Every decision we've summarized from United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
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 affirmed the BIA's denial of a motion to reopen, ruling that a Supreme Court decision did not constitute an extraordinary circumstance for equitable tolling because the legal principle was already established by circuit precedent. The court further dismissed the petition because the petitioner failed to prove he acted diligently in filing within the statutory ninety-day window.
The Ninth Circuit denied a petition for review of a Board of Immigration Appeals order denying asylum and related protections to a dual national of Venezuela and Colombia. The court held that substantial evidence supported the agency's finding that the petitioner could safely relocate to Colombia and failed to prove persecution in either country.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Bradley Monical's civil rights claims, ruling that his suit was barred by Oregon's two-year statute of limitations and his failure to exhaust administrative remedies. The court further held that his access-to-courts claim failed due to a lack of evidence showing actual injury.
The Ninth Circuit vacated Shahriyar Bolandian's insider-trading conviction because the district court failed to investigate a juror's expressed uncertainty about his impartiality. The appellate court held that a trial judge has an independent, non-delegable duty to inquire into juror bias, meaning defense counsel's acquiescence did not waive the defendant's right to an impartial jury.
The Ninth Circuit denied petitions for panel and en banc rehearing, upholding the district court's summary judgment that the Bureau of Land Management lacked authority to conduct a land exchange involving Fort Hall Reservation lands. The court held that a specific 1900 statute governing these ceded lands prohibits disposal via the Federal Land Policy and Management Act because the earlier law's plain text bars such transfers.
The Ninth Circuit denied petitions for panel and en banc rehearing, leaving in place a ruling that the Bureau of Land Management lacked authority to conduct a land exchange involving Fort Hall Reservation ceded lands. The court held that a specific 1900 Act provision restricting disposal of these lands to certain enumerated laws supersedes the general disposal authorization found in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976.
The Ninth Circuit reversed the district court's summary judgment, holding that the General Aviation Revitalization Act's statute of repose restarts when identical replacement parts are installed, without requiring a substantive alteration to the aircraft's design. The court affirmed the dismissal of the fraud exception claim due to insufficient evidence of manufacturer concealment and remanded the case for a new causation analysis.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of a motion to intervene in a class action against Google, ruling the request was untimely under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 24. The court held that intervening three months before a settlement approval hearing would likely void the agreement and prejudice the existing parties.
The Ninth Circuit reversed and remanded a wage-and-hour judgment against Jack in the Box, holding that the district court erred in granting summary judgment on the willfulness of Workers' Benefit Fund overdeductions. The panel also ruled that the employer must pay for the full duration of shortened meal breaks under Oregon law and remanded the shoe deduction claims for a jury to determine if the deductions ultimately benefited employees.