Ninth Circuit Holds That District Court Lacked Authority to Convert a Fed. R. Civ. P. 56 Summary Judgment Motion Sua Sponte into a Fed. R. Civ. P. 12 Motion to Dismiss

In Jones v. L.A. Central Plaza, No. 22-55489 (9th Cir. July 26, 2023), the Ninth Circuit holds that the district court erred by sua sponte granting a Rule 12 dismissal on the pleadings for lack of Article III standing, when the parties had already briefed summary judgment on the same standing issue. Jones sued theContinue reading “Ninth Circuit Holds That District Court Lacked Authority to Convert a Fed. R. Civ. P. 56 Summary Judgment Motion Sua Sponte into a Fed. R. Civ. P. 12 Motion to Dismiss”

Unanimous En Banc Eleventh Circuit Says “Whoops,” Overrules 2019 Decision on Standing in TCPA Case to Bring Itself in Line with Other Circuits

In Drazen v. Pinto, No. 21-10199 (11th Cir. July 24, 2023), the en banc Eleventh Circuit reverses itself and holds that a single junk text confers Article III standing on a consumer under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA), 47 U.S.C. § 227(b)(1)(A)(iii). See my May 27, 2021 post on the same topic.Continue reading “Unanimous En Banc Eleventh Circuit Says “Whoops,” Overrules 2019 Decision on Standing in TCPA Case to Bring Itself in Line with Other Circuits”

Seventh Circuit Contributes to Circuit Split About Whether a Breach of Contract Alone Is a Sufficient “Injury in Fact” for Article III Standing Purposes

In Dinerstein v. Google, LLC, No. 20-3134 (7th Cir. July 11, 2023), the Seventh Circuit is invited to decide whether a university hospital’s alleged disclosure of patient data to an on-line giant constituted a violation of state tort, contract or statutory law. But the panel bypasses this dispute and holds instead that the lead plaintiffContinue reading “Seventh Circuit Contributes to Circuit Split About Whether a Breach of Contract Alone Is a Sufficient “Injury in Fact” for Article III Standing Purposes”

Fifth Circuit Holds That Employers Have Standing to Pursue Pre-Enforcement Challenge to the EEOC’s Enforcement Guidance on Bostock

In Braidwood Mgt. v. EEOC, No. 22-10145 (5th Cir. June 20, 2023), the Fifth Circuit holds that a for-profit “Christian” business and a non-denominational Christian church suffered a concrete injury from prospective enforcement of a guidance by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sufficient to support Article III standing. The guidance at issue isContinue reading “Fifth Circuit Holds That Employers Have Standing to Pursue Pre-Enforcement Challenge to the EEOC’s Enforcement Guidance on Bostock”

Don’t Make A Federal Case Out Of It: Seventh Circuit Considers A Lawsuit For $3.95

In Mack v. Resurgent Capital Servs., L.P., No. 21-2792 (7th Cir. June 7, 2023), the Seventh Circuit reverses and remands a Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) lawsuit brought to collect $3.95 in postage, a claim held by the panel to confer Article III standing to bring the case in federal court. Since the SupremeContinue reading “Don’t Make A Federal Case Out Of It: Seventh Circuit Considers A Lawsuit For $3.95”

Fifth Circuit Breaks With Other Circuits and Holds That Parents May Represent Minor Children Pro Se in Federal Court

In Raskin v. Dallas Indep. Sch. Dist., No. 21-11180 (5th Cir. June 2, 2023), the Fifth Circuit goes against the weight of ten other circuits and holds that there is no absolute bar to non-attorney parents representing their children pro se in federal court under the language of 28 U.S.C. § 1654. (Here’s a priorContinue reading “Fifth Circuit Breaks With Other Circuits and Holds That Parents May Represent Minor Children Pro Se in Federal Court”

Sixth Circuit Rejects “Juridical Link” Doctrine to Extend Class Standing to Defendant Who Did Not Injure the Named Plaintiff, Splitting with Seventh Circuit

In Fox v. Saginaw Cnty., Mich., No. 11-1265 (6th Cir. Apr. 28, 2023), the Sixth Circuit holds that even in a putative Fed. R. Civ. P. 23 class action, a representative plaintiff only has standing to sue the entities that injured them. It rejects the “juridical link” doctrine adopted by the Seventh Circuit in PaytonContinue reading “Sixth Circuit Rejects “Juridical Link” Doctrine to Extend Class Standing to Defendant Who Did Not Injure the Named Plaintiff, Splitting with Seventh Circuit”

Second Circuit Agrees with Ninth Circuit That Court Can Bypass Article III Standing Issue to Address Issue Preclusion As Alternative Basis for Dismissing Case

In Phoenix Light SF Ltd. v. Bank of N.Y. Mellon, No. 22-239 (2d Cir. Apr. 26, 2023), the Second Circuit holds that it does not need to reach a complex Article III standing issue when the case could be decided on a straightforward issue of issue preclusion. “[W]e join the Ninth Circuit in concluding thatContinue reading “Second Circuit Agrees with Ninth Circuit That Court Can Bypass Article III Standing Issue to Address Issue Preclusion As Alternative Basis for Dismissing Case”

Eleventh Circuit Holds That Competitive Injury Must Be Proved, Not Presumed, to Establish Injury-In-Fact for Article III Standing at Summary Judgment Stage

In TocMail Inc. v. Microsoft Corp., No. 22-10223 (11th Cir. Apr. 25, 2023) (per curiam), the Eleventh Circuit dismisses an appeal by a cybersecurity company suing Microsoft for false advertising under the Lanham Act, holding that at the summary judgment stage it failed to establish any grounds for proving lost profits or any other cognizableContinue reading “Eleventh Circuit Holds That Competitive Injury Must Be Proved, Not Presumed, to Establish Injury-In-Fact for Article III Standing at Summary Judgment Stage”

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”