New York Attorneys JHA handles range the gamut of complex financial and commercial litigation and arbitration, including securities, RICO, corporate and contract disputes, credit default swaps, derivatives, and class, mass, and derivative actions. The firm also represents law firms in major disputes.

Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

New York Attorneys JHA handles range the gamut of complex financial and commercial litigation and arbitration, including securities, RICO, corporate and contract disputes, credit default swaps, derivatives, and class, mass, and derivative actions. The firm also represents law firms in major disputes.
Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

Complex Lit Blog

A Party Forfeits Invocation of Subject Matter Jurisdiction by Failing Timely to Invoke It — While Court Must Ensure It Does Not Lack Subject Matter Jurisdiction, It Has No Duty to Find and Exercise Jurisdiction on a Basis Not Raised by the Parties, Although The Court May Choose to Do So

Behrens v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, 96 F.4th 202 (2d Cir. 2024): Five former customers (“Plaintiffs”) of Peregrine Financial Group, Inc. (“Peregrine”), the defunct futures commission merchant, appeal the dismissal of their putative class action by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (Broderick, J.).
Behrens v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, 96 F.4th 202 (2d Cir. 2024): Five former customers (“Plaintiffs”) of Peregrine Financial Group, Inc. (“Peregrine”), the defunct futures commission merchant, appeal the dismissal of their putative class action by the United States District Court…
Continue Reading

RICO — Pattern — (1) Relatedness Established Where Three HJ factors satisfied— “H.J. Inc.’s List of Relatedness Factors Is Disjunctive, Non-Exhaustive, And Requires Only Sameness Or Similarity Of Any Factor”— “Even Separately-Performed, Functionally Diverse, And Directly Unrelated Predicate Acts Will Form A Pattern under RICO If They Have Been Undertaken in Furtherance of a Qualifying Enterprise” (Good Quotes)

Russo v. Lamancusa, 2024 WL 1433637 (3d Cir. April 3, 2024) (unpublished): *1 Anna Russo and Torry Argiro appeal the dismissal of their civil Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”) claim against Joshua Lamancusa, the Lawrence County District Attorney, and Richard Ryhal, an officer in the ...
Russo v. Lamancusa, 2024 WL 1433637 (3d Cir. April 3, 2024) (unpublished): *1 Anna Russo and Torry Argiro appeal the dismissal of their civil Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”) claim against Joshua Lamancusa, the Lawrence County…
Continue Reading

RICO and FRAP 38 Sanctions: (1) Four key elements of § 1962(c)-(d) claim; (2) Standing Alone, Neither A Breach of Fiduciary Duty Nor A Breach of Contract Constitutes Mail Fraud; (3) Falsity, Alone, Does Not Demonstrate Fraudulent Intent; (4) Common Law Fraud Not Implicating Mail or Wires ≠ Racketeering Activity; (5) FRAP 38 Sanctions Inapt for Weak But Not Frivolous Arguments; (6) Recidivism: Prior Sanctions, Alone, Insufficient to Convert Merely Weak into Sanctionable Claims

Efron v. UBS Fin. Servs. Inc. of P.R., 96 F.4th 430 (1st Cir. 2024): APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF PUERTO RICO [Hon.
Efron v. UBS Fin. Servs. Inc. of P.R., 96 F.4th 430 (1st Cir. 2024): APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF PUERTO RICO [Hon. William G. Young,* U.S. District Judge] Opinion Plaintiff-appellant David …
Continue Reading

Inherent Power Sanctions—Goodyear v. Haeger—Arbitration Confirmation: Where Respondent Advanced Many Meritless Arguments, But Some with Merit, Court May Award Entire Cost of Litigating As “Rough Justice” But High Degree of Specificity in Findings Required — Presenting an Issue of First Impression in an Unsettled Area, Even If Position Rejected, Is Not Without Justification

Trustees. of the N.Y. State Nurses Ass'n Pension Plan v. White Oak Glob. Advisors, LLC, 2024 U.S. App. LE ...
Trustees. of the N.Y. State Nurses Ass’n Pension Plan v. White Oak Glob. Advisors, LLC, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 12152, 102 F.4th 572 (2d Cir. 2024): Respondent-Appellant White Oak Global Advisors, LLC (“White Oak”) appeals from a judgment of …
Continue Reading

Sanctions: Rule 11 Does Not Create an Independent Cause of Action

Kaetz v. United States of Am., 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 14146 (3d Cir. June 11, 2024) (unpublished): OPINION* * This disposition is not an opinion of the full Court and pursuant to I.O.P. 5.7 does not constitute bin ...
Kaetz v. United States of Am., 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 14146 (3d Cir. June 11, 2024) (unpublished): OPINION* * This disposition is not an opinion of the full Court and pursuant to I.O.P. 5.7 does not constitute binding precedent. PER …
Continue Reading

“RICO Is a Judge’s Nightmare” — “The Requisite RICO Pleading Standards Are Far from Explicit, And The RICO Jurisprudence Offers Courts (And Plaintiffs) Little Guidance” (Good Quotes) — Common Elements of § 1962(a), (c) and (d)-Based Claims — Closed-End Continuity: Duration > 1 Year = Substantial Period of Time (E.g., 2 or 4) — Continuity: Courts Skeptical If Number of Victims and Schemes Is Limited — Untargeted Persons Who Suffer Derivative Injury from Injury to Immediate RICO Victim Do Not Add to the Number of Victims Considered for Continuity Purposes — Open Ended Continuity Can Be Established by Showing Defendant Commits Predicate Acts As “Regular Way of Doing Business” — Citing the Existence of Other Lawsuits Alleging Similar Predicates ≠ Pleading Facts Demonstrating Defendant’s Commission of Similar Predicates Against Others

D&T Partners, L.L.C. v. Baymark Partners Mgmt., LLC, 94 F.4th 198 (5th Cir. 2024): A group of individuals allegedly sought to steal the assets and trade secrets of an e-commerce company. They did so with shell entities, corrupt lending practices, and a fraudulent bankruptcy. The question in this case is whether the scheme, as alleged, violates the Racketeer Influenced and Co ...
D&T Partners, L.L.C. v. Baymark Partners Mgmt., LLC, 94 F.4th 198 (5th Cir. 2024): A group of individuals allegedly sought to steal the assets and trade secrets of an e-commerce company. They did so with shell entities, corrupt lending practices,…
Continue Reading

RICO: Personal Injury (Depression, Loss of Love and Affection) ≠ Injury to Business or Property — While Inability to Fulfill Employment Contract or Pursue Valuable Employment Opportunities as a Result of a RICO Violation Constitute Injury to Business or Property, Inability to Work Due to Emotional Trauma from RICO Violation Perpetrated on Another Is an Inactionable, Derivative Injury Too Remote from the RICO Violation — Statute of Limitations/Injury Discovery Rule — SOL Accrues When Plaintiff Knows Or Should Know of His or Her Injury, Regardless of Whether Plaintiff Knows the Injury Is Part of a Pattern of Racketeering — Separate Accrual Rule: New Cause of Action Accrues for Each New, Independent Injury, Even If RICO Violation Occurred > 4 Years Earlier — Private Citizens Cannot Compel a Criminal Prosecution Because They Lack a Cognizable Interest in the Prosecution of Another

Douglas v. Kalanta, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 10054, 2024 WL 1795160 (9th Cir. April 25, 2024) (unpublished) MEMORANDUM* *1 Plaintiffs Richard William Douglas, Jr. ...
Douglas v. Kalanta, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 10054, 2024 WL 1795160 (9th Cir. April 25, 2024) (unpublished) MEMORANDUM* *1 Plaintiffs Richard William Douglas, Jr., and Christine Anne Hurtt filed a complaint on October 18, 2021, alleging that defendants …
Continue Reading

Rule 11 Sanctions — Within District Court’s Discretion to Deny on Grounds That Imposing Sanctions Would Lead to a Continuation of Litigation Instead of Its Termination and That The Prospect of Recovering Significant Monetary Sanctions Was “Theoretical, Ephemeral and Perhaps Futile” — Neither Adverse Rulings Nor “Unsupported, Irrational, Or Highly Tenuous Speculation” Form a Basis for Recusal (Good Quotes)

Zia Shaikh v. Germadnig, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 13738 (3d Cir. June 6, 2024) (unpublished): OPIN ...
Zia Shaikh v. Germadnig, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 13738 (3d Cir. June 6, 2024) (unpublished): OPINION* PER CURIAM *1 In July 2013, Zia Shaikh filed for divorce from his wife. In many lawsuits since, he has sued numerous person…
Continue Reading

Younger Abstention: If Case Involves Equitable Relief, the District Court May Stay or Dismiss, But If The Case Seeks Damages, the District Court May Only Stay and Not Dismiss

Vyas v. Morris, 2024 WL 2874284 (4th Cir. June 7, 2024): PER CURIAM: Affirmed in part, vacated in part, and remanded by unpublished per curiam opinion.   Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.   Tarun Kumar Vyas appeals the district court’s orders dismissing without prejudice his
Vyas v. Morris, 2024 WL 2874284 (4th Cir. June 7, 2024): PER CURIAM: Affirmed in part, vacated in part, and remanded by unpublished per curiam opinion.   Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.   Tarun Kumar Vyas…
Continue Reading

(1) Inherent Power Must Arise From the Litigation before the Sanctioning Court — Abuse of Discretion to Use It to Sanction Other Conduct — (2) Additional [Criminal] Due Process Protections Required for Punitive Sanctions — (3) Although Movant Bears Burden Of Establishing Right To Intervene, Rule 24 Is To Be Liberally Construed

McClenny Moseley & Assocs., P.L.L.C. v. Equal Access Just. Fund, L.P., 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 13995 (5th Cir. June 7, 2024) (unpublished):
McClenny Moseley & Assocs., P.L.L.C. v. Equal Access Just. Fund, L.P., 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 13995 (5th Cir. June 7, 2024) (unpublished): DANA M. DOUGLAS, Circuit Judge:* *   This opinion is not designated for publication. See 5TH…
Continue Reading
Previous123456Next

Recent Posts

RICO: (1) Victim vs. Perpetrator Enterprises — (2) § 1962(b): Elements of a Violation — (3) Meaning of “Interest” and “Control” in § 1962(b) — (4) The Defendant in a § 1962(b) Action Need Not Be an Enterprise; The Victim Must Be An Enterprise — (5) Acquisition/Maintenance Injury Required (6) Aiding and Abetting Liability under RICO

Rule 11 Sanctions: Request for Bill of Particulars re Sanctions Proceeding Reviewed for Abuse of Discretion — Court’s Discretion Narrows As Severity of Sanction Increases OR When It Initiates the Sanction Proceeding Itself — Particularly Strict Abuse of Discretion Standard Applied — “Rule 11 Does Not License a District Court to Sanction Any Action by an Attorney or Party That It Disapproves of” (Good Quote) — Failure to Provide Identify Specific Pleading and Detail Specific, Objectionable Conduct within that Pleading Violates Due Process — Failure to Provide Notice That Most Severe Sanction May Be Imposed Violates Due Process — Failure to Provide Notice That “Scarlett Letter Sanction” (Mandatory Circulation of Sanctions Order) Or Other Sanction That Could Leave Indelible Imprint on Career Might Be Imposed Violates Due Process — Notice That Law Firm Might Be Sanctioned Insufficient to Afford Notice to Firm Lawyer and Managing Partner That He Might Be Sanctioned — Refusal to Impose Additional Sanction Until Impact of Other Imposed Penalties (Not Sanctions) Ascertained to See Whether Sanction Needed

Rule 37(c)(1) Sanctions: (1) Exclusion of Expert Testimony Reviewed for Abuse of Discretion Even When It Results in Summary Judgment — (2) Whether Physicians Must File 26(a)(2)(B) Report Depends on Whether They Formed Their Opinions for Litigation Or in the Course of Medical Treatment — (3) Party Seeking to Avoid Exclusion of Its Expert for Noncompliance with Rule 26 Bears Burden of Showing Harmlessness or Substantial Justification — (4) Expert Report Subject to Exclusion If It Is Conclusory and Does Not Meet the Level of Rigor Required by Rule 26(a)(2)(B)

RICO: The Statute Defines Enterprise Broadly, “But That Breadth Is Not Without Limit” (Good Quote) — Enterprise Inadequately Pled Where Plaintiffs Fail to Name the Common Purpose, Explain How the Relationships Among the Defendants Allowed Them to Advance That Purpose, Or Specify the Period of Time Sufficient to Achieve That Purpose — In a Particular Case, the Pattern of Racketeering May Be Sufficient to Infer the Existence of an Association-in-Fact Enterprise, But Pattern Does Not Necessarily Establish Enterprise — A RICO Conspiracy May Exist Regardless of Whether the Substantive RICO Violation Is Consummated, But the Substantive Violation Must Be Adequately Pled

RICO: (1) Claim Accrued When Plaintiff Suffered, and Was Aware of, Her Injury — Overt Retaliation in Her Employment As A Result of Reporting Another Employee’s Sexual Misconduct — Not When a Report Confirming that Misconduct Later Became Public; (2) Inhouse Lawyer’s Conclusion No Sexual Misconduct Occurred Is a Mere Expression of a Legal Conclusion, Not Deception Warranting SOL Reprieve Due to Equitable Tolling or Fraudulent Concealment — Plaintiff Exhibited Lack of Diligence in Failing to Consult Own Counsel or Challenge Inhouse Counsel’s Conclusion; (3) Causation: Plaintiff Must Prove Her Injuries Were Directly Caused by the Predicate Acts — (4) Concealment of Report Commissioned by Employer Directly Harmed Employer (by Exposing It to Liability) and Victims of Sexual Misconduct, and Only Indirectly Harmed Plaintiff Who Suffered Retaliation in Her Employment for Reporting the Misconduct

RICO: Without Injury to Business or Property, Injury Resulting from RICO Violation Is Not Actionable under RICO — Meaning of “Property” in § 1964(c) — Meaning of “Business” in § 1964(c) — Mere “Expectancy Interests” ≠ Business or Property — Loss of NCAA Eligibility = Loss of a Status, Not Loss of Property — Pecuniary Losses (Here, Attorney’s Fees) Flowing from a Non-Cognizable Injury Are Not Recoverably via RICO

RICO: Enterprise Not Sufficiently Distinct from Defendant Where Enterprise Allegedly Consisted of the Defendant Corporation, Corporate Employees, Their Counsel and “Friends”

FRAP 38 Sanctions Should Not Lightly Be Awarded on the Ground That an Incorrect Argument Was Frivolous — “An Appeal Can Be Weak, Indeed Almost Hopeless, Without Being Frivolous” (Good Quote) — There Must Be “No Legitimate Basis for Pursuing the Appeal” (Good Quote)

Severe Emotional Distress and Trauma ≠ RICO Injury — Parents’ Voluntary Financial Support of Adult Daughter Who Was Forced to Sign Over Her Annuity in Violation of RICO Not Proximately Caused by RICO Violation — Injury Is Derivative, Not Direct (Intimation of Different Result if Financial Support Required by Law) — RICO Injury Is Requirement for Statutory Standing (12(b)(6) Issue), Not Constitutional Standing (12(b)(1) Issue)

RICO — Neither Filing a Complaint Nor Issuing a Press Release Constitutes Wire Fraud — Litigation Privilege Is Absolute and Bars All Tort Claims Other Than Malicious Prosecution — Abuse of Process Claim Barred (California Law)

Archives
New York Attorneys JHA handles range the gamut of complex financial and commercial litigation and arbitration, including securities, RICO, corporate and contract disputes, credit default swaps, derivatives, and class, mass, and derivative actions. The firm also represents law firms in major disputes.
New York Attorneys JHA handles range the gamut of complex financial and commercial litigation and arbitration, including securities, RICO, corporate and contract disputes, credit default swaps, derivatives, and class, mass, and derivative actions. The firm also represents law firms in major disputes.

New York Office

© 2024 Joseph Hage Aaronson LLC  
Disclaimer | Attorney Advertising Notice | Legal Notice