In Alemarah v. General Motors, LLC, No. 20-1346 (6th Cir. Nov. 18, 2020) (per curiam), the panel affirms summary judgment in an employment discrimination case, but pauses over the district court judge’s “out of the ordinary” ex parte letter to one of the lawyers. The judge’s letter was prompted by the lawyer’s reticence about stagingContinue reading “Sixth Circuit Affirms Denial of Recusal Motion, But “With Some Concerns” About Judge’s Ex Parte Letter to Attorney”
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Defendant Did Not Forfeit Affirmative Defenses by Failing to Answer Second Amended Complaint, Holds Ninth Circuit
In KST Data, Inc. V. Enterprise Servs. LLC, No. 19-55422 (9th Cir. Nov. 17, 2020), the Ninth Circuit holds that the district court erred in granting summary judgment sua sponte in a contact case when it denied the defendant the opportunity to argue its affirmative defenses. “Defendant Enterprise Services, LLC (‘ES’) entered into a contractContinue reading “Defendant Did Not Forfeit Affirmative Defenses by Failing to Answer Second Amended Complaint, Holds Ninth Circuit”
Fifth Circuit Denies “Exceptional” Request for Intervention into an Appeal
In Richardson v. Texas Sec’y of State, No. 20-50774 (5th Cir. Nov. 12, 2020), the court addresses the motion of three voters who sought and failed to intervene into a voting-rights case in the district court, then sought to intervene into the appeal. The three voters moved in the district court under Fed. R. Civ.Continue reading “Fifth Circuit Denies “Exceptional” Request for Intervention into an Appeal”
“Indicia of Membership” Test Does Not Apply to Traditional Voluntary Membership Organization to Assess Associational Standing, Holds First Circuit
In Students for Fair Admissions v. President & Fellows of Harvard, No. 19-2005 (1st Cir. Nov. 12, 2020), the First Circuit – in an opinion upholding Harvard College’s admissions policy against a civil rights challenge – addresses the associational standing of the organization that brought the lawsuit. Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. (“SFFA”) filed suitContinue reading ““Indicia of Membership” Test Does Not Apply to Traditional Voluntary Membership Organization to Assess Associational Standing, Holds First Circuit”
Ninth Circuit Vacates Class-Settlement Fee Award Under Rule 23(h), Rejecting Lodestar-With-Multiplier Calculation in Case Where 96% of Value Is Coupons
In Chambers v. Whirlpool Corp., No. 16-56666 (9th Cir. Nov. 10, 2020), a Ninth Circuit panel affirms a class settlement, but remands the case for a recalculation of the attorney’s fees under Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(h). The panel finds that awarding the lawyers’ billable hours with a 1.69 multiplier – totaling $14.8 million –Continue reading “Ninth Circuit Vacates Class-Settlement Fee Award Under Rule 23(h), Rejecting Lodestar-With-Multiplier Calculation in Case Where 96% of Value Is Coupons”
Faulty Daubert Rulings No Longer Automatically Require A New Trial, Ninth Circuit Holds En Banc
In United States v. Bacon, No. 18-50120 (9th Cir. Nov. 5, 2020) (en banc), the Ninth Circuit overrules several prior decisions holding that the only remedy for an erroneous ruling on expert testimony under Daubert v. Merrill Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579 (1993), and Fed. R. Evid. 702 is a new trial. Instead, theContinue reading “Faulty Daubert Rulings No Longer Automatically Require A New Trial, Ninth Circuit Holds En Banc”
$50 Fine for Raising A Ruckus in a Federal Courthouse Lobby Upheld by Second Circuit
In United States v. Wasylyshyn, No. 18-1344 (2d Cir. Nov. 3, 2020), the Second Circuit affirms a misdemeanor conviction for creating a “loud or unusual noise or a nuisance” in the courthouse, in violation of 41 C.F.R. § 102-74.390(a) (the “Noise Regulation”). Defendant Wasylyshyn arrived at the Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Binghamton, NewContinue reading “$50 Fine for Raising A Ruckus in a Federal Courthouse Lobby Upheld by Second Circuit”
Supreme Court Holds That Fifth Circuit Should Have Certified State-Law Question to Louisiana’s High Court, Rather Than Decide First Amendment Question
In Mckesson v. Doe, No. 19-1108 (U.S. Nov. 2, 2020) (per curiam), the Supreme Court vacated a controversial ruling of the Fifth Circuit, holding that Louisiana tort law recognized a claim against a Black Lives Matter organizer for an injury negligently suffered by a police officer during a demonstration. Defendant Mckesson organized a protest inContinue reading “Supreme Court Holds That Fifth Circuit Should Have Certified State-Law Question to Louisiana’s High Court, Rather Than Decide First Amendment Question”
No Appellate Jurisdiction Over Remand Order Under 28 U.S.C. § 1447(d) Except on Federal-Officer Ground, Holds First Circuit
In State of Rhode Island v. Shell Oil Prods. Co., LLC, No. 19-1818 (1st Cir. Oct. 29, 2020), the First Circuit joins the majority of circuits in holding that the appeal of a federal-officer removal argument under 28 U.S.C. § 1447(d) does not expose the entire remand order to appellate review. (This issue is nowContinue reading “No Appellate Jurisdiction Over Remand Order Under 28 U.S.C. § 1447(d) Except on Federal-Officer Ground, Holds First Circuit”
Party’s Failure to Contemporaneously Object to District Court ‘s Violation of Fed. R. Civ. P. 6(b)(2) Forfeits Argument, Holds Second Circuit
In Legg v. Ulster Cnty., No. 17-2861 (2d Cir. Oct. 29, 2020), a Title VII and § 1983 sex harassment case, the Second Circuit holds that even though the district court improperly gave defendants an extension on their deadline to file post-judgment motions, the non-movant forfeited any objection by not raising the issue at theContinue reading “Party’s Failure to Contemporaneously Object to District Court ‘s Violation of Fed. R. Civ. P. 6(b)(2) Forfeits Argument, Holds Second Circuit”
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