Correspondent
White House correspondent, covers patent, trade and regulatory news
The Ninth Circuit vacated a district court order that denied a motion for a new trial solely because the defendants failed to complete a local rule pre-filing conference. The appellate court held that the district court abused its discretion by ignoring the defendants' good-faith efforts to meet and confer and the plaintiff's refusal to cooperate.
The Seventh Circuit vacated and remanded the Tax Court's decision because the lower court failed to apply the claim of right doctrine when determining if loyalty fund payments constituted taxable income. The appellate court clarified that the claim of right doctrine is an independent basis for excluding income, broader than the trust fund doctrine previously applied.
The Ninth Circuit vacated a district court order that denied defendants' motions for a new trial solely because they failed to comply with local pre-filing conference rules. The appellate court held that strict enforcement of procedural requirements without equitable consideration deprived the defendants of a merits-based trial when they had made good-faith efforts to cooperate.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court's order compelling arbitration for a seaman's maintenance and cure claims but reversed the order compelling arbitration for his Jones Act negligence claim against non-signatory defendants. The court held that while the employment agreement's arbitration clause was valid, the plaintiff's allegations did not demonstrate the interdependent and concerted misconduct required to bind non-signatories to the Jones Act claim.
The Sixth Circuit reversed a district court dismissal, holding that an Oklahoma law firm purposefully directed its debt collection activities at a Michigan resident. The court found that garnishing wages earned by a Michigan employee established sufficient minimum contacts for personal jurisdiction.
The Federal Circuit determined it lacked jurisdiction over an appeal concerning a Small Business Administration grant dispute because the claim did not involve patent laws or specific tort damages. Consequently, the court transferred the case to the Third Circuit, which holds proper subject matter jurisdiction over this civil action.
The Federal Circuit summarily affirmed the dismissal of a $65 million suit against the United States, holding that the Court of Federal Claims lacked jurisdiction over the plaintiff's tort-based and takings claims. The court ruled that liberty and bodily integrity are not property interests compensable under the Takings Clause and that implied-in-law contracts fall outside the court's statutory authority.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit summarily affirmed a dismissal by the Court of Federal Claims. The appellate court held that the lower court lacked jurisdiction over claims against private individuals and state officials in a child custody dispute.
The Ninth Circuit vacated the denial of Defendants' motions for a new trial, ruling that the district court abused its discretion by strictly enforcing local rules without weighing the parties' conduct. The appellate court remanded the case for the district court to evaluate the merits of the new trial motions rather than dismissing them on procedural grounds.
The Ninth Circuit granted the United States' motion for an injunction pending appeal, temporarily barring California from enforcing its identification requirement for federal law enforcement officers. The court held that the state statute likely violates the Supremacy Clause because it directly regulates the federal government in the performance of its governmental functions.
