Complex Lit Blog

Inherent Power Sanctions for Extrajudicial (Prelitigation) Misconduct — Stealing Documents — & Using Them in Lit. = Interference with Judicial Process — Dismissal Requires Clear and Convincing Evidence — No Warning Required in These Circs.

Xyngular v. Schenkel, 2018 WL 2208472 (10th Cir. May 15, 2018): *1 Marc Schenkel appeals the dismissal by the district court of his claims against Xyngular Corporation and various third parties as a sanction for abuse of what he claims was pre-litigation discovery. Because we have not previously decided whether pre-li ...

Inherent Power & §1927—Duty of Candor: Even If No Duty to Disclose, Denials of Authenticity of Doc While Hiding Client Has Copy Are Sanctionable — “The Effort to Chop Down a Few Trees Doesn’t Mean There’s No Forest” (Good Quote)

Six v. Generations Fed. Credit Union, 891 F.3d 508 (4th Cir. 2018): This appeal arises out of the district court’s order sanctioning three attorneys and their law firms under both its inherent authority and

Supreme Court: In Determining Foreign Law under Rule 44.1, Court Is Not Conclusively Bound by Foreign Gov’t’s Amicus Statement As to What the Law Is, But Must Carefully Consider It — Cautiously, If Circumstances So Indicate

Animal Sci. Prods. v. Hebei

Animal Sci. Prods. v. Hebei Welcome Pharm. Co., 2018 U.S. LEXIS 3684, 2018 WL 2973745 (U.S. June 14, 2018): When foreign law is relevant to a case instituted in a federal court, and the foreign government whose law is …

§1782 Discovery: Which Party Bears Burden of Proof on Intel Factors, Especially Receptivity of Foreign Tribunal to Sought Discovery? — Circuit Split — First Circuit: Neither Party

Schlich v. Broad Inst., 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 16668 (1st Cir. June 20, 2018): Petitioner-Appellant George W. Schlich, a patent agent for Intellia Therapeutics, Inc., appeals from the district c ...

Schlich v. Broad Inst., 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 16668 (1st Cir. June 20, 2018): Petitioner-Appellant George W. Schlich, a patent agent for Intellia Therapeutics, Inc., appeals from the district court's denial of a petition for discovery under 28 U.S.C. …

FRAP 38 Sanctions: Merely Including Request in Brief Insufficient — Rule 60: 2 Types of Fraud: In Adversarial Process (1 Yr), On the Court (No Time Limit) — Missing Deadline: “He Simply Tripped over the Time Clock” (Good Quote)

Kennedy v. Schneider Elec., 2018 WL 3031074 (7th Cir. June 19, 2018): *1 In 2012, Bennie Kennedy filed a lawsuit against his longtime employer, Schneider Electric. In 2014, the district court granted summary judgment for Schneider Electric. More than a year later, and without offering any new evidence, Kennedy ...

Supreme Court: American Pipe Tolls Statute of Limitations for Individual Actions But Not Later Class Action — Court Notes Difficulty in Assessing Largest Financial Interest for PSLRA Lead Plaintiff Purposes, Possibility of Aggregation

China Agritech

China Agritech , Inc. v. Resh, 2018 U.S. LEXIS 3502 (U.S. June 11, 2018): This case concerns the tolling rule first stated in American Pipe & Constr. Co. v. Utah , 414 U. S. 538, 94 S. Ct. 756, …

Rule 11 vs. 12(b)(6): While Court Credits Complaint on MTD, Not for Sanctions — “Sometimes a Litigant Makes Suspending Credibility … Difficult” (Good Quote) — Circuit Sustains Rule 11 Denial That “Could Be Reasonable” But Sanctions Per R. 38

Tobey v. Chibucos, 2018 WL 2210619 (7th Cir. May 15, 2018): *1 One man’s extradition is another man’s “kidnapping.” Edward Tobey, the plaintiff here, has three state-court convictions (one in Illinois and two in Florida) for possession of child pornography. Tobey also has a penchant for resist ...

Subpoenas: Rule 45 Does Not Apply to Administrative Subpoenas, But Court Has Discretion under Rule 81 to Apply Some Or All of Rule 45 to Such Subpoenas

United States v. Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ & Exhibitors’ Ass’n, 2018 WL 1219313 (6th Cir. Mar. 8, 2018): Defendant-Appellant Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ and Exhibitors’ Association (“TWHBEA”) appeals the district court’s denial of its motion for reimbursement of costs incurred complying with administrativ ...

Rule 37 Sanctions: Dismissal Requires Order, Willful Violation & Prejudice — Rule 41(b): Dismissal Requires Only Failure to Comply with Court Order & Considers Prejudice to Adversary or Court Only to a Lesser Extent

Burgett v. Gen. Store No. Two Inc., 2018 WL 1444200 (8th Cir. Mar. 23, 2018): *1 Charles Burgett appeals a judgment of the district court1 dismissing his civil rights action as a sanction under

Burgett v. Gen. Store No. Two Inc., 2018 WL 1444200 (8th Cir. Mar. 23, 2018): *1 Charles Burgett appeals a judgment of the district court1 dismissing his civil rights action as a sanction under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure …

Judicial Notice of Internet Evidence: Government Websites Are Self-Authenticating under Fed. R. Evid 902(5)

Walker v. Burkhart, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 87754 (E.D. Ky. May 25, 2018): Tamiko Walker is a pre-trial detainee currently confined at the Harlan County Detention Center ("HCDC") in Ha ...

Walker v. Burkhart, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 87754 (E.D. Ky. May 25, 2018): Tamiko Walker is a pre-trial detainee currently confined at the Harlan County Detention Center ("HCDC") in Harlan, Kentucky. Proceeding without counsel, Walker has filed a petition…

Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

Inherent Power Sanctions for Extrajudicial (Prelitigation) Misconduct — Stealing Documents — & Using Them in Lit. = Interference with Judicial Process — Dismissal Requires Clear and Convincing Evidence — No Warning Required in These Circs.

Inherent Power & §1927—Duty of Candor: Even If No Duty to Disclose, Denials of Authenticity of Doc While Hiding Client Has Copy Are Sanctionable — “The Effort to Chop Down a Few Trees Doesn’t Mean There’s No Forest” (Good Quote)

Supreme Court: In Determining Foreign Law under Rule 44.1, Court Is Not Conclusively Bound by Foreign Gov’t’s Amicus Statement As to What the Law Is, But Must Carefully Consider It — Cautiously, If Circumstances So Indicate

§1782 Discovery: Which Party Bears Burden of Proof on Intel Factors, Especially Receptivity of Foreign Tribunal to Sought Discovery? — Circuit Split — First Circuit: Neither Party

FRAP 38 Sanctions: Merely Including Request in Brief Insufficient — Rule 60: 2 Types of Fraud: In Adversarial Process (1 Yr), On the Court (No Time Limit) — Missing Deadline: “He Simply Tripped over the Time Clock” (Good Quote)

Supreme Court: American Pipe Tolls Statute of Limitations for Individual Actions But Not Later Class Action — Court Notes Difficulty in Assessing Largest Financial Interest for PSLRA Lead Plaintiff Purposes, Possibility of Aggregation

Rule 11 vs. 12(b)(6): While Court Credits Complaint on MTD, Not for Sanctions — “Sometimes a Litigant Makes Suspending Credibility … Difficult” (Good Quote) — Circuit Sustains Rule 11 Denial That “Could Be Reasonable” But Sanctions Per R. 38

Subpoenas: Rule 45 Does Not Apply to Administrative Subpoenas, But Court Has Discretion under Rule 81 to Apply Some Or All of Rule 45 to Such Subpoenas

Rule 37 Sanctions: Dismissal Requires Order, Willful Violation & Prejudice — Rule 41(b): Dismissal Requires Only Failure to Comply with Court Order & Considers Prejudice to Adversary or Court Only to a Lesser Extent

Judicial Notice of Internet Evidence: Government Websites Are Self-Authenticating under Fed. R. Evid 902(5)

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)

Archives

New York Office