Sixth Circuit: LFP IP, LLC v. Hustler Cincinnati, Inc.

Injunctions

No clear error in court holding that injunction protecting mark derived from a surname owned by one sibling to the exclusion of others can be modified to include related products.

http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/16a0010p-06.pdf

Sixth Circuit: Donald Burniac v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

FRCP

State court default judgment did not bar summary judgment for the other party upon removal to federal court, as the case was removed after the request for summary judgment, but before the formal entry by the clerk.

Federal judgment extinguished the state preliminary injunction; the preliminary injunction did not bar removal.

Statutory irregularities in foreclosure proceeding made proceeding voidable, not void.  No prejudice shown.

http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/16a0009p-06.pdf


Fifth Circuit: Michael Cannon v. Jacobs Field Svc N Amer, Inc.

ADA

Error to grant summary judgment against ADA claim by engineer unable due to injury to lift hand above head, given the possibility that he might be able to climb ladders properly and do without medication.

Confusing procedural bit at the end on SJ on non-accommodation claim.

http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/15/15-20127-CV0.pdf

DC Circuit: USA v. Stephen Hunter

Sentencing

General opportunity to lodge objections at the end of sentencing suffices to elicit objections on the sentence - the judge need not necessarily mention the sentencing in the prompt.  Circuit split flagged.

Lack of adjustment to below-guidelines sentence after vacated enhancement doesn't violate deft's rights.

Sufficient explanation for post-sentencing rehabilitation.

https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/CBEA4FF41EFCFF0085257F380053AAAB/$file/14-3046-1592959.pdf

DC Circuit: Mach Mining, LLC v. Secretary of Labor

Administrative / Negligence

Substantial evidence for Commission's adjudication of high negligence, as proof of mitigations only bars the finding of high negligence in the agency's formulation of violations presented to the commission, not in the adjudications themselves.

High negligence under either standard in this case, though.

https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/3B01146121C32D7385257F380053AA90/$file/14-1266-1592965.pdf


Eleventh Circuit: USA v. Antone T. Adams

ACCA

Sentence imposed under ACCA residual clause vacated on direct appeal, as state priors aren't predicates.

http://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/201414329.pdf

Eleventh Circuit: Karen Perez v. Michael Suszczynski

S1983

Denial of qualified immunity upheld where credible testimony says that decedent was prone, unresisting, and disarmed.

http://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/201413619.pdf

Ninth Circuit: David Reyes v. Christopher Smith

PLRA / Administrative

The exhaustion requirements are met under the PLRA where prison officials issue a decision on the merits while disregarding procedural flaws in the appeal.

As the complaint put the prison officials on notice of the full dimensions of the claim, it sufficed to exhaust administrative remedies.

http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2016/01/12/13-17119.pdf

Ninth Circuit: Javier Bravo Sr. v. City of Santa Maria

S1983 / Fees

In determining the award of fees for a S1983 action, recoveries by nonparties in cases resulting from the same facts and circumstances can be considered where the outcome of the case resulted in significant public benefits.

Error not to offset the award of costs by the costs already paid.

http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2016/01/12/14-55557.pdf


Ninth Circuit: USA v. Elven Swisher

First Amendment, En Banc

The Supreme Court's holding that false statements of military valor are protected under the First Amendment was a change in the substantive law, and is retroactively applicable to cases on collateral review.

The wearing of a military medal that was not granted by the armed services is an act of expressive speech, and no compelling government interest justified its criminalization.

Dissent: Wearing a medal is substantially different from saying that a medal was won.  Gvt may legitimately ban.

http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2016/01/11/11-35796.pdf


Ninth Circuit: The Center for Auto Safety v. Chrysler Corp.

FRCP

Requirement of mere good cause for sealing motions and their attachments does not turn on whether they are dispositive, but rather whether they are only tangentially related to the merits.

Concurrence: In the case at bar, the motion was dispositive as to the preliminary injunction.

Dissent: Requiring compelling interest for disclosure unless dispositive is a clearer rule, and compelled by precedent.

http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2016/01/11/15-55084.pdf




Eighth Circuit: United States v. Devord Frank Allen

Sentencing.

Sentence imposed upon revocation of supervised release is a valid predicate for the career offender sentencing enhancement.

http://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/16/01/151179P.pdf

Eighth Circuit: United States v. Norman Burch

FRE

Prior consistent statement not hearsay, given variations in deft's assertions as to when the incentive to mislead began.

Witness testimony referencing excluded prior written statement wasn't sufficiently dispositive.

Sentencing - cross-referencing upheld, statutory maximum sentence less than the guidelines range presumed reasonable.

http://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/16/01/143649P.pdf





Seventh Circuit: Laura Kubiak v. City of Chicago

First Amendment

As police officer reporting assault by another officer was neither acting as a private citizen nor speaking on a matter of public concern, her subsequent demotion doesn't violate the First Amendment.

http://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/rssExec.pl?Submit=Display&Path=Y2016/D01-11/C:14-3074:J:Flaum:aut:T:fnOp:N:1685011:S:0

Seventh Circuit: Peter Enger v. Chicago Carriage Cab Corp.

Statutory construction/ Employment

Fares paid by taxicab riders are indirect compensation, which does not trigger state wage laws.

Unjust enrichment claim denied, as the relationship is covered by an implied contract, and state law bars unjust enrichment claims where a contract exists.

http://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/rssExec.pl?Submit=Display&Path=Y2016/D01-11/C:15-1057:J:Flaum:aut:T:fnOp:N:1685039:S:0

Seventh Circuit: Sergio Isunza v. Loretta E. Lynch

Immigration.

Agency holding that claim was waived for not being raised earlier was not an abuse of discretion.

Substantial evidence for agency holding that, unlike some other contexts, re-entry to the USA does not begin a re-accrual of continuous presence where the earlier period of continuous presence was ended by a disqualifying conviction.

http://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/rssExec.pl?Submit=Display&Path=Y2016/D01-11/C:15-1286:J:Shah:aut:T:fnOp:N:1685168:S:0

Seventh Circuit: Delbert Heard v. Andrew Tilden

FRCP

Prior settlement agreement is not a basis for issue preclusion of subsequent claim.

Prior broad release of claim did not indemnify physicians against delay in in treatment for subsequent recurrence of chronic condition.

Where a physician is both the decisionmaker and the author of guidelines for treatment of prisoner medical conditions, an allegation against him in the former capacity states a claim.

http://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/rssExec.pl?Submit=Display&Path=Y2016/D01-11/C:15-1732:J:PerCuriam:aut:T:fnOp:N:1685055:S:0


Seventh Circuit: William I. Babchuk, M.D., P.C. v. Indiana University Health, Inc

S1983

When a state hospital suspends the privileges of a physician, there is no per se cognizable liberty or property interest imperiled by reporting the revocation to national organizations.

Where the board of a private hospital is partially appointed by the Board of Governors of a state university and the state university earns a share of the hospital's profits, the hospital is not necessarily a state actor acting under the color of state law.

http://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/rssExec.pl?Submit=Display&Path=Y2016/D01-11/C:15-1816:J:Posner:aut:T:fnOp:N:1684866:S:0

Fifth Circuit: USA v. Ivan Garcia-Lopez

Fourth Amendment.

As someone might have been hiding in a hollowed-out mattress, gun found under mattress during protective sweep was properly admitted.

http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/14/14-41392-CR0.pdf

Fifth Circuit: Anh Le v. Loretta Lynch

Errata.

http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/13/13-60664-CV0.pdf