Complex Lit Blog

Spoliation Sanctions Inapt against Individual Where Plaintiff Put Only Entity on Notice of Possible Claim, without Notifying Individual of Prospective Claim against Him Personally — 10th Circuit Requires Bad Faith for Adverse Inference Instruction

Smith v. Nichols, 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 16 (10th Cir. Jan. 2, 2013): Plaintiff-Appellant Tommie Smith, an inmate in the custody of the Colorado Department of Corrections ("CDOC"), appeals a jury verdict denying his claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against Defendant-Appellee Sergeant Virgil Nichols, a CDOC correctional officer. 1 The jury co ...

Smith v. Nichols, 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 16 (10th Cir. Jan. 2, 2013): Plaintiff-Appellant Tommie Smith, an inmate in the custody of the Colorado Department of Corrections (“CDOC”), appeals a jury verdict denying his claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983…

Sanctions: Counsel Still Caused “Excess” Fees within § 1927 Despite 42 U.S.C. § 1988 Award against Client for Same Fees — Default in Responding to Motion Suffices as a Substitute for Required Finding of Bad Faith (1 Judge Dissenting)

Young Apartments, Inc. v. Town of Jupiter, 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 383 (11th Cir. Jan. 7, 2013): Appellants William Tedards and Michael Weeks, two attorneys who represented their client, Plaintiff Young Apartments, in this civil lawsuit, appeal the district court's imposition of sanctions on them in the form of attorneys' fees under 28 U.S ...

Entity May Appeal Privilege Order to Disclose Its Data Held by Former Employee But Not by Employees’ Counsel at Its Request — Perlman Unaffected by Mohawk (Circuit Split) — Reasonable-Basis-to-Suspect-Test for Crime-Fraud Excepttion

In re Grand Jury, 2012 U.S. App. LEXIS 25318 (3d Cir. Dec. 11, 2012): ABC Corp., John Doe 1, and John Doe 2 are subjects of an ongoing grand jury investigation into an alleged criminal tax scheme. As part of that scheme, ABC Corp., under the direction of John Doe 1 and John Doe 2, purchased and subsequently sold numerous companies. Th ...

Non-Signatory May Not Compel Arbitration Merely Because It Is an Agent of a Signatory, Even if Clause Extends to Agents — Dispute Must Arise Out of Agency — Equitable Estoppel to Compel Arbitration: Standards

Baldwin v. Cavett, 2012 U.S. App. LEXIS 22777 (5th Cir. Nov. 6, 2012): Clifford W. Cavett ("Cavett"), Larry A. Turner ("Turner"), and Robert J. Wyble ("Wyble") are partners in the accounting firm Cavett, Turner & Wyble L.L.P. ("CTW"). According to the Second Amended Complaint, Cavett and CTW began providing accounting services ...

Baldwin v. Cavett, 2012 U.S. App. LEXIS 22777 (5th Cir. Nov. 6, 2012): Clifford W. Cavett (“Cavett”), Larry A. Turner (“Turner”), and Robert J. Wyble (“Wyble”) are partners in the accounting firm Cavett, Turner & Wyble L.L.P. (“CTW”). According to…

Eighth Circuit Continues to Reserve on Question Whether Spoliation Doctrine Applies in Criminal Cases — Indicates Bad Faith and Prejudice Would in All Events Be Required

United States v. Tyerman, 2012 U.S. App. LEXIS 25350 (8th Cir. Dec. 12, 2012): This court has not applied the spoliation doctrine in a criminal case. United States v. Davis, 690 F.3d 912, 925 (8th Cir. 2012). Even if this court were to do so, a showing of the government's bad faith would be required. Id., citing Stepne ...

Denial of Discovery Sanctions without Explanation Requires Remand — Contours of the Deliberative Process Privilege

U.S. ex rel. Williams v. Renal Care Group, Inc., 696 F.3d 518 (6th Cir. 2012): 1. The Alexander letter During discovery, the defendants sought evidence related to whether Medicare/Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) was aware of the RCG/RCGSC relationship. As part of this effort, they requested evidence rel ...

Sanctions Reversed Where Inference of Bad Faith Drawn in Part from Conduct of Others — “[O]nly Conduct Explicitly Referred to in the Instrument Providing Notice Is Sanctionable” —

Cameron Int’l Trading Co. v. Hawk Importers, Inc., 2012 U.S. App. LEXIS 22294 (2d Cir. Oct. 25, 2012): Movants J. Curtis Edmondson and Scott D. Frendel (collectively "movants"), defendants' counsel in this matter, appeal from a January 18, 2011, memorandum and order finding that they violated Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11(b) and ...

Cameron Int’l Trading Co. v. Hawk Importers, Inc., 2012 U.S. App. LEXIS 22294 (2d Cir. Oct. 25, 2012): Movants J. Curtis Edmondson and Scott D. Frendel (collectively “movants”), defendants’ counsel in this matter, appeal from a January 18, 2011, memorandum…

Extraterritorial Application of RICO — Case Law Split as to Whether to Focus on Enterprise vs. Pattern to Determine Whether Statute Being Improperly Applied Extraterritorially

United States v. Chao Fan Xu, 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 93 (9th Cir. Jan. 2, 2013): Viewed as a whole, the activities subject to count one encompass a unified scheme, wherein the Defendants: stole as much money as possible from the Bank of China; transferred the stolen funds out of China; escaped, through immigration fraud, to a safe harbor ...

Invited Error Doctrine and Intervening Change of Law

United States v. Maury, 695 F.3d 227 (3d Cir. 2012): Under the invited error doctrine, "[a] defendant cannot complain on appeal of alleged errors invited or induced by himself." Console, 13 F.3d at 660 (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). "[W]here a defendant makes a request in favor of certain instructions, he waiv ...

United States v. Maury, 695 F.3d 227 (3d Cir. 2012): Under the invited error doctrine, “[a] defendant cannot complain on appeal of alleged errors invited or induced by himself.” Console, 13 F.3d at 660 (citation and internal quotation marks omitted).…

Testifying Expert in Related Case Is Afforded Work Product Protection under 2010 FRCP Amendments — Notes of Experts and Communications with Non-Lawyers Unprotected — Communication Through, or Copying, Agents Does Not Undo Protection

In re Application of Republic of Ecuador ... under 28 U.S.C. § 1782, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 157497 (N.D. Fla. Nov. 2, 2012): This proceeding is a small part of an expansive, long-running international dispute. The principal adversaries are the Republic of Ecuador ("the Republic"), on one side, and on the other, Chevron Corporation--as ...

In re Application of Republic of Ecuador … under 28 U.S.C. § 1782, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 157497 (N.D. Fla. Nov. 2, 2012): This proceeding is a small part of an expansive, long-running international dispute. The principal adversaries are the…

Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

Spoliation Sanctions Inapt against Individual Where Plaintiff Put Only Entity on Notice of Possible Claim, without Notifying Individual of Prospective Claim against Him Personally — 10th Circuit Requires Bad Faith for Adverse Inference Instruction

Sanctions: Counsel Still Caused “Excess” Fees within § 1927 Despite 42 U.S.C. § 1988 Award against Client for Same Fees — Default in Responding to Motion Suffices as a Substitute for Required Finding of Bad Faith (1 Judge Dissenting)

Entity May Appeal Privilege Order to Disclose Its Data Held by Former Employee But Not by Employees’ Counsel at Its Request — Perlman Unaffected by Mohawk (Circuit Split) — Reasonable-Basis-to-Suspect-Test for Crime-Fraud Excepttion

Non-Signatory May Not Compel Arbitration Merely Because It Is an Agent of a Signatory, Even if Clause Extends to Agents — Dispute Must Arise Out of Agency — Equitable Estoppel to Compel Arbitration: Standards

Eighth Circuit Continues to Reserve on Question Whether Spoliation Doctrine Applies in Criminal Cases — Indicates Bad Faith and Prejudice Would in All Events Be Required

Denial of Discovery Sanctions without Explanation Requires Remand — Contours of the Deliberative Process Privilege

Sanctions Reversed Where Inference of Bad Faith Drawn in Part from Conduct of Others — “[O]nly Conduct Explicitly Referred to in the Instrument Providing Notice Is Sanctionable” —

Extraterritorial Application of RICO — Case Law Split as to Whether to Focus on Enterprise vs. Pattern to Determine Whether Statute Being Improperly Applied Extraterritorially

Invited Error Doctrine and Intervening Change of Law

Testifying Expert in Related Case Is Afforded Work Product Protection under 2010 FRCP Amendments — Notes of Experts and Communications with Non-Lawyers Unprotected — Communication Through, or Copying, Agents Does Not Undo Protection

Recent Posts

RICO: Mail and Wire Fraud: Act of Emailing Transcript of Court Proceedings Containing Allegedly False Statements Made in Court ≠ Wire Fraud — Mailing (Serving on Opposing Party) Declarations Allegedly Containing False Statements ≠ Mail Fraud

FRAP 38 Sanctions — Sixth Circuit Usually Declines to Impose FRAP 38 Sanctions Unless An Improper Purpose Was Behind the Appeal

FRAP 38: Permissible for Appeals Court to Affirm Sanctions But Deny FRAP 38 Sanctions for Appeal — A Defendant’s Voluntary Cessation of Complained of Behavior Does Not Moot a Case Unless It Is Clear That The Behavior Could Not Reasonably Be Expected to Recur

Rule 11: Violation of 21 Day Safe Harbor “Overlook[ed]” As Non-Prejudicial by First Circuit — “Rule 11 Monetary Sanctions Must Be Reasonable” (Good Quote) — Rule 11(c)(4) Requires Consideration of Offender’s Ability to Pay

Temporary Restraining Order = Preliminary Injunction: 3 Supreme Court Cases (TRO=PI x 3)

Rule 37(c)(1) Sanctions — Exclusion of Untimely Expert Report — Eighth Circuit’s 4-Factor Test

RICO: So Insubstantial A Claim As to Fail to Confer Subject Matter Jurisdiction

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