Tenth Circuit: Nesbitt v. FCNH

Arbitration

An opt-out clause in the agreement only speaks to the threshold question of scope of arbitration, and does not forestall an exemption from compulsory arbitration in order to effectively vindicate a claim.

Giver internal inconsistencies in the agreement and incorporated rules, a plaintiff might justifiably refrain from pursuing a claim, given the uncertainty of eventual reimbursement.

https://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/14/14-1502.pdf


Tenth Circuit: United States v. Webster

4A/ Ineffective Assistance

No ineffective assistance Habeas, as the theft of personalty from the deft's house during the search did not justify a blanket suppression of the fruits of the search.

https://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/15/15-3027.pdf

Tenth Circuit: Espinoza v. Arkansas Valley Adventures

Liability/ Torts

There is no public policy bar to enforcement of a waiver of liability, given the generally permissive view of the legislature and the fact that the relevant misdemeanor negligence statute is silent as to the civil implications of negligence per se.

Strong drafting of release overwhelms considerations of the general characterization of risk

Dissent: Characterization of risk presents a genuine issue of material fact.

https://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/14/14-1444.pdf

Seventh Circuit: Tracy Williams v. Brandon Brooks

Sentencing

Imposition of boilerplate conditions on supervised release without specific findings upheld.

Conditions requiring that deft support family, regularly work at lawful occupation, alert govt to change of residence, not frequent places where drugs are sold, associate with those convicted of felony, consent to visits by govt officer, notify third parties of conviction impermissibly vague/not supported by findings.

http://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/rssExec.pl?Submit=Display&Path=Y2016/D01-05/C:14-2458:J:Flaum:aut:T:fnOp:N:1681664:S:0



Seventh Circuit: USA v. Matthew Poulin

S1983 - false arrest

As plaintiff had no specific memory of activating the turn signal during the lane change, the arrest was lawful.

Deft's strange actions justified use of force in arrest.

State court's dismissal of charge of resisting arrest does not create a genuine issue of material fact as to whether the deft resisted arrest.

No FRE 408 claim against introduction of diversion agreement.

http://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/rssExec.pl?Submit=Display&Path=Y2016/D01-05/C:15-1763:J:Flaum:aut:T:fnOp:N:1681632:S:0







Sixth Circuit: Tracy Morton v. Vanderbilt University

Employment

As some workers were paid for 60 days after they were told to leave, the layoffs did not trigger the Federal WARN act, as a subset of the workers laid off were technically still employed.

http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/16a0002p-06.pdf

Sixth Circuit: Norbert Kelsey v. Melissa Pope

Habeas: Tribes - Crim

Native American tribes have extraterritorial criminal jurisdiction over their members.

Extraterritorial contacts between tribe members at a tribal function implicate core notions of sovereignty.

Presumption against implicit divestment by Congressional act.

As the conduct was of the nature that would generally lead to prosecution somewhere, no Due Process notice considerations with the introduction of an unforeseen sovereignty.

Tribal court's exercise of jurisdiction was routine common law decisionmaking.

http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/16a0001p-06.pdf




Fifth Circuit: Stephen Miller v. Metrocare Services, et al

Discrimination, S1983 name-clearing

Sufficient nondiscriminatory basis for ending of employment.

Confrontation of witnesses is not required at a S1983 name-clearing proceeding under procedural due process.

http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/15/15-10086-CV0.pdf

Fifth Circuit: USA v. Jesus Ramos-Rodriguez

FRE

Evidence of prior traffic stop in, as it helps to establish deft's knowledge of contraband in vehicle.

No error in the introduction of profile-based evidence that tended to establish mens rea.

http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/14/14-50846-CR0.pdf

Fifth Circuit: Lillie Wheat v. Florida Prsh Juv Justice Cmsn

Title VII/FMLA

Assignment to janitorial duties is not a per se materially adverse action.

Plaintiff did not establish pay adjustment as materially adverse.

Denial of reassignment not per se materially adverse.

Disparate treatment of others similarly situated raised genuine issue of material fact on the retaliatory dismissal.

Dissent: Janitorial duties materially adverse on this record.

http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/14/14-30788-CV0.pdf





Third Circuit: USA v. Jason Moreno

FRE, FRCrimP

Admission of written statements of investigating agent read into the record by a witness under the prior consistent statements hearsay exception violated the Confrontation Clause, but the error was harmless.

No plain error in the sentencing bump for 50 victims.

Prosecutor's unauthorized cross during allocution violated the common law right of allocution, and as it was contrary to the purposes of the relevant FRCrimP rule, the error was plain.  Sentence vacated.

http://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/141568p.pdf

Third Circuit: Chesapeake Appalachia LLC v. Scout Petroleum

Arbitration - class actions

Neither the terms of the contract nor the incorporation of the arbitration organization's rules constituted a clear and unmistakable consent to allowing the arbitrator to define the scope of a class arbitration.

http://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/151275p.pdf

DC Circuit: Anglers Conservation Network v. Penny Pritzker

Administrative law

Interstate council not subject to statutory or APA suit -- although inaction is "backstopped" by the Agency, the action and inaction of the council isn't actionable under Agency-based rights of action.

https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/E0161B8D8499099885257F3100533D5A/$file/14-5304-1591775.pdf

Eleventh Circuit: Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development v. Target Corporation

Court properly dismissed right of publicity claim under public interest exception.

http://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/201510880.pdf

Eleventh Circuit: USA v. Demarco Doxie

Sentencing

No error in court's declining to group tax counts with fraud counts for purposes of sentencing.

Typo at 9.

http://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/201511161.pdf

Tenth Circuit: Savant Homes v. Collins

Copyright - architecture

Summary judgment for deft upheld, as plaintiff did not establish uniqueness of architectural elements.

Not per se error for the court to use "abstraction & filtration" for architecture.

No error in dismissal of trade dress claims.

https://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/15/15-1115.pdf

Ninth Circuit: Washington v. Ryan

Going to en banc.

https://d3bsvxk93brmko.cloudfront.net/datastore/opinions/2015/12/31/05-99009.pdf

Ninth Circuit: Cuprite Mine Partners v. John Anderson

FRCP - mining,

Joinder appropriate in case of adjoining strip mines.

State partition statute does not require most profitable sale - only the timely sale.

State statute potentially requiring trial before partition is a procedural, not substantive requirement for Erie.


https://d3bsvxk93brmko.cloudfront.net/datastore/opinions/2015/12/31/13-16657.pdf

Ninth Circuit: Richard Shirrod v. OWCP

Award of fees - Longshoreman's Act

Error to use statewide index as opposed to market-specific.

Error to include workmans comp numbers in the lodestar calculations.

https://d3bsvxk93brmko.cloudfront.net/datastore/opinions/2015/12/31/13-70613.pdf

Eighth Circuit: Elvin Castillo-Gutierrez v. Loretta E. Lynch

Immigration

No error in denial of asylum, as reasonable factfinder could think that petitioner could move elsewhere in the country, the ountry-specific evidence is vague, and there have been no recent murders.

http://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/16/01/143503P.pdf