Correspondent

Maria Santos

White House correspondent, covers patent, trade and regulatory news

Business & Regulatory patent

Decisions covered by Maria Santos

639 decisions

Mar 24 2026

United States Court… 25-5458 Panel Decision

Harold Jean-Baptiste v. United States Department of Justice, et al.

The D.C. Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of leave to file a new complaint, ruling that the proposed filing failed to meet Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a) standards and contained frivolous claims previously enjoined. The court further held that challenges to the underlying pre-filing injunction were barred by prior failure to appeal, and rejected allegations of judicial bias as meritless.

Civil Other Civil

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Mar 23 2026

5th Cir. 25-60188 Panel Decision

Glen A. Hardwick v. Federal Aviation Administration; Bryan Bedford Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration

The Fifth Circuit denied a petition for review upholding a 150-day suspension of a pilot's license for flying an aircraft with a tail number that did not match its registration documents. The court found the pilot failed to meet the narrow standard for reasonable reliance and that the administrative nature of the violation did not preclude a safety sanction.

Civil Securities

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Mar 23 2026

11th Cir. 1:24-cv-00109-JRH-BKE Per Curiam

Denhardt v. Wells Fargo Bank N.A.

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of a plaintiff's claims for excess funds from a tax sale, holding that a security deed holder is entitled to those funds under Georgia law. The court determined that statutory language explicitly designates security deed owners as 'owners' eligible for distribution before other claimants.

Civil Contract Motion to Dismiss Real Property

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Mar 23 2026

8th Cir. 25-2561 Panel Decision

Hauber v. Honkamp Krueger & Co. PC

The Eighth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se plaintiff's complaint with prejudice due to willful discovery violations. The court held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in imposing severe sanctions, including monetary fines, for failing to comply with discovery orders.

Civil Contract

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Mar 23 2026

3rd Cir. 25-1066 Panel Decision

AFL-CIO v. ENERGY HARBOR NUCLEAR CORP., A

The Third Circuit reversed a district court order compelling arbitration in a labor dispute over employee benefit contributions. The appellate court held that the grievance fell outside the scope of the collective bargaining agreement's arbitration clause because the claimed right did not arise from the contract itself.

Civil Labor

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Mar 20 2026

3rd Cir. 26-1019 Panel Decision

In re SHARISSE JUANITA FILUS, as Trustee and/or Beneficiary of the SJF Living Revocable Trust

The Third Circuit denied in part and dismissed in part a pro se petition for a writ of mandamus filed by Sharisse Filus seeking to intervene in her underlying civil action against Fidelity Investments. The court determined that the District Court's procedural rulings, including the denial of Filus's motions to strike the defendant's answer and impose sanctions, were not appropriate subjects for mandamus relief.

Civil Motion to Dismiss Tax (Civil)

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Mar 20 2026

6th Cir. 25-1638 Published

Fetch! Pet Care, Inc. v. Atomic Pawz Inc.

The Sixth Circuit affirmed a district court's partial denial of a preliminary injunction in a franchise dispute, ruling that the franchisor Fetch! Pet Care came to equity with unclean hands. The court held that Fetch!'s aggressive marketing and abrupt termination of legacy franchisees barred it from obtaining equitable relief against former franchisees who launched competing businesses.

Civil Intellectual Property

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Mar 20 2026

11th Cir. 0:25-cv-61909-RS Per Curiam

Stermer v. Federated Foundation Trust

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a district court order approving the sale of condemned condominium property to a stalking horse bidder. The court held that the appellant failed to preserve its due process and procedural objections for appellate review.

Civil Contract

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Mar 20 2026

9th Cir. 2:24-cv-02437-SVW-RAO Unpublished

AMERITAS LIFE INSURANCE CORP v. WILMINGTON TRUST, N.A

The Ninth Circuit reversed the district court's dismissal of a declaratory judgment action, holding that a permanent life insurance policy issued in 2024 was a distinct contract from a prior term policy issued in 2004. Because the permanent policy was a new contract and the policyholder lacked an insurable interest at the time of its issuance, the court ruled the policy void as an illegal wager.

Civil Environmental (Civil)

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Mar 20 2026

4th Cir. 24-2169 Panel Decision

RUBEN PALAZZO v. BAYVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC, now known as Community Loan Servicing LLC; MANUFACTURERS AND TRADERS TRUST COMPANY, d/b/a M&T Bank

The Fourth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for mortgage servicers, holding that monthly statements, payoff requests, and tax forms sent during a debtor's Chapter 13 bankruptcy were purely informational and did not constitute prohibited debt collection. The court reasoned that explicit disclaimers clarifying the documents' non-collection purpose prevented them from violating the automatic stay or the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Bankruptcy Civil Summary Judgment

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