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Ninth Circuit Holds Battery Maker Made “Purposeful Availment” of the State of Hawai’i Sufficient for Personal Jurisdiction, Yet A Product Liability Case Did Not “Arise Out of Or Relate To” Those Contacts

In Yamashita v. LG Chem, Ltd., No. 20-17512 (9th Cir. Mar. 6, 2023), the Ninth Circuit holds in a products-liability case that there was no personal jurisdiction in Hawai’i over a USA subsidiary of a South Korean manufacturer headquartered in Georgia, despite that the company ships their products through Honolulu and sells some of itsContinue reading “Ninth Circuit Holds Battery Maker Made “Purposeful Availment” of the State of Hawai’i Sufficient for Personal Jurisdiction, Yet A Product Liability Case Did Not “Arise Out of Or Relate To” Those Contacts”

In Laufer v. Naranda Hotels, LLC, No.20-2348 (4th Cir. Feb. 15, 2023), the Fourth Circuit holds that a disabled customer had Article III standing to pursue her ADA claim against a Baltimore, MD hotel with an allegedly non-compliant website. I previously discussed this issue in a October 5, 2022 blog entry. “According to [her] Complaint,Continue reading “Fourth Circuit Joins First and Eleventh in Holding That a Disabled Tester Incurs an Informational Injury When Denied Access to Information on a Hotel Website, Creating Article III Standing”

In RSS WFCM2018-C44 – NY LOD, LLC v. 1442 Lexington Operating DE LLC, No. 22-1 (2d Cir. Feb. 13, 2023), the Second Circuit holds in a matter of first impression for the circuit that a foreclosure order that also “refers the case to a magistrate judge to calculate the amount of the judgment of foreclosureContinue reading “Second Circuit Holds That Foreclosure Order That Defers Calculation of Judgment Is Not a Final Appealable Order”

In Graber v. Boresky, No. 21-1407 (3d Cir. Feb. 10, 2023), a 2-1 panel holds that there is no automatic interlocutory appeal under the collateral order doctrine of a district court decision on a Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) motion that there is a cause of action under Bivens v. Six Unknown Agents of FederalContinue reading “Third Circuit Panel Divides Over Whether a Federal Agent Can Take an Interlocutory Appeal Under the Collateral Order Doctrine of an Order Denying Dismissal of a Bivens Cause of Action”

In Ahern Rentals, Inc. v. EquipmentShare.com, Inc., No. 22-1399 (8th Cir. Feb. 7, 2023), the Eight Circuit joins other circuits in holding that “allegations pled on information and belief are not categorically insufficient to state a claim for relief where the proof supporting the allegation is within the sole possession and control of the defendantContinue reading “Eighth Circuit Holds That Non-Conclusory Allegations “On Information And Belief” May Be Considered Among the Well-Pleaded Allegations of a Civil Complaint Under Twombly”

Declaring a split with the Second Circuit, the Eleventh Circuit in In re Grand Jury Subpoena, FGJ-21-01-MIA, No. 21-13651 (11th Cir Jan. 31, 2023) holds that when a district court holds a party in civil contempt for failing to comply with a subpoena but enters no sanctions, the order is not an appealable final order.Continue reading “Eleventh Circuit Splits with Second and Holds That Contempt Order Without Sanctions Is Not An Appealable Final Order”

In Yancheng Shanda Yuanfeng Equity Investment Partner v. Wan, No. 22-1199 (7th Cir. Jan. 31, 2023), the Seventh Circuit hits a jurisdictional snag with how to determine the citizenship of a “hybrid” entity with characteristics of a partnership, a corporation, and a foreign state, each of which commands different treatment under the diversity jurisdiction statute,Continue reading “Seventh Circuit Maneuvers a Jurisdictional Puzzle Box About Whether a Chinese Defendant May Be a Partnership, Corporation, or Foreign State for Diversity Purposes”

In United States v. Nieves, No. 21-1901 (2d Cir. Jan. 26, 2023), the Second Circuit took the rare step of tossing a criminal conviction because “the district court abused its discretion by failing to take any of several possible steps that could have effectively screened prospective jurors for [anti-gang] bias.” Defendant Nieves was charged withContinue reading “Second Circuit Vacates Conviction Because the District Court Did Not Permit Adequate Inquiry Into Juror Anti-Gang Bias”

In Andersen v. Vagaro, Inc., No. 22-1471 (1st Cir. Jan. 3, 2022), The First Circuit affirms dismissal for lack of subject matter jurisdiction where the plaintiff, though duly warned, failed to allege facts or present evidence to support that amount in controversy exceeded $75,000 was required by 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a). “Andersen owned and operatedContinue reading “Plaintiff Should Not Have Rested on Complaint Allegations to Establish Amount in Controversy in Diversity Case, Holds First Circuit”

In United States v. v. Blaszczak, No. 18-2811 (2d Cir. Dec. 28, 2022), the panelists disagree about whether a federal court owes deference to the Justice Department’s decision to abandon prosecution on a claim at the appeal stage. “This appeal returns to us on remand from the United States Supreme Court for further consideration, inContinue reading “Split Second Circuit Panel Debates Judicial Deference to Prosecutorial Discretion to Dismiss a Prosecution That Has Already Been Tried to Verdict”