, 2015): Five defendants appeal their convictions or sentences for selling unregistered securities. The defendants worked for telemarketing "boiler rooms" in California and Florida, soliciting investments in partnerships to finance the production and distribu ...

Rule 11 — Failing, in Summary Judgment Opposition Brief, to Make Specific Arguments in Defense of Claims Subject to Rule 11 Motion Is Not Equivalent to Withdrawing Them Per Safe Harbor

Barrett-Bowie v. Select Portfolio Servicing, Inc., 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 20706 (5th Cir. Nov. 25, 2015): [Plaintiff’s counsel] appeal the district court's Rule 11 sanction order reprimanding them for submitting pleadings that contained factual allegations that Appellants knew were false. Because the district court did not abuse i ...

Twiqbal and Affirmative Defenses — Ninth Circuit Applies Fair-Notice Standard, Not Heightened Pleading Standard of Twombly and Iqbal, to Affirmative Defenses (Cases Are Split on the Issue)

Castellano v. Access premier Realty, Inc., 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 158078 (E.D. Cal. Nov. 23, 2015): An affirmative defense is an "assertion of facts and arguments that, if true, will defeat the plaintiff's [ ] claim, even if all the allegations in the complaint are true." Black's Law Dictionary (10th ed. 2014). A cour ...

Diversity Jurisdiction — Supreme Court Has Granted Cert to Resolve Circuit Split as to Whether Citizenship of a Trust Is Determined by Citizenship of Controlling Trustees, Trust Beneficiaries or Some Combination of Both

WNWSR, LLC v. Chesapeake Energy Corp., 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 159527 (S.D. Tex. Nov. 19, 2015): 5 The courts of appeals agree that the citizenship of a limited liability company is determined by the citizenship of the company's shareholders. Grupo Dataflux v. Atlas Glob. Grp., L.P., 541 U.S. 567, 585 n.1 (2004) (noting ...

30(b)(6) Testimony Binding Only in Sense It Can Be Used Against Organization — Testimony Can be Corrected, Explained or Supplemented — Entity Isn’t Bound to Whatever a Fairly-Prepared and Candid Deponent Happens to Recall

Keepers, Inc. v. Sidepockets, Inc., 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 20223 (2d Cir. Nov. 20, 2015): Plaintiff Keepers, Inc. ("Keepers") and defendant City of Milford, Connecticut ("Milford" or "the City") appeal and cross-appeal, respectively, from partial summary judgment awards to each party by the United States Di ...

Changes to Deposition Testimony — Circuit Split as to Whether Substantive Changes Allowed — In Some Circuits That Allow Substantive Changes, Sham Affidavit Rule Bars Contradiction, But Applies Only on Summary Jmt; Otherwise, Credibility Is for Jury

Arce v. Chi. Trans. Auth., 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 159917 (N.D. Ill. Nov. 30, 2015): On June 29, 2015, Defendant Chicago Transit Authority (the "CTA") deposed Charlotte Arce, spouse of Plaintiff Israel Arce, based upon Plaintiff's Rule 26(a) disclosure that Mrs. Arce is a witness with relevant knowledge of ...

Arce v. Chi. Trans. Auth., 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 159917 (N.D. Ill. Nov. 30, 2015): On June 29, 2015, Defendant Chicago Transit Authority (the "CTA") deposed Charlotte Arce, spouse of Plaintiff Israel Arce, based upon Plaintiff's Rule 26(a) disclosure that …

RICO — “Difficult, Though Not Impossible, to Certify a Class in a RICO Mail Fraud Case” — First Party Reliance Usually Means Individual Inquiry — Setting Sights Lower Could Work Using Generalized Proof — Potential Use of Regression Analyses

Sergeants Benevolent Ass’n Health & Welfare Fund v. Sanofi-Aventis U.S. LLP, 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 19797 (2d Cir. Nov. 13, 2015 (2d Cir Nov. 13, 2015): Plaintiffs-Appellants are three health-benefit plans ("HBPs") that brought suit under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1961 et se ...

Sergeants Benevolent Ass’n Health & Welfare Fund v. Sanofi-Aventis U.S. LLP, 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 19797 (2d Cir. Nov. 13, 2015 (2d Cir Nov. 13, 2015): Plaintiffs-Appellants are three health-benefit plans ("HBPs") that brought suit under the Racketeer Influenced and …

Spoliation — Adverse Inference Rejected — Lost Documents Likely Irrelevant — Presumption Insufficient to Show Prejudice — Instruction Could Effectively End Case — Fees Awarded for Needed Additional Discovery

Ruzhinskaya v. HealthPort Techs., LLC, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 156685 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 19, 2015): This decision resolves a motion for sanctions against plaintiff Tatyana Ruzhinskaya ("Ruzhinskaya") and her counsel. The motion, by defendant HealthPort Technologies, LLC ("HealthPort"), seeks sanctions arising fro ...

Ruzhinskaya v. HealthPort Techs., LLC, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 156685 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 19, 2015): This decision resolves a motion for sanctions against plaintiff Tatyana Ruzhinskaya ("Ruzhinskaya") and her counsel. The motion, by defendant HealthPort Technologies, LLC ("HealthPort"), seeks sanctions arising …

Documents Obtained from FDIC (or Other Governmental) Website Are Self-Authenticating and Properly Considered on Summary Judgment — Judicial Notice OK — (Official Documents of the Agency, Not Third Party Documents Posted on Site)

Avery v. LPP Mortgage, Ltd., 2015 Tex. App. LEXIS 11136 (Tex. Ct. App. Oct. 29, 2015): Appellant, Allan R. Avery, appeals the trial court's grant of summary judgment in favor of appellee, LPP Mortgage, Ltd. [LPP], on two notes guaranteed by Avery. We affirm in part and reverse and remand in part. ***2."the ...

Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

Rule 11 Sanctions — Baseless Objection to Class Action Settlement — Good Quote: Burying One’s Head in the Sand, in the Hope That a Judge Will Disregard an Adverse Decision by the Supreme Court, Is a Paradigm of Frivolous Litigation

Lay Opinion Testimony Based on Hearsay Statements Made by Unidentified Individuals, Well Beyond Witness’s Personal Experience, Violates Rule 701 — Email Containing Hearsay That Is Relevant to State of Mind Only If Hearsay Is True Is Inadmissible

Rule 11 — Failing, in Summary Judgment Opposition Brief, to Make Specific Arguments in Defense of Claims Subject to Rule 11 Motion Is Not Equivalent to Withdrawing Them Per Safe Harbor

Twiqbal and Affirmative Defenses — Ninth Circuit Applies Fair-Notice Standard, Not Heightened Pleading Standard of Twombly and Iqbal, to Affirmative Defenses (Cases Are Split on the Issue)

Diversity Jurisdiction — Supreme Court Has Granted Cert to Resolve Circuit Split as to Whether Citizenship of a Trust Is Determined by Citizenship of Controlling Trustees, Trust Beneficiaries or Some Combination of Both

30(b)(6) Testimony Binding Only in Sense It Can Be Used Against Organization — Testimony Can be Corrected, Explained or Supplemented — Entity Isn’t Bound to Whatever a Fairly-Prepared and Candid Deponent Happens to Recall

Changes to Deposition Testimony — Circuit Split as to Whether Substantive Changes Allowed — In Some Circuits That Allow Substantive Changes, Sham Affidavit Rule Bars Contradiction, But Applies Only on Summary Jmt; Otherwise, Credibility Is for Jury

RICO — “Difficult, Though Not Impossible, to Certify a Class in a RICO Mail Fraud Case” — First Party Reliance Usually Means Individual Inquiry — Setting Sights Lower Could Work Using Generalized Proof — Potential Use of Regression Analyses

Spoliation — Adverse Inference Rejected — Lost Documents Likely Irrelevant — Presumption Insufficient to Show Prejudice — Instruction Could Effectively End Case — Fees Awarded for Needed Additional Discovery

Documents Obtained from FDIC (or Other Governmental) Website Are Self-Authenticating and Properly Considered on Summary Judgment — Judicial Notice OK — (Official Documents of the Agency, Not Third Party Documents Posted on Site)

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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