Every decision we've summarized from United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
The Tenth Circuit denied a petition for a writ of mandamus because the underlying motion for compassionate release was resolved by the district court while the appeal was pending. The court held that the request became moot once the lower court issued its ruling on the motion.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed a bankruptcy court ruling that unpaid salaries owed to former employees are nondischargeable in bankruptcy. The court held that the debtor forfeited a key statutory defense by failing to raise it in the lower court and failed to meet the high burden of proving plain error.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed the district court's confirmation of an arbitration award upholding the suspension of the U.S. Center for SafeSport's president. The court held that the arbitrator acted within the bounds of the SafeSport Code by relying on an investigative report and that the appellant failed to demonstrate misconduct or a fundamentally unfair hearing.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for police officers in a Fourth Amendment excessive force case, holding they were entitled to qualified immunity. The court found the officers' use of force was objectively reasonable because the plaintiff remained actively resistant even after being tased.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed the district court's partial denial of a habeas motion, holding that ineffective assistance of counsel regarding jury instructions on controlled substances did not prejudice a defendant's separate healthcare fraud convictions. The court reasoned that the fraud charges relied on distinct evidence and legal elements unrelated to the intent required for distributing controlled substances.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a Title IX and Fourteenth Amendment lawsuit because the plaintiff failed to prosecute the case after her attorneys withdrew. The court held that the plaintiff forfeited appellate review of the underlying dismissal by not filing a timely motion to vacate.
The Tenth Circuit granted the government's motion to enforce a plea agreement appeal waiver, dismissing Scott Vangoethen's direct appeal. Because the appellant waived his right to challenge the sentence and offered no valid exceptions, the court found no legal basis to proceed.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed Christian Cole's 240-month prison sentence, rejecting his challenges to a sentencing enhancement and the reasonableness of the term. The court held that the district court properly applied the firearm enhancement and that the downward variance was justified by Cole's specific circumstances.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Derrick Dewayne Parker's civil rights lawsuit, ruling that his claims challenging his criminal conviction were barred because the conviction remained valid. The court further held that judges and prosecutors were protected by absolute immunity, and other allegations failed to state a plausible constitutional violation.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed the revocation of John Benjamin Thornton's supervised release after he failed to report to his probation office in New Mexico as ordered. The court held that unverified gang threats do not excuse a defendant's non-compliance with mandatory reporting conditions when the probation officer has already investigated and rejected the allegations.