Complex Lit Blog

Rule 37(c)(1): If Exclusion=Dismissal, Must Consider Lesser Sanction But No Bad Faith Needed — No Abuse of Discretion If No Request for Lesser Sx — No Meet, Confer Duty Pre-Exclusion — Can Sanction Issue If Non-Disclosure Harmless, Justified?

Vanderberg v. Petco Animal Supplies Stores, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 28101 (8th Cir. Oct. 4, 2018): The rules governing litigation in federal courts ensure fair and orderly proceedings free ...

Vanderberg v. Petco Animal Supplies Stores, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 28101 (8th Cir. Oct. 4, 2018): The rules governing litigation in federal courts ensure fair and orderly proceedings free from prejudicial surprises. All litigants must disclose the identity of…

Sanctions: District Court Not Required to State Findings Or Conclusions on Every Sanctions Motion — Or Any Other Motion, under Fed. R. Civ. P. 52(a)(3), Absent Specific Requirement in a Rule

Bd. of Aldermen v. Mississippi, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 28032 (5th Cir. Oct. 1, 2018): PER CURIAM:* Underlying this action&# ...

Bd. of Aldermen v. Mississippi, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 28032 (5th Cir. Oct. 1, 2018): PER CURIAM:* Underlying this action's being dismissed for lack of standing is the claim by the Board of Aldermen for the Town of…

RICO: Use of Industry-Standard [Condo / Lending] Form ≠ Mail, Wire Fraud — No Showing of Strong Inference to Defraud, Nor Any Explanation Why Use of the Form Is Fraudulent — Filing of False Documents in Litigation ≠ Predicate Act

Smulley v. FHFA, 2018 WL 4849667 (2d Cir. Oct. 5, 2018): UPON DUE CONSIDERATION, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the order of the district court is AFFIRMED. Appellant Dorothy Smulley, pro se, sued Webster Financial Corporation (“Webster”), JPMorgan Chase ...

Smulley v. FHFA, 2018 WL 4849667 (2d Cir. Oct. 5, 2018): UPON DUE CONSIDERATION, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the order of the district court is AFFIRMED. Appellant Dorothy Smulley, pro se, sued Webster Financial Corporation …

Rule 11: “Later Advocating” Imposes Continuing Duty to Correct or Withdraw — Appeals: FRAP 38 & 1927 Sanctions for Advancing Factual / Legal Arguments Only in Reply Brief & Seeking Stay on Appeal without First Seeking It from District Court

Galin v. Hamada, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 28091 (2d Cir. Oct. 4, 2018): UPON DUE CONSIDERATION, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the ...

Galin v. Hamada, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 28091 (2d Cir. Oct. 4, 2018): UPON DUE CONSIDERATION, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED. Plaintiff-appellant Reed Galin and his counsel,…

FRAP 38, 1927 & Inherent Power Sanctions — Revealing Confidential Discussions with Opposing Counsel, Mediator from Court-Ordered Mediation, Violating Local Circuit Rule, Is Sanctionable—Vaguely-Referenced Docs Integral to Complaint OK on 12(b)(6)

Cortes v. 21st Century Fox Am., 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 27759, 2018 WL 4694181 (2d Cir. Oct. 1, 2018) (unpublished): *1 UPON DUE CONSIDERATION WHEREOF, IT IS HEREB ...

Cortes v. 21st Century Fox Am., 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 27759, 2018 WL 4694181 (2d Cir. Oct. 1, 2018) (unpublished): *1 UPON DUE CONSIDERATION WHEREOF, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the judgment entered on January 11,…

Inherent Power Sanctions: Threatening Witnesses on Facebook If They Cooperate with Adversary Amounts to Witness Tampering, Is Properly Sanctioned by Award of Attorney’s Fees for Time Spent on Sanctions Issue

Emerson v. Dart, 2018 WL 3853761 (7th Cir. Aug. 14, 2018): *1 Paula Emerson is a correctional officer on leave from the Cook County Department of Corrections. She alleges that two County employees unlawfully discriminated against her during her tenure at one of the County’s detention facilities. While li ...

RICO Extraterritoriality — Where Is Intangible Injury Felt? — Circuit Split — 3d Circuit Adopts Multifactor Approach, Rejects 7th Circuit’s Bright-Line Rule It Is Felt at Plaintiff’s Residence — Difficulty of Cyberspace Injury Issue Noted

Humphrey v. Glaxosmithkline Plc, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 27443 (3d Cir. Sept. 26, 2018):

Humphrey v. Glaxosmithkline Plc, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 27443 (3d Cir. Sept. 26, 2018): Section 1964(c) of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act ("RICO"), 18 U.S.C. §§ 1961-1968, creates a private right of action for a…

Deposition of Expert > 100 Miles from Courthouse Taken by Retaining Party Not Hearsay When Offered by Retaining Party — Fed. R. Civ. P. 32(a)(4)(B) Is Independent Hearsay Exception — Unavailability Irrelevant

Fletcher v. Tomlinson, 895 F.3d 1010 (8th Cir. 2018): St. Louis Police Department (SLPD) Officers Nicholas Martorano and John Moton appeal from the district court's

Fletcher v. Tomlinson, 895 F.3d 1010 (8th Cir. 2018): St. Louis Police Department (SLPD) Officers Nicholas Martorano and John Moton appeal from the district court's1 judgment, entered upon a jury verdict, finding that [*1013] they used excessive force …

RICO: Filed-Rate Doctrine Applies to Rates Set by State Agencies — Two Rationales of Doctrine: Non-Justiciability & Non-Discrimination — Irrelevant If Plaintiff Is Rate-Payer — Suit Can’t Attack Reasonableness of Rate Or Component of Rate

Patel v. Specialized Loan Serv., LLC, 2018 WL 4559091 (11th Cir. Sept. 24, 2018): *1 When an individual takes out a mortgage, he or she secures the loan with real property. To protect its security interest, lenders usually require borrowers to maintain hazard insurance in an amount that is at least equal to th ...

Patel v. Specialized Loan Serv., LLC, 2018 WL 4559091 (11th Cir. Sept. 24, 2018): *1 When an individual takes out a mortgage, he or she secures the loan with real property. To protect its security interest, lenders usually require borrowers …

Inherent Power Sanctions for Extrajudicial Misconduct — Using State Court to Delay Federal Litigation + Filing Groundless Police Report against Defense Counsel — Also Fabricating Evidence + Making False Statements to Federal Court

Deutsch v. Phil’s Icehouse, Inc., 2018 WL 1513584 (5th Cir. Mar. 7, 2018) (affirming the decision posted on 12/14/16 on this blog detailing the misconduct): PER CURIAM:**1 Plaintiff-Appellant Jon Deutsch and his attorney, Omar Rosales, appeal from a sanctions order against Rosales in the form of an ...

Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

Rule 37(c)(1): If Exclusion=Dismissal, Must Consider Lesser Sanction But No Bad Faith Needed — No Abuse of Discretion If No Request for Lesser Sx — No Meet, Confer Duty Pre-Exclusion — Can Sanction Issue If Non-Disclosure Harmless, Justified?

Sanctions: District Court Not Required to State Findings Or Conclusions on Every Sanctions Motion — Or Any Other Motion, under Fed. R. Civ. P. 52(a)(3), Absent Specific Requirement in a Rule

RICO: Use of Industry-Standard [Condo / Lending] Form ≠ Mail, Wire Fraud — No Showing of Strong Inference to Defraud, Nor Any Explanation Why Use of the Form Is Fraudulent — Filing of False Documents in Litigation ≠ Predicate Act

Rule 11: “Later Advocating” Imposes Continuing Duty to Correct or Withdraw — Appeals: FRAP 38 & 1927 Sanctions for Advancing Factual / Legal Arguments Only in Reply Brief & Seeking Stay on Appeal without First Seeking It from District Court

FRAP 38, 1927 & Inherent Power Sanctions — Revealing Confidential Discussions with Opposing Counsel, Mediator from Court-Ordered Mediation, Violating Local Circuit Rule, Is Sanctionable—Vaguely-Referenced Docs Integral to Complaint OK on 12(b)(6)

Inherent Power Sanctions: Threatening Witnesses on Facebook If They Cooperate with Adversary Amounts to Witness Tampering, Is Properly Sanctioned by Award of Attorney’s Fees for Time Spent on Sanctions Issue

RICO Extraterritoriality — Where Is Intangible Injury Felt? — Circuit Split — 3d Circuit Adopts Multifactor Approach, Rejects 7th Circuit’s Bright-Line Rule It Is Felt at Plaintiff’s Residence — Difficulty of Cyberspace Injury Issue Noted

Deposition of Expert > 100 Miles from Courthouse Taken by Retaining Party Not Hearsay When Offered by Retaining Party — Fed. R. Civ. P. 32(a)(4)(B) Is Independent Hearsay Exception — Unavailability Irrelevant

RICO: Filed-Rate Doctrine Applies to Rates Set by State Agencies — Two Rationales of Doctrine: Non-Justiciability & Non-Discrimination — Irrelevant If Plaintiff Is Rate-Payer — Suit Can’t Attack Reasonableness of Rate Or Component of Rate

Inherent Power Sanctions for Extrajudicial Misconduct — Using State Court to Delay Federal Litigation + Filing Groundless Police Report against Defense Counsel — Also Fabricating Evidence + Making False Statements to Federal Court

Recent Posts

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”

Statements in Briefs As Judicial Admissions

Archives

New York Office