Attachment or Reference to an Exhibit in a Complaint Does Not Automatically Mean That a District Court May Consider It on a Rule 12(b)(6) Motion, Holds Second Circuit

In Pearson v. Gesner, No. 22-1227 (2d Cir. Jan. 13, 2025), the Second Circuit vacates and remands case where the district court erroneously considered materials outside the complaint. Even where a document is relied upon or cited in a complaint, the panel holds, it may not be appropriate in context to consider its contents. PlaintiffContinue reading “Attachment or Reference to an Exhibit in a Complaint Does Not Automatically Mean That a District Court May Consider It on a Rule 12(b)(6) Motion, Holds Second Circuit”

State Need Not Allege A “Policy or Practice” Violation Against a Class of Citizens to Have Parens Patriae Standing in Federal Court, Second Circuit Holds

In New York v. Niagara-Wheatfield Central Sch. Dist., No. 22-2178 (2d Cir. Oct. 15, 2024), the Second Circuit reverses a Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(c) judgment on the pleadings, holding that the State of New York pled sufficient grounds for parens patriae standing without alleging a policy-or-practice violation against a target population of state residents.Continue reading “State Need Not Allege A “Policy or Practice” Violation Against a Class of Citizens to Have Parens Patriae Standing in Federal Court, Second Circuit Holds”

Corporation Counsel of the City of New York Draws A Rebuke from the Second Circuit for Waiting Two Years to Raise Jurisdictional Standing Issue

In Bochner v. City of New York, No. 23-683 (2d Cir. Oct. 7, 2024), while adopting the city defendants’ argument that the plaintiffs lacked jurisdictional standing, the Second Circuit twits the city’s corporation counsel for waiting two years to raise the issue and—for “failure to exercise reasonable diligence in identifying and raising jurisdictional questions earlyContinue reading “Corporation Counsel of the City of New York Draws A Rebuke from the Second Circuit for Waiting Two Years to Raise Jurisdictional Standing Issue”

Second Circuit Holds That Late Filing Under Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(4)(A) Is Not Subject to Equitable Exceptions, Overruling Prior Circuit Authority

In Malek v. Feigenbaum, No. 23-992 (2d Cir. Sept. 11, 2024), the Second Circuit dismisses an appeal filed belatedly under Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(4)(A), and further holds under the intervening authority of Nutraceutical Corp. v. Lambert, 586 U.S. 188 (2019), negates prior circuit authority that might have recognized equitable exceptions to the 30-day deadline.Continue reading “Second Circuit Holds That Late Filing Under Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(4)(A) Is Not Subject to Equitable Exceptions, Overruling Prior Circuit Authority”

Second Circuit Panel Divides Over Whether Unconsented Felony Trial to a Jury of Eleven Constitutes a Structural Error, Creating Split with the Fourth Circuit

In United States v. Johnson, No. 22-1289 (2d Cir. Sept. 6, 2024), while that panel agrees that the district court erred under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 23(b) by allowing the case to go to deliberation with just eleven jurors, it splits over the impact of the error. The panel majority holds that the ruleContinue reading “Second Circuit Panel Divides Over Whether Unconsented Felony Trial to a Jury of Eleven Constitutes a Structural Error, Creating Split with the Fourth Circuit”

Second Circuit Reverses District Court’s Post-Trial Tripling of Jury Award of Damages, Finding No Fundamental Error in Jury Verdict

In Salamone v. Douglas Marine Corp., No. 21-1331 (2d Cir. Aug. 8, 2024), the Second Circuit affirms a jury verdict in a state-law contract case, but reverses the district court’s post-verdict tripling of the damages, holding that the plaintiff forfeited a challenge to the jury’s calculation and there was no fundamental error warranting judicial interventionContinue reading “Second Circuit Reverses District Court’s Post-Trial Tripling of Jury Award of Damages, Finding No Fundamental Error in Jury Verdict”

Divided Second Circuit Panel Invokes 1872 Supreme Court Decision to Toss a Default Judgment, Owing to Inconsistency in the Jury Verdict

In Henry v. Oluwole, No. 21-2468 (2d Cir. July 15, 2024), a 2-1 panel of the Second Circuit holds not only that the district court erred in refusing to reopen a default judgment before and after a jury trial, but that judgment had to be entered for the party in default due to a fatalContinue reading “Divided Second Circuit Panel Invokes 1872 Supreme Court Decision to Toss a Default Judgment, Owing to Inconsistency in the Jury Verdict”

Second Circuit Holds That a District Court Has No Duty to Consider a Belated Argument in Support of Subject-Matter Jurisdiction

In Behrens v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 21-2603 (2d Cir. Mar. 13, 2024), the Second Circuit publishes an opinion  “to consider a question of first impression in this Circuit: whether the existence of subject-matter jurisdiction requires a district court to exercise it, even if it is invoked belatedly—on analogy to the rule that aContinue reading “Second Circuit Holds That a District Court Has No Duty to Consider a Belated Argument in Support of Subject-Matter Jurisdiction”

Split Second Circuit Panel Holds That an Organization Must Identify At Least One Affected Member by Name to Qualify for Article III Associational Standing

In Do No Harm v. Pfizer, Inc., No. 23-15_(2d Cir. Mar. 6, 2024), a 2-1 panel of the Second Circuit holds that “an association must identify by name at least one injured member for purposes of establishing Article III standing under a summary judgment standard.” “Do No Harm, a nationwide membership organization, filed suit againstContinue reading “Split Second Circuit Panel Holds That an Organization Must Identify At Least One Affected Member by Name to Qualify for Article III Associational Standing”

Second Circuit Sanctions Attorney Under Rule 11 for Misuse of ChatGPT in Authoring a Reply Brief

In what I believe is a first in a reported federal court of appeals decision, the Second Circuit in Park v. Kim, No. 22-2057 (2d Cir. Jan. 30, 2024) (per curiam) issues sanctions against an appellate lawyer who used ChatGPT to write a reply brief and thereby cited nonexistent case law. The underlying appeal concernedContinue reading “Second Circuit Sanctions Attorney Under Rule 11 for Misuse of ChatGPT in Authoring a Reply Brief”