Maria Santos

Correspondent

Maria Santos

White House correspondent, covers patent, trade and regulatory news

Business & Regulatory patent

Decisions covered by Maria Santos

1,023 decisions
Mar 16 2026
10th Cir. 2:25-CV-02151-JWL Panel Decision

Michael A. Hudson v. Frank Bisignano, Commissioner of Social Security

The Tenth Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of Michael Hudson's claims against the Social Security Commissioner because the appellant failed to prosecute previous appeals and offered no arguments challenging the lower court's ruling. The court held it lacked jurisdiction to review prior district court decisions and found no legal basis for the requested FICA tax refunds or damages.

Civil Res Judicata Social Security
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Mar 16 2026
5th Cir. 25-20056 Published

U.S. Bank National Association, As Trustee for CSMC Mortgage-Backed Trust 2007-3; PHH Mortgage Corporation v. Josef M. Lamell

The Fifth Circuit affirmed a foreclosure judgment, ruling that a borrower waived his statute of limitations defense by signing a broad settlement release. The court further held that unpaid property taxes advanced by the lender constitute secured debt under the Deed of Trust's contractual subrogation clause.

Bankruptcy Civil Statute of Limitations
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Mar 16 2026
3rd Cir. 25-1810 Panel Decision

In re: ALLONHILL, LLC, f/k/a Allon Hill, LLC; f/k/a Allon Financial, LLC; f/k/a The Murrayhill Company, LLC Debtor ALLONHILL, LLC v. STEWART LENDER SERVICES, INC

The Third Circuit reversed the District Court's ruling that a debtor was insolvent at the time of certain transfers, holding that the lower court erred by using a post-transfer settlement amount to value a disputed claim. The appellate court clarified that while the Bankruptcy Court's methodology was permissible, the District Court's rejection of that approach based on settled expectations was legally incorrect.

Bankruptcy Civil
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Mar 16 2026
7th Cir. 25-1824 Panel Decision

PATRICK M. HARTNETT and DANIEL J. HARTNETT as Successor Trustees of the Lorrayne B. Hartnett Trust dated June 27, 1984 v. JACKSON NATIONAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY

The Seventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment for an insurance company, holding that a Nursing Care Policy does not provide home health care benefits under Illinois regulations. The court ruled that the policy's alternative plan of care provision is discretionary and does not trigger state protections designed for policies that affirmatively guarantee home care.

Civil Securities Summary Judgment
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Mar 16 2026
9th Cir. 2:24-cv-00669-KKE Unpublished

John Torsten Loop v. State of Washington; JAMS Mediation Arbitration and ADR Services; Helen L. Halpert Honorable (Retired), JAMS Arbitrator; Bob Ferguson, Washington State Atto...

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se plaintiff's constitutional claims arising from state court arbitration proceedings. The court held that the federal lawsuit constituted a forbidden de facto appeal of the state court judgment under the Rooker-Feldman doctrine, depriving the federal court of subject matter jurisdiction.

Administrative / Agency Review Civil
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Mar 16 2026
9th Cir. 2:24-cv-05291-SPG-PD Unpublished

Mocienne Elizabeth Petit Jackson v. Staat der Nederlanden; Pels Rijcken; Staat der Belgium

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se lawsuit against foreign states and a law firm for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. The court held that the plaintiff failed to establish federal question jurisdiction, diversity jurisdiction, or an exception to sovereign immunity under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.

Administrative / Agency Review Civil
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Mar 16 2026
9th Cir. 3:24-cv-03457-RS Unpublished

State of California, ex rel. CARNEY ANTHONY PATTON SR. and STATE OF CALIFORNIA v. TRANSDEV SERVICES, INC., improperly captioned as Connex TCT LLC; TRANSDEV NORTH AMERICA, INC

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se qui tam action alleging violations of the California False Claims Act. The court held that the district court acted within its discretion regarding case management, the denial of reconsideration, and the refusal to appoint counsel.

Civil Contract
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Mar 16 2026
9th Cir. 4:24-cv-00484-HSG Unpublished

Harry v. Wedbush Securities Inc.

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's refusal to remand a securities case to state court, holding that federal subject matter jurisdiction over a RICO claim prevented the dismissal of the entire action. The court further upheld the dismissal of the RICO claim with prejudice, ruling that the plaintiffs were barred by claim preclusion due to prior federal litigation involving the same parties.

Civil Securities
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