Correspondent
Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the denial of a motion to suppress evidence seized from a vehicle, holding that the officer had probable cause to arrest the defendant for possessing a fake driver's license. The court further determined that the initial police encounter was consensual and did not violate the Fourth Amendment.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment for sheriff's deputies who relied on medical staff advice when a pretrial detainee died from a perforated ulcer. The court held that nonmedical officers cannot be liable for deliberate indifference when their reliance on medical professionals is reasonable.
The First Circuit vacated a district court order finding that a corporate executive's intent to assert an involvement-of-counsel defense impliedly waived the corporation's attorney-client privilege. The appellate court remanded the case for a fresh evaluation of the waiver claim in light of significant procedural changes, including the severance of co-defendants and the withdrawal of one executive from the criminal proceedings.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Donald Trump's civil lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and related entities, ruling that his racketeering claims were time-barred and his other allegations were legally insufficient. While upholding the district court's sanctions against Trump and his attorneys for filing a frivolous 'shotgun' complaint, the appellate court vacated the dismissal with prejudice against one defendant, Orbis Limited, due to a lack of personal jurisdiction.
The Eleventh Circuit reversed a district court's dismissal of a securities fraud complaint against NextEra Energy, holding that investors adequately pleaded loss causation. The court found that a series of disclosures regarding executive departures and legal risks, coupled with a significant stock price drop, sufficiently connected the alleged fraud to the investors' financial losses.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Sherley Beaufils's convictions for submitting fraudulent Medicare claims for durable medical equipment she never properly prescribed. The court rejected challenges to the sufficiency of evidence, a missing jury instruction on deliberate ignorance, and a sentencing enhancement for perjury.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the conviction of a defendant for conspiring to violate the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act under 18 U.S.C. § 241. The court rejected the argument that the FACE Act's own enforcement scheme precludes the use of the broader conspiracy statute.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a district court's decision to grant a voluntary dismissal of seven defendants in a civil rights excessive force case while imposing final judgment against them. The court also upheld the admission of evidence regarding the plaintiffs' criminal history and the chaotic nature of a prison riot, finding no abuse of discretion in the evidentiary rulings.
The First Circuit affirmed Carlos Maldonado-Vargas's securities fraud conviction and sentence, rejecting claims that bank record summaries were inadmissible and that the evidence was insufficient to prove a Ponzi scheme. The court also upheld the restitution order, ruling that the district court could calculate losses and identify victims based on a broader scheme than those explicitly named in the indictment.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the federal convictions of William Bryan, Gregory McMichael, and Travis McMichael for interference with rights and attempted kidnapping related to the death of Ahmaud Arbery. The court held that sufficient evidence supported the jury's findings regarding racial animus and the public nature of the streets, and established that automobiles are per se instrumentalities of interstate commerce.
