Complex Lit Blog

Facebook Messages Authenticated by Fact They Were Sent to/from Defendant’s Account, His Instructions to Witness to Delete Some of Them and His Acting in Accordance with Plans Exchanged in Them

People v. Holwerda, 2015 Mich. App. LEXIS 2310 (Mich. Ct. App. Dec. 10, 2015): Following a jury trial, defendant was convicted of three counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct (CSC-III), MCL 750.520d(1)(a) (sexual penetration with a victim between 13 and 16 years of age). The trial court sentenced defendant as an habit ...

RICO — Neither Shareholder Nor Creditor Has Standing to Sue for Injuries Resulting from Injury Sustained in First Instance by Corporation

Harris v. Orange S.A., 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 22905 (11th Cir. Dec. 30, 2015): Marcia Harris appeals the district court's dismissal of her complaint against Orange Business Services U.S., Inc. ("OBS"), a Delaware corporation located in Georgia; Orange S.A. ("Orange"), a corporation located in France; Almerys S.A. ...

Email/Texts — Texts Authenticated by Fact They Were Downloaded from Cell on Defendant’s Person (Even Though Registered to & Sometimes Use by Another), Refer to Him by First Name and Concern Drugs of Sort Possessed by Him — Texts Then = Admissions

Glispie v. State, 2015 Ga. App. LEXIS 748 (Ga. Ct. App. Nov. 20, 2015): In connection with a traffic stop, Jaylend Glispie was convicted of violating the Georgia Controlled Substances Act for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and 3, 4-methylenedioxymethcathinone (methylone) (2 counts),1 obstructi ...

Glispie v. State, 2015 Ga. App. LEXIS 748 (Ga. Ct. App. Nov. 20, 2015): In connection with a traffic stop, Jaylend Glispie was convicted of violating the Georgia Controlled Substances Act for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and 3,…

Spoliation Sanctions — Default Judgment — Calculating Reasonable Damages When Essential Evidence Has Been Spoliated — New Argument May Be Considered on Appeal If It Is Purely Legal, Requires No New Facts or Manifest Injustice Would Result

Peter Kiewit Sons’, Inc. v. Wall Street Equity Grp., Inc., 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 52 (8th Cir. Jan. 6, 2016): This appeal arises out of a trademark infringement suit filed by Peter Kiewit Sons', Inc., in which the district court1 first entered a default against the defendants as ...

Peter Kiewit Sons’, Inc. v. Wall Street Equity Grp., Inc., 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 52 (8th Cir. Jan. 6, 2016): This appeal arises out of a trademark infringement suit filed by Peter Kiewit Sons', Inc., in which the district court…

Email Admissibility — Read Receipt Probably Not Statement But, If So, Is An Admission — Reliability Not at Issue Where Issuer Admits Receipt of Underlying Email and Recipient Testifies She Received Receipt from Issuer’s Address

Fox v. Leland Volunteer Fire/Rescue Dept., Inc., 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30583 (E.D.N.C. Mar. 11, 2015): Plaintiff, formerly a paid lieutenant with defendant Leland Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department ("Leland") from June 2008, until January 2011, commenced this action by complaint dated December 21, 2012. Plaintiff sues defe ...

Judicial Notice of Internet Evidence — Court Records as Reflected on Westlaw

Uncapher v. Berghuis, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21696 (E.D. Mich. Feb. 24, 2015): 1 Although neither party informed this Court of petitioner's 2008 habeas petition in the Western District of Michigan, the Court learned about the case while searching Westlaw's website to obtain citations for petitioner's state court app ...

Uncapher v. Berghuis, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21696 (E.D. Mich. Feb. 24, 2015): 1 Although neither party informed this Court of petitioner's 2008 habeas petition in the Western District of Michigan, the Court learned about the case while searching Westlaw's …

Email Evidence — Circumstantial Authentication (7th Circuit)

Finnegan v. Myers, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 119517 (N.D. Ind. Sept. 8, 2015): This matter is before the Court on Defendant Laskey's Motion for Summary Judgment, filed by Defendant, Antoinette Laskey, on October 6, 2014 (DE #195), and Defendant Laskey's Motion to Strike Inadmissible Testimony and Documents from Plaintiffs' Des ...

Attorney Discipline — Court of Appeals Reviews De Novo Whether Conduct Is Subject to Sanction — Choice of Sanction Reviewed for Abuse of Discretion

In re Booker, 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 22127 (5th Cir. Dec. 18, 2015): Robert Booker was suspended from the roll of attorneys admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas (the "Eastern District") for three years. In June 2015, Booker appealed that suspension, claiming the dis ...

In re Booker, 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 22127 (5th Cir. Dec. 18, 2015): Robert Booker was suspended from the roll of attorneys admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas (the "Eastern District") …

Sanctions — “This Appeal … Can Only Be Described as an Exercise in Chutzpah” (Good Quote) — Bankruptcy Court Has Authority to Dismiss a Chapter 7 Case for Cause for Bad Faith Litigation Abuse

Krueger v. Torres (In re Krueger), 812 F.3d 365 (5th Cir. Tex. Jan. 19, 2016): This appeal of a bankruptcy court decision dismissing a chapter 7 case "for cause" can only be described as an exercise in chutzpah. The debtor flagrantly and repeatedly abused bankruptcy and court processes to retain a ...

Krueger v. Torres (In re Krueger), 812 F.3d 365 (5th Cir. Tex. Jan. 19, 2016): This appeal of a bankruptcy court decision dismissing a chapter 7 case "for cause" can only be described as an exercise in chutzpah.…

Judicial Notice of Internet Evidence — Appellate Court’s Taking Notice of Ongoing Proceedings in Lower Court Is Consistent with Its Authority to Require Supplementation of the Record and to Issue a Writ for Such Records

Matter of MKT, 2016 OK 4; 2016 Okla. LEXIS 6 (Okla. Sup. Ct. Jan. 20, 2016): The district court ordered the transfer of a minor child, S.A.W., to a foster-adoption home that was in compliance with the Indian Child Welfare Act and the Oklahoma Indian Child Welfare Act [IWCA], and in the bests interests of the child. Foster mother, natu ...

Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

Facebook Messages Authenticated by Fact They Were Sent to/from Defendant’s Account, His Instructions to Witness to Delete Some of Them and His Acting in Accordance with Plans Exchanged in Them

RICO — Neither Shareholder Nor Creditor Has Standing to Sue for Injuries Resulting from Injury Sustained in First Instance by Corporation

Email/Texts — Texts Authenticated by Fact They Were Downloaded from Cell on Defendant’s Person (Even Though Registered to & Sometimes Use by Another), Refer to Him by First Name and Concern Drugs of Sort Possessed by Him — Texts Then = Admissions

Spoliation Sanctions — Default Judgment — Calculating Reasonable Damages When Essential Evidence Has Been Spoliated — New Argument May Be Considered on Appeal If It Is Purely Legal, Requires No New Facts or Manifest Injustice Would Result

Email Admissibility — Read Receipt Probably Not Statement But, If So, Is An Admission — Reliability Not at Issue Where Issuer Admits Receipt of Underlying Email and Recipient Testifies She Received Receipt from Issuer’s Address

Judicial Notice of Internet Evidence — Court Records as Reflected on Westlaw

Email Evidence — Circumstantial Authentication (7th Circuit)

Attorney Discipline — Court of Appeals Reviews De Novo Whether Conduct Is Subject to Sanction — Choice of Sanction Reviewed for Abuse of Discretion

Sanctions — “This Appeal … Can Only Be Described as an Exercise in Chutzpah” (Good Quote) — Bankruptcy Court Has Authority to Dismiss a Chapter 7 Case for Cause for Bad Faith Litigation Abuse

Judicial Notice of Internet Evidence — Appellate Court’s Taking Notice of Ongoing Proceedings in Lower Court Is Consistent with Its Authority to Require Supplementation of the Record and to Issue a Writ for Such Records

Recent Posts

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

Inherent Power — Circumstantial Evidence — Fact That Bad Faith May Be Shown by Establishing That Conduct Was So Egregious It Was Necessarily Committed in Bad Faith Does Not Mean That Bad Faith Must Be The Sole Explanation for The Bad Conduct

RICO Causation: Testing Labs’ Misstatements As to Alcohol Tests’ Efficacy Not Communicated to Plaintiffs’ Employers Did Not Cause Plaintiffs’ Professional Harm

Rule 37(d) Sanctions — For Failure to Serve Answers, Objections, Or Written Response to Discovery Requests — Are Not Limited to Intentional Misconduct; Even Innocent Mistakes May Be Covered

Sanctions: (1) Rule 11 Does Not Apply to Litigation Papers Initially Filed in State Court — Only Reaffirmance in Federal Court Post-Removal Is Subject to Sanction — (2) “The Fact That A Legal Theory Is A Long-Shot Does Not Necessarily Mean It Is Sanctionable” (Good Quote)

Supreme Court: Relief under Rule 60(b)(6) Requires Extraordinary Circumstances Even If It Is Invoked to Allow Amendment of The Complaint–Rule 15’s Liberal Approach to Amendment Does Not Change That (Reversing Second Circuit)

FRAP 38 Sanctions — Eleventh Circuit Generally Does Not Impose FRAP 38 Sanctions on Pro Se Litigants, But May Do So If They Have Persisted Despite Judicial Warnings of Frivolousness

Inherent Power Sanctions: No Dismissal with Prejudice If Lesser Sanctions Will Suffice — The Liberal Pleading Standard of Swierkiewicz “Is Still Good Law”

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