Correspondent
Federal courthouse correspondent, covers civil rights, employment discrimination, housing rights, and Second Amendment disputes.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Liam Torres's lawsuit as frivolous, rejecting his claims that he operates a sovereign micro-state. The court clarified that a pro se litigant lacks standing to represent an organization on appeal, limiting review to his personal, meritless claims.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a § 1983 claim against a federal judge, ruling that the judge's decision to separate co-defendants' trials is protected by absolute judicial immunity. The court held that this immunity applies even for erroneous or malicious decisions unless the judge acted in clear absence of jurisdiction.
The Eleventh Circuit dismissed an appeal from a district court order denying a temporary restraining order because the ruling was not a final decision. The court held that the denial of the TRO did not qualify for immediate appellate review under the collateral order doctrine or the statutory exception for injunctive relief.
The Tenth Circuit granted the parties' stipulation to voluntarily dismiss their appeal from a district court ruling. The court dismissed the case with each party bearing its own costs, leaving the underlying district court judgment in place.
The Third Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Phyllis Alston's federal civil rights claims against healthcare providers, ruling that her allegations of racial discrimination were conclusory and unsupported by specific facts. The court further held that Alston's challenge to the denial of a continuance to file certificates of merit was moot because she had already refiled her state medical negligence claims in state court.
The Third Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a negligent entrustment claim against Avis, ruling that the plaintiff failed to plausibly allege the rental company knew the driver posed an unreasonable risk. The court also held that the plaintiff forfeited any arguments based on a specific Pennsylvania statute by failing to raise them in the lower court.
The Third Circuit summarily affirmed the dismissal of Shena Hickman's civil rights complaint against Facebook/Meta, ruling that the doctrine of claim preclusion barred her suit. The court held that Hickman's allegations were identical to claims previously dismissed with prejudice in two other federal actions.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment in favor of CenterPoint Energy, finding that the plaintiff failed to provide evidence of causation for his retaliation claims or evidence of defamatory statements. The court further held that the plaintiff forfeited challenges to the denial of his motions because he failed to adequately brief those specific issues.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a motion to vacate an arbitration award in an employment discrimination dispute. The court held that the appellant's arguments regarding arbitrator misconduct and procedural errors were forfeited because his pro se brief failed to provide specific factual support or legal analysis for his claims.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Edgar Merida's employment discrimination claims because he failed to adequately brief his arguments on appeal. The court held that by neglecting to rebut the district court's analysis or explain legal errors, Merida forfeited all appellate arguments.
