Maria Santos

Correspondent

Maria Santos

White House correspondent, covers patent, trade and regulatory news

Business & Regulatory patent

Decisions covered by Maria Santos

639 decisions
Apr 17 2026
9th Cir. 9:23-cv-00151-KLD Unpublished

John Ambler; Stacy Ambler v. Flathead Conservation District; Friends of Montana Streams and Rivers

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment, holding that Montana lacks jurisdiction to enforce its 1975 Streambed Act against private inholdings within Glacier National Park. The court reasoned that because the United States acquired exclusive legislative jurisdiction over these lands in 1914, post-cession state statutes do not assimilate into federal law absent a same basic scheme.

Civil Securities Summary Judgment
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Apr 15 2026
11th Cir. 4:22-cv-00126-RH-MJF Per Curiam

TIMOTHY SNEED v. A. ACOSTA-MARTINEZ Site Medical Director NAFINA LANGLEY

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment for a prison medical director, ruling that an inmate failed to prove a genuine dispute of material fact regarding an Eighth Amendment deliberate indifference claim. The court held that the inmate's own declarations contradicted his assertion of a serious medical need and that he provided no verifying medical evidence showing that treatment delays caused detrimental effects.

Civil Securities Summary Judgment
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Apr 15 2026
11th Cir. 8:22-bk-01186-CPM Published

AE OPCO III, LLC AE HOLDCO III, INC v. AAR CORP

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the disallowance of AAR's indemnification claim as a contingent reimbursement claim under 11 U.S.C. § 502(e)(1)(B). However, the court reversed the disallowance of AAR's bankruptcy-costs fees, holding that the Bankruptcy Code does not implicitly bar post-petition attorney fees for unsecured creditors.

Bankruptcy Civil
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Apr 15 2026
10th Cir. 2:24-CV-00700-DAO) Panel Decision

RICHITA MARIE HACKFORD v. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR; MARK LEE GREENBLAT Inspector General; DEB HAALAND Secretary of the Interior; BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS; DARRYL LAC...

The Tenth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Richita Marie Hackford's pro se lawsuit challenging her classification under the Ute Partition Act. The court held that the statute grants the Secretary of the Interior broad discretion in determining membership rolls and that the statutory window for challenging such determinations has long closed.

Civil Securities
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Apr 15 2026
10th Cir. 1:24-CV-00006-SWS Panel Decision

FOUR B PROPERTIES, LLC; RANCH 10, LLC; GARY A. BINNING v. THE NATURE CONSERVANCY

The Tenth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for The Nature Conservancy, ruling that an alleged oral promise to allow construction was too indefinite to support a claim of promissory estoppel. The court held that the plaintiffs failed to meet Wyoming's strict proof requirements for a clear promise, reasonable reliance, or the necessity of enforcement to avoid injustice.

Civil Contract Intellectual Property Summary Judgment
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Apr 15 2026
5th Cir. 25-60198 Panel Decision

Cuevas Machine Company v. Calgon Carbon Corporation

The Fifth Circuit certified a question to the Mississippi Supreme Court regarding whether construction liens are valid when they rely on attached invoices that fail to clearly identify the last date labor was provided. The appellate court remanded the case with instructions to await the state court's answer before proceeding.

Civil Securities
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Apr 15 2026
Fed. Cir. 26-1468 Panel Decision

ANDRE YOUNGBLOOD v. UNITED STATES

The Federal Circuit dismissed Andre Youngblood's appeal from the Court of Federal Claims because his notice of appeal was filed after the statutory deadline. The court held that the appellant failed to provide evidence satisfying the prison mailbox rule to prove his filing was timely.

Civil Other Civil
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