Administrative
Denial of motion to reopen a case when issued in the form of a letter is sufficiently final for review when the motion is based on an intervening change in the substantive law.
Where the statute gives the board the task of reopening a case, the decision of the board is subject to APA review.
As complaint phased the substantive issues but not the legal ones, insufficient exhaustion of administrative remedies.
http://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/opinions-orders/15-3072.Opinion.1-12-2016.1.PDF
Since 2011. An occasional commonplacing of the U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal.
Neither an authoritative statement of the law nor legal advice. Quick work.
Federal Circuit: Hymas v. US
Administrative
Cooperative agreements were initiated under permissible agency rulemaking and are therefore not procurement contracts subject to Tucker Act jurisdiction.
http://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/opinions-orders/14-5150.Opinion.1-12-2016.1.PDF
Cooperative agreements were initiated under permissible agency rulemaking and are therefore not procurement contracts subject to Tucker Act jurisdiction.
http://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/opinions-orders/14-5150.Opinion.1-12-2016.1.PDF
DC Circuit: R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Administrative
Summary judgment based on appointment of committee members with conflicts of interests was error, as the claimed harms were too remote and speculative -- there was no proof that the committee's report would prompt an eventual rulemaking, no proof of confidential disclosures, and no evidence of inappropriate shaping of the committee's report.
https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/4535A54A84790EC685257F3B0054CC05/$file/14-5226-1593800.pdf
Summary judgment based on appointment of committee members with conflicts of interests was error, as the claimed harms were too remote and speculative -- there was no proof that the committee's report would prompt an eventual rulemaking, no proof of confidential disclosures, and no evidence of inappropriate shaping of the committee's report.
https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/4535A54A84790EC685257F3B0054CC05/$file/14-5226-1593800.pdf
DC Circuit: National Security Counselors v. CIA
Fees
A bona fide corporation with an identity distinct from that of the natural person who represents it in court is eligible for fee-shifting provisions of FOIA. In house counsel presumptively distinct from corporation, despite close involvement and personal commitment.
https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/EBD08628AB46B5D185257F3B0054CBEF/$file/14-5171-1593790.pdf
A bona fide corporation with an identity distinct from that of the natural person who represents it in court is eligible for fee-shifting provisions of FOIA. In house counsel presumptively distinct from corporation, despite close involvement and personal commitment.
https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/EBD08628AB46B5D185257F3B0054CBEF/$file/14-5171-1593790.pdf
DC Circuit: Silverado Stages, Inc. v. FMCSA
Administrative
Challenge to mechanics of system for challenging material in online database insufficiently developed for review.
Auer deference to agency exempting database from regulatory process.
Notice and comment challenge to findings of safety violations waived here for not being raised in District court.
https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/6F8CBD8F8930A7CB85257F3B0054CBD0/$file/14-1298-1593796.pdf
Challenge to mechanics of system for challenging material in online database insufficiently developed for review.
Auer deference to agency exempting database from regulatory process.
Notice and comment challenge to findings of safety violations waived here for not being raised in District court.
https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/6F8CBD8F8930A7CB85257F3B0054CBD0/$file/14-1298-1593796.pdf
Ninth Circuit: Elton Mendoza Rizo v. Loretta E. Lynch
Immigration / Administrative
Remand to IJ doesn't make case insufficiently final for review, as IJ's remit is to provide for the possibility of voluntary departure.
Petitioner insufficiently developed claims against denial of asylum -- insufficient exhaustion.
No constitutional harm in aggressive questioning by IJ.
https://d3bsvxk93brmko.cloudfront.net/datastore/opinions/2016/01/14/13-74216.pdf
Remand to IJ doesn't make case insufficiently final for review, as IJ's remit is to provide for the possibility of voluntary departure.
Petitioner insufficiently developed claims against denial of asylum -- insufficient exhaustion.
No constitutional harm in aggressive questioning by IJ.
https://d3bsvxk93brmko.cloudfront.net/datastore/opinions/2016/01/14/13-74216.pdf
Ninth Circuit: Steve Klein v. City of Laguna Beach
S1983, Fees
Error to deny fees for S1983 action, as although nominal claims were awarded in a suit seeking compensatory damages, the primary goal of the suit was to change government policy.
No error in denial of fees under state statute, as the other party prevailed on the state law claims.
https://d3bsvxk93brmko.cloudfront.net/datastore/opinions/2016/01/14/13-56973.pdf
Error to deny fees for S1983 action, as although nominal claims were awarded in a suit seeking compensatory damages, the primary goal of the suit was to change government policy.
No error in denial of fees under state statute, as the other party prevailed on the state law claims.
https://d3bsvxk93brmko.cloudfront.net/datastore/opinions/2016/01/14/13-56973.pdf
Ninth Circuit: USA v. Christopher James
Statutory construction, Crim
Federal statute does not import state standards for the ability to consent -- fundamentally a decision for the jury.
Dissent: (Koz) No ambiguity in statute.
https://d3bsvxk93brmko.cloudfront.net/datastore/opinions/2016/01/14/13-10543.pdf
Federal statute does not import state standards for the ability to consent -- fundamentally a decision for the jury.
Dissent: (Koz) No ambiguity in statute.
https://d3bsvxk93brmko.cloudfront.net/datastore/opinions/2016/01/14/13-10543.pdf
Ninth Circuit: Grand Jury Investigation
At this hour, the Ninth has posted an opinion and an order appearing to revoke that opinion for redaction. As other cases have been posted since, we'll just link without comment to both the opinion and the order.
https://d3bsvxk93brmko.cloudfront.net/datastore/opinions/2016/01/14/15-50450o.pdf
https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2016/01/14/15-50450.pdf
https://d3bsvxk93brmko.cloudfront.net/datastore/opinions/2016/01/14/15-50450o.pdf
https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2016/01/14/15-50450.pdf
Ninth Circuit: USA v. Mark Spengler
White collar, FRE
Deft can challenge exclusion of expert on appeal, even if deft didn't offer any witnesses at trial.
Exclusion of expert under Daubert/6A upheld, as even if investments were ultimately prudent, deft thought his acts fraudulent at the time.
Prosc witnesses' references to deft as fiduciary did not mislead jury.
No error in court not striking count from superseding indictment, despite the improper citation of statute and omission of willfulness element, as willfulness was alleged broadly in the indictment.
https://d3bsvxk93brmko.cloudfront.net/datastore/opinions/2016/01/15/14-30042.pdf
Deft can challenge exclusion of expert on appeal, even if deft didn't offer any witnesses at trial.
Exclusion of expert under Daubert/6A upheld, as even if investments were ultimately prudent, deft thought his acts fraudulent at the time.
Prosc witnesses' references to deft as fiduciary did not mislead jury.
No error in court not striking count from superseding indictment, despite the improper citation of statute and omission of willfulness element, as willfulness was alleged broadly in the indictment.
https://d3bsvxk93brmko.cloudfront.net/datastore/opinions/2016/01/15/14-30042.pdf
Ninth Circuit: Mike McGee v. China Electric Motor
Securities, Fees
No error in district court's use of lodestar as opposed to percentage of fund, but the lodestar analysis was insufficiently explained.
https://d3bsvxk93brmko.cloudfront.net/datastore/opinions/2016/01/15/13-56903.pdf
No error in district court's use of lodestar as opposed to percentage of fund, but the lodestar analysis was insufficiently explained.
https://d3bsvxk93brmko.cloudfront.net/datastore/opinions/2016/01/15/13-56903.pdf
Ninth Circuit: Steven Fue v. Marin Biter
Habeas, AEDPA
No error in denial of equitable tolling of AEDPA limit, as petitioner didn't inquire into status of state habeas for fourteen months.
Dissent: State didn't notify, policy reasons against new rule.
https://d3bsvxk93brmko.cloudfront.net/datastore/opinions/2016/01/15/12-55307.pdf
No error in denial of equitable tolling of AEDPA limit, as petitioner didn't inquire into status of state habeas for fourteen months.
Dissent: State didn't notify, policy reasons against new rule.
https://d3bsvxk93brmko.cloudfront.net/datastore/opinions/2016/01/15/12-55307.pdf
Eighth Circuit: Riceland Foods v. Don Downing
FRCP,
Res judicata effects of partial judgment below made the partial judgment sufficiently final for appeal.
A litigation-specific provision for a subset of parties in a release of claims against a larger group means that litigation-related claims against those not in the subset are not barred as a matter of law.
http://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/16/01/143758P.pdf
Res judicata effects of partial judgment below made the partial judgment sufficiently final for appeal.
A litigation-specific provision for a subset of parties in a release of claims against a larger group means that litigation-related claims against those not in the subset are not barred as a matter of law.
http://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/16/01/143758P.pdf
Eighth Circuit: Nicole Walker v. United States
Habeas, retroactive application
Plain error not relevant to collateral attack of conviction.
Case extending Apprendi to mandatory minimums isn't retroactive to cases on collateral appeal, because Apprendi itself isn't retroactive.
No constitutional error in lack of assistance of counsel during Certiorari. No statutory error, as the omission of the issue from the petition wouldn't have been ineffective assistance.
Inaccurate guess by deft counsel as to likely sentence did not make plea involuntary.
No error in safety valve counsel at trial and during appeal, denial of evidentiary hearing upheld.
http://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/16/01/143700P.pdf
Plain error not relevant to collateral attack of conviction.
Case extending Apprendi to mandatory minimums isn't retroactive to cases on collateral appeal, because Apprendi itself isn't retroactive.
No constitutional error in lack of assistance of counsel during Certiorari. No statutory error, as the omission of the issue from the petition wouldn't have been ineffective assistance.
Inaccurate guess by deft counsel as to likely sentence did not make plea involuntary.
No error in safety valve counsel at trial and during appeal, denial of evidentiary hearing upheld.
http://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/16/01/143700P.pdf
Eighth Circuit: United States v. David Tumea
Sentencing.
Within guidelines sentence upheld for weapons possession.
Supervised release condition barring possession of weapons analogues not overbroad, but specific items might be authorized by probation office.
Concurrence: BOP should provide mental health services during term of imprisonment.
http://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/16/01/143650P.pdf
Within guidelines sentence upheld for weapons possession.
Supervised release condition barring possession of weapons analogues not overbroad, but specific items might be authorized by probation office.
Concurrence: BOP should provide mental health services during term of imprisonment.
http://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/16/01/143650P.pdf
Eighth Circuit: Brent Ballinger v. Cedar County, MO
S1983
Since the state rule keeping prisoners in custody during the pendency of a state appeal while not staying the judicial order ordering their release does not apply to the procedural (direct, apparently) challenge on which the deft prevailed, he did not revert to the status of a pretrial detainee when he prevailed on appeal, and there is no constitutional harm in his being kept in solitary confinement during the state's appeal.
No per se constitutional harm in solitary confinement.
http://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/16/01/143576P.pdf
Since the state rule keeping prisoners in custody during the pendency of a state appeal while not staying the judicial order ordering their release does not apply to the procedural (direct, apparently) challenge on which the deft prevailed, he did not revert to the status of a pretrial detainee when he prevailed on appeal, and there is no constitutional harm in his being kept in solitary confinement during the state's appeal.
No per se constitutional harm in solitary confinement.
http://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/16/01/143576P.pdf
Eighth Circuit: United States v. James Robert Carlson
Analogue Act, FRE
Act not unconstitutional, per S.Ct. US.
No error in permissive inference instruction allowing jury to find knowledge of similar chemical structure of the drug based on knowledge of similar pharmacological effects, given deft's knowledge of chemical structures of the materials.
No abuse of discretion in admission of expert under Daubert, as methodological doubts go to weight of evidence and not admissibility.
Government spokesman's affirmation of industry statement that they planned to expand their distribution of unscheduled substances didn't create a defense of entrapment by estoppel.
FDCA violation established by misleading sale, not a knowing violation of the terms of the act.
No error of use of sentencing guidelines for scheduled substances as basis for sentence imposed for nonscheduled substances.
http://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/16/01/142986P.pdf
Act not unconstitutional, per S.Ct. US.
No error in permissive inference instruction allowing jury to find knowledge of similar chemical structure of the drug based on knowledge of similar pharmacological effects, given deft's knowledge of chemical structures of the materials.
No abuse of discretion in admission of expert under Daubert, as methodological doubts go to weight of evidence and not admissibility.
Government spokesman's affirmation of industry statement that they planned to expand their distribution of unscheduled substances didn't create a defense of entrapment by estoppel.
FDCA violation established by misleading sale, not a knowing violation of the terms of the act.
No error of use of sentencing guidelines for scheduled substances as basis for sentence imposed for nonscheduled substances.
http://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/16/01/142986P.pdf
Sixth Circuit: Juan Esquivel-Quintana v. Loretta E. Lynch
Immigration
Chevron deference to agency ruling that violations of a certain state law fall within the removability statute.
Rule of lenity does not control, given S. Ct. U.S. holdings.
http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/16a0012p-06.pdf
Chevron deference to agency ruling that violations of a certain state law fall within the removability statute.
Rule of lenity does not control, given S. Ct. U.S. holdings.
http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/16a0012p-06.pdf
Sixth Circuit: Richmond Health Facilities v. Adrianne Nichols
Arbitration, dicta/holding
Since state law holds that a wrongful death action is held by the next of kin and not the decedent, a release signed by the decedent cannot compel arbitration of the claim.
Arbitration act does not preempt the state law, as the state law does not bar compelled arbitration of the claim.
Rule in earlier holding by state supreme court was an alternative holding, not dicta.
Earlier holding can be retroactive, as it was a restatement of the law, and the state courts have since retroactively applied it.
http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/16a0011p-06.pdf
Since state law holds that a wrongful death action is held by the next of kin and not the decedent, a release signed by the decedent cannot compel arbitration of the claim.
Arbitration act does not preempt the state law, as the state law does not bar compelled arbitration of the claim.
Rule in earlier holding by state supreme court was an alternative holding, not dicta.
Earlier holding can be retroactive, as it was a restatement of the law, and the state courts have since retroactively applied it.
http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/16a0011p-06.pdf
Fourth Circuit: Donna Cisson v. C. R. Bard, Incorporated
FRE, Torts
No abuse of discretion in holding that compliance with a federal regulation was more prejudicial than probative in a state product liability claim, as the federal reg was a restatement of existing practices which merely required substantial compliance with similar product strategies.
Also correctly barred from punitive damages consideration, as minimal compliance wouldn't bar finding of high willfulness.
Error in allowing contents of MSDS in for the truth of the matter asserted as a list/directory, treatise, -- correct posture would have been for deft's knowledge - the difference is harmless.
No error in court's use of strict liability tort instruction as opposed to medical malpractice instruction in action involving manufacturer of medical devices.
Seven to one punitive damages ratio not constitutionally excessive.
Since the state created the right of action, state can take a percentage of the punitive award.
http://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/Opinions/Published/151102.P.pdf
No abuse of discretion in holding that compliance with a federal regulation was more prejudicial than probative in a state product liability claim, as the federal reg was a restatement of existing practices which merely required substantial compliance with similar product strategies.
Also correctly barred from punitive damages consideration, as minimal compliance wouldn't bar finding of high willfulness.
Error in allowing contents of MSDS in for the truth of the matter asserted as a list/directory, treatise, -- correct posture would have been for deft's knowledge - the difference is harmless.
No error in court's use of strict liability tort instruction as opposed to medical malpractice instruction in action involving manufacturer of medical devices.
Seven to one punitive damages ratio not constitutionally excessive.
Since the state created the right of action, state can take a percentage of the punitive award.
http://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/Opinions/Published/151102.P.pdf
Third Circuit: Josh Finkelman v. National Football League
Standing.
No Article III standing for challenge to NFL ticket prices, as no ticket was purchased, and the plaintiff didn't show that a more democratic ticketing system would have allowed him to go to the Super Bowl.
Second plaintiff who purchased ticket has no Article III standing, as he didn't attempt the lottery in additional to the premium ticket purchase, and can't therefore challenge the lottery practices, and the harm sustained by a secondary market purchase isn't the difference from face, but the unknowable difference from a ticket purchased in another version of the market.
Analogy to Twombly - facts consistent with a thing versus the thing itself.
http://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/151435p.pdf
No Article III standing for challenge to NFL ticket prices, as no ticket was purchased, and the plaintiff didn't show that a more democratic ticketing system would have allowed him to go to the Super Bowl.
Second plaintiff who purchased ticket has no Article III standing, as he didn't attempt the lottery in additional to the premium ticket purchase, and can't therefore challenge the lottery practices, and the harm sustained by a secondary market purchase isn't the difference from face, but the unknowable difference from a ticket purchased in another version of the market.
Analogy to Twombly - facts consistent with a thing versus the thing itself.
http://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/151435p.pdf
Second Circuit: Simmons v. Stanberry
Copyright- Statute of limitations
An exclusive license is identical to ownership for the purpose of the Copyright statute of limitations, which runs from the time that the initial licensee is aware of the primary infringement; the clock is not restarted by each attendant infringement.
http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/fb6e4ccb-6ffa-40f1-b0a8-b38f555365b5/1/doc/14-3106_opn.pdf#xml=http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/fb6e4ccb-6ffa-40f1-b0a8-b38f555365b5/1/hilite/
An exclusive license is identical to ownership for the purpose of the Copyright statute of limitations, which runs from the time that the initial licensee is aware of the primary infringement; the clock is not restarted by each attendant infringement.
http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/fb6e4ccb-6ffa-40f1-b0a8-b38f555365b5/1/doc/14-3106_opn.pdf#xml=http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/fb6e4ccb-6ffa-40f1-b0a8-b38f555365b5/1/hilite/
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