In Gilliam v. Allen, No. 21-2313 (4th Cir. Mar. 8, 2023), while substantially affirming a $62 million compensatory damage verdict (and $13 million in punitive damages) for two plaintiffs who improperly served 31 years in prison, the Fourth Circuit tosses an extra $36 million post-judgment award of prejudgment interest by the district court, holding thatContinue reading “Fourth Circuit Holds That Plaintiffs Should Have Submitted Prejudgment Interest Claim to Jury, Vacating $36 Million Interest Award Entered Post-Trial by District Court”
Tag Archives: Fourth Circuit
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 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”
En Banc Fourth Circuit Clarifies That Order of Dismissal Without Prejudice but No Leave to Amend Is Appealable “Final Order” Under 28 U.S.C. § 1291
In Britt v. DeJoy, No. 20-1620 (4th Cir. Aug. 17, 2022), the unanimous en banc Fourth Circuit abandons a case-by-case approach to finality under 28 U.S.C. § 1291 and adopts a bright-line rule that “[w]hen a district court dismisses a complaint or all claims without granting leave to amend, its order is final and appealable.”Continue reading “En Banc Fourth Circuit Clarifies That Order of Dismissal Without Prejudice but No Leave to Amend Is Appealable “Final Order” Under 28 U.S.C. § 1291”
District Court Has No Discretion to Vacate a Partial Verdict Because It Is Supposedly “Irreconcilably Inconsistent” With A Hung Jury on Another Count, Holds Fourth Circuit
In Jordan v. Large, No. 19-7855 (4th Cir. Mar. 4, 2022), the Fourth Circuit holds that the district court erred when it vacated a partial verdict in favor of a prisoner-plaintiff because it was supposedly “irreconcilably inconsistent” with the jury’s inability to reach a verdict on another count. Plaintiff, “a prisoner in Red Onion StateContinue reading “District Court Has No Discretion to Vacate a Partial Verdict Because It Is Supposedly “Irreconcilably Inconsistent” With A Hung Jury on Another Count, Holds Fourth Circuit”
Parents of Children with Disabilities Obtain Conflicting Standing Rulings in the Fourth and Eighth Circuits While Challenging State Mask-Mandate Bans in Schools
Two circuits reach different results on standing to bring an injunctive action against the governors of states that banned local school districts from imposing COVID-19 pandemic mask-mandates for students and staff. In both cases, parents and associations challenged the state-level bans under federal statutory law: the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Section 504Continue reading “Parents of Children with Disabilities Obtain Conflicting Standing Rulings in the Fourth and Eighth Circuits While Challenging State Mask-Mandate Bans in Schools”
Fourth Circuit Holds That District Court Had Subject-Matter Jurisdiction Over Complaint with Pseudonymous Plaintiff
In B.R. v. F.C.S.B., No. 21-1005 (4th Cir. Nov. 2, 2021), the Fourth Circuit accepts an interlocutory appeal under 28 U.S.C. § 1292(b) and holds that a federal court has subject-matter jurisdiction over a claim despite not knowing the plaintiff’s true name. A plaintiff – named “Kate” in the opinion – “commenced this action byContinue reading “Fourth Circuit Holds That District Court Had Subject-Matter Jurisdiction Over Complaint with Pseudonymous Plaintiff”
Website Has Standing but Fails to Overcome State Secret Doctrine in Challenge to NSA “Upstream” Surveillance Program, Holds Splintered Fourth Circuit Panel
In Wikimedia Foundation v. NSA, No. 20-1191 (4th Cir. Sept. 16, 2021), a three-way split panel holds 2-1 that Wikimedia has Article III standing to challenge National Security Agency’s (NSA) domestic surveillance of transmission lines, but a different 2-1 majority holds that the case fails because of the “state secret doctrine.” The Fourth Circuit hadContinue reading “Website Has Standing but Fails to Overcome State Secret Doctrine in Challenge to NSA “Upstream” Surveillance Program, Holds Splintered Fourth Circuit Panel”
Fourth Circuit Judge Decries Proliferation of “Advisory” Dissents from Denial of Rehearing En Banc
In Doe v. Fairfax Cnty. Sch. Bd., No. 19-2203 (4th Cir. Aug. 30, 2021) (order), denying rehearing en banc of a Title IX case involving sexual harassment, a Fourth Circuit judge calls for curtailing separate dissenting opinions that signal “disrespect for the hard work of the panel and for the full court’s decision not toContinue reading “Fourth Circuit Judge Decries Proliferation of “Advisory” Dissents from Denial of Rehearing En Banc”
En Banc Fourth Circuit Holds That District Court Did Not Err in Denying North Carolina’s General Assembly Leave to Intervene in Challenge to Voter-ID Law
In North Carolina NAACP State Conf. v. Berger, No. 19-2273 (4th Cir. June 7, 2021), the en banc Fourth Circuit (splitting along party lines) holds 9-6 that a state legislature may only intervene to defend a state law under Fed. R. Civ. P. 24(a)(2) “if a federal court first finds that the Attorney General isContinue reading “En Banc Fourth Circuit Holds That District Court Did Not Err in Denying North Carolina’s General Assembly Leave to Intervene in Challenge to Voter-ID Law”
District Court Abused Discretion by Expanding Remedies on Rule 59(e) Post-Judgment Motion to Reconsider, Holds Fourth Circuit
In JTH Tax, Inc. v. Aime, No. 19-1746 (4th Cir. Jan. 4, 2021), the Fourth Circuit holds that the district court erred – on remand from an earlier appeal – in granting the winning plaintiff (1) additional compensatory damages on the grounds of newly discovered evidence, and (2) nominal damages. Aime operated nine tax franchisesContinue reading “District Court Abused Discretion by Expanding Remedies on Rule 59(e) Post-Judgment Motion to Reconsider, Holds Fourth Circuit”
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