Topic
Every decision we've filed under Embezzlement & Forgery.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed the reasonableness of an 18-month prison sentence for a defendant who repeatedly violated supervised release conditions. However, the court vacated an additional one-year supervised release term because it exceeded the statutory maximum allowed under 18 U.S.C. § 3583(h).
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a Title VII religious accommodation claim because the plaintiff failed to plead a bona fide religious belief sufficiently distinct from secular medical concerns. The court held that general prayer and broad religious tenets, without a clear nexus to specific religious doctrine, cannot elevate personal medical judgments to the level of protected religious conviction.
The Third Circuit affirmed the dismissal of an appellant's amended complaint, ruling that the filing failed to meet federal pleading standards. The court held that the complaint was unintelligible, improperly joined unrelated claims, and sued a judge protected by immunity.
The Federal Circuit summarily affirmed the dismissal of a pro se appeal challenging the United States Treasury's handling of a $36 million check. The court held that the Tucker Act does not grant jurisdiction over tort claims or most constitutional allegations, and found the appellant's arguments implausible and frivolous.
The Eighth Circuit dismissed the appeal because the defendant's valid plea agreement waived her right to challenge the sentence. The court further held that she could not challenge the voluntariness of her guilty plea on direct appeal without first moving to withdraw the plea in the district court.
The Seventh Circuit vacated the district court's grant of summary judgment in an employment retaliation case, ruling that genuine disputes of material fact existed regarding the employer's motive. The appellate court held that a reasonable jury could find the employee's termination was retaliatory based on timing, policy inconsistencies, and the applicability of probationary rules.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed a summary judgment ruling that a buyer breached a contract by refusing to accept a custom machine due to delivery delays. The court held that the contract explicitly defined delivery dates as estimates subject to the seller's discretion, meaning the delays did not constitute a substantial breach.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed Mohammed Al-Abadi's twenty-four-month prison sentence for trafficking in counterfeit airbags and recklessly transporting hazardous materials. The court rejected Al-Abadi's challenge to the sentence's reasonableness, finding the district court properly calculated the Guidelines range and applied special supervised release conditions.
The Seventh Circuit vacated a default judgment against absent e-commerce vendors, ruling that the district court lacked personal jurisdiction due to insufficient evidence of actual sales in Illinois. The court clarified that merely operating an accessible website is not enough to establish jurisdiction under the Lanham Act without proof of forum-specific transactions.
The Supreme Court held that the Federal Tort Claims Act's postal exception bars state-law tort claims arising from the intentional nondelivery of mail. The Court concluded that the statutory terms 'loss' and 'miscarriage' encompass failures to deliver caused by intentional misconduct, not just negligence.