Complex Lit Blog

Email Admissibility — Admissions, State of Mind, Excited Utterance, Intent or Plan — Courts Sometimes More Lenient with Affidavits and Documents of Party Opposing Summary Judgment

Fleming v. Purcell Painting & Coatings Sw., Inc., 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 178471 (E.D. Cal. Dec. 30, 2014): Defendant Purcell Painting and Coatings Southwest moves for summary judgment. (Def.'s Corrected Mot. Summ. J., ECF No. 29.) Plaintiff Jay Fleming opposes the motion. (Pl.'s Opp'n to Def.'s Mot., ECF No. 39.) ***

Three Good Quotes When You Have to Change Position or Ask a Judge to

“Justice Frankfurter once remarked that, ‘Wisdom too often never comes, and so one ought not to reject it merely because it comes late.’ Henslee v. Union Planters Nat’l Bank & Trust Co., 355 U.S. 595, 600 (Frankfurter, J., dissenting). This is one of those moments.” Marsden v. Select Medical Corp., 2007 U.S. D ...

“Justice Frankfurter once remarked that, ‘Wisdom too often never comes, and so one ought not to reject it merely because it comes late.’ Henslee v. Union Planters Nat’l Bank & Trust Co., 355 U.S. 595, 600 (Frankfurter, J.,…

Circumstantial Email Authentication — Testimony from One User of a Shared Account That Emails Bore the Typical Signature of One Defendant (Sender) and Contents Reflected Matters Known to Her Husband (On Whose Behalf The Messages Were Sent)

Commonwealth v. Johnson, 470 Mass. 300, 2014 Mass. LEXIS 955 (Mass. Dec. 23, 2014): This case concerns the constitutionality of the criminal harassment statute, G. L. c. 265, § 43A (a), and its application to acts of cyberharassment among others. Specifically, we consider whether a pattern of harassing conduct that includes ...

Inherent Power Sanction: Stripping Pro Hac Vice Status (PHV) for Slipping Note to Witness — PHV as Property Right — Tossing Note = Spoliation — That Lawyer Was Corner-Cutting Before Relevant to Sanction (Good Quote)

Ryan v. Astra Tech, Inc., 2014 U.S. App. LEXIS 21628 (1st Cir. Nov. 14, 2014) (Kayatta, J.): Attorney Jeffrey Ryan ("Ryan") appeals from the district court's revocation of his permission to practice pro hac vice for the plaintiff in the underlying lawsuit that gave rise to these proceedings.1 ...

Ryan v. Astra Tech, Inc., 2014 U.S. App. LEXIS 21628 (1st Cir. Nov. 14, 2014) (Kayatta, J.): Attorney Jeffrey Ryan ("Ryan") appeals from the district court's revocation of his permission to practice pro hac vice for the plaintiff in the …

Judicial Notice of Internet Evidence — Obituary Posted on Funeral Home Website Properly Noticed, Like Obituary Appearing in Newspaper

Shaut v. Sec’y of Dep’t of HHS, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 176591 (N.D.N.Y. Dec. 22, 2014): On July 23, 2014, pro se Plaintiff Anna M. Shaut filed a complaint against the United States Department of Health and Human Services ("HHS") seeking judicial review, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1395ff(b), of a May 22, 2014, decision of the Medicar ...

Supreme Court: Application of Res Judicata to Nonparties — Six Situations — Federal vs. State Law on the Preclusive Effect of Federal-Court Judgments (Federal Question vs. Diversity Cases)

Taylor v. Sturgell, 553 U.S. 880 (2008): The preclusive effect of a federal-court judgment is determined by federal common law. See Semtek Int'l Inc. v. Lockheed Martin Corp., 531 U.S. 497, 507-508, 121 S. Ct. 1021, 149 L. Ed. 2d 32 (2001). For judgments in federal-question cases--for example, Herrick ...

Taylor v. Sturgell, 553 U.S. 880 (2008): The preclusive effect of a federal-court judgment is determined by federal common law. See Semtek Int'l Inc. v. Lockheed Martin Corp., 531 U.S. 497, 507-508, 121 S. Ct. 1021, 149 L. Ed. 2d…

Attorney-Client Privilege — Three Approaches to Waiver of Privilege and Work Product Protection — Evidence of Reliance on Advice of Counsel in Settling Case = Waiver in Insurer’s Trial against Adjuster and His Firm

Seneca Ins. Co. v. Western Claims, Inc., 2014 U.S. App. LEXIS 24172 (10th Cir. Dec. 22, 2014): Seneca Insurance Company paid $1 million to settle a lawsuit in which its insured alleged Seneca had mishandled insurance claims for hail damage to the insured's property. Seeking to recoup the costs of defending and settling the ...

Realignment of Parties — Court Must Look Beyond Pleadings and Arrange Parties by Their Side in the Dispute — Competing Tests: Primary Purpose vs. Collision of Interests (Circuit Split)

Am. Econ. Ins. Co. v. Aspen Way Enters., 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 166747 (D. Mont. Dec. 2, 2014): Before the Court are two motions. *** The second is Defendant Hartford Fire Insurance Co.'s ("Hartford Fire") Motion for Realignment (Doc. 41). Concerned that the addition of Hartford Casualty may ruin this Court's diversit ...

Jury Trial Waiver — Enforceability Factors — Who Bears the Burden of Proving That the Waiver Was Knowing, Voluntary and Intelligent? Circuit Split

Travelers Cas. & Sur. Co. of Am. v. Highland P’ship, Inc., 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 32798 (S.D. Cal. Mar. 8, 2013): There are two related causes of action currently pending before the Court, both of which are set for trial beginning the week of April 15, 2013. (Doc. No. 124.) The first cause of action concerns breach of an Indemnity Ag ...

RICO — Plaintiff May Base Personal Jurisdiction on RICO’s Nationwide Service of Process Provision (18 U.S.C. § 1965(b)), Only If Plaintiff States a Colorable RICO Claim

Courboin v. Scott, 2014 U.S. App. LEXIS 22775 (11th Cir. Dec. 1, 2014): A. When analyzing a dismissal for lack of personal jurisdiction, "we first determine whether the applicable statute potentially confers jurisdiction over the defendant." Republic of Panama v. BCCI Holdings (Luxembourg) S.A., 119 F.3d 935, ...

Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

Email Admissibility — Admissions, State of Mind, Excited Utterance, Intent or Plan — Courts Sometimes More Lenient with Affidavits and Documents of Party Opposing Summary Judgment

Three Good Quotes When You Have to Change Position or Ask a Judge to

Circumstantial Email Authentication — Testimony from One User of a Shared Account That Emails Bore the Typical Signature of One Defendant (Sender) and Contents Reflected Matters Known to Her Husband (On Whose Behalf The Messages Were Sent)

Inherent Power Sanction: Stripping Pro Hac Vice Status (PHV) for Slipping Note to Witness — PHV as Property Right — Tossing Note = Spoliation — That Lawyer Was Corner-Cutting Before Relevant to Sanction (Good Quote)

Judicial Notice of Internet Evidence — Obituary Posted on Funeral Home Website Properly Noticed, Like Obituary Appearing in Newspaper

Supreme Court: Application of Res Judicata to Nonparties — Six Situations — Federal vs. State Law on the Preclusive Effect of Federal-Court Judgments (Federal Question vs. Diversity Cases)

Attorney-Client Privilege — Three Approaches to Waiver of Privilege and Work Product Protection — Evidence of Reliance on Advice of Counsel in Settling Case = Waiver in Insurer’s Trial against Adjuster and His Firm

Realignment of Parties — Court Must Look Beyond Pleadings and Arrange Parties by Their Side in the Dispute — Competing Tests: Primary Purpose vs. Collision of Interests (Circuit Split)

Jury Trial Waiver — Enforceability Factors — Who Bears the Burden of Proving That the Waiver Was Knowing, Voluntary and Intelligent? Circuit Split

RICO — Plaintiff May Base Personal Jurisdiction on RICO’s Nationwide Service of Process Provision (18 U.S.C. § 1965(b)), Only If Plaintiff States a Colorable RICO Claim

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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