Every decision we've summarized from United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for Fresh Bourbon in a Lanham Act false advertising dispute, ruling that its claims of being the first African American-owned distiller were not unambiguously false. The court held that Victory Global failed to meet its burden of proving actual consumer deception regarding the ambiguous nature of the marketing statements.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed a district court order compelling arbitration and confirming an arbitration award in a nursing home death dispute. The court held that the estate's executor validly signed the arbitration agreement under Kentucky law and that the arbitrator did not exceed his powers.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed Dr. Michael Fletcher's convictions for distributing controlled substances, finding sufficient evidence that he prescribed high volumes of opioids without examining patients. The court further held that Dr. Fletcher validly waived his right to counsel a second time and that his secret reliance on a disbarred attorney did not constitute a due process violation.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed the armed robbery convictions of Fredrick Eugene Carney and William John Ewing, rejecting challenges to the denial of severance, the admission of other-acts evidence, and the sufficiency of the evidence for a firearms conviction. The court also upheld the denial of Carney's motion to suppress, finding he lacked standing to challenge the seizure of his vehicle from a third party's residence.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed Paul Curry's convictions for drug trafficking and firearm offenses, finding the evidence sufficient to prove intent to distribute and that the firearm facilitated the crime. The court also upheld the admission of jail call recordings and rejected Curry's challenge to his sentence, which fell within the recommended Guidelines range.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed Michael Bailey's conviction for conspiracy to distribute narcotics, ruling that evidence of his coordination from prison was sufficient to prove the crime. The court rejected challenges regarding jury instructions and the admission of evidence related to gang affiliation and disciplinary records.
The Sixth Circuit reversed the district court's denial of qualified immunity, holding that the plaintiffs failed to satisfy the narrow exception to the probable cause defense under Nieves v. Bartlett. The court reasoned that the officers had probable cause for the arrests and the evidence did not sufficiently show that similarly situated individuals were treated differently based on protected speech.
The Sixth Circuit denied a petition for review challenging the Board of Immigration Appeals' rejection of an asylum claim based on a family land dispute in Guatemala. The court held that verbal harassment and non-immediate threats did not constitute persecution under federal immigration law.
The Sixth Circuit vacated a district court's dismissal of a felon-in-possession indictment because the lower court applied an incorrect legal standard for Second Amendment challenges. The appellate court instructed the district court to reconsider the motion under the current framework established in United States v. Williams.
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.