Topic

Summary Judgment

Every decision we've filed under Summary Judgment.

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Civil 3414 Criminal 1968 Sentencing Guidelines 723 Civil Rights - Section 1983 653 Immigration (Civil) 649 Constitutional 538 Supervised Release 475 Drug Trafficking 445 Civil Rights - Employment 370 Firearms 323 Qualified Immunity 252 Anders Brief 243
Apr 8 2026
9th Cir. 2:23-cv-06436 Published

Brothers Market LLC No. 2 v. United States

The Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court's summary judgment for the government in a challenge to the permanent disqualification of a convenience store from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The court held that the store failed to raise a genuine dispute of material fact regarding suspicious transaction patterns that evidenced SNAP trafficking.

Administrative / Agency Review Civil Summary Judgment
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Apr 8 2026
9th Cir. 1:23-cv-00277-JLT-CDB Unpublished

PALLA FARMS, LLC v. GEMINI INSURANCE COMPANY

The Ninth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for an insurance company, ruling that saltwater qualifies as a pollutant under commercial general liability policies. The court held that because the plaintiff conceded saltwater was an irritant or contaminant, it met the policy definition regardless of whether it constituted waste.

Civil Insurance Summary Judgment
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Apr 7 2026
10th Cir. 4:23-CV-00126-CVE-CDL; 4:23-CV-00266-GKF-CDL Panel Decision

Savage v. Dobbertin

The Tenth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for jail officers in an excessive force claim where the plaintiff failed to prove a specific officer caused a non-de minimis injury. The court also upheld the dismissal of a second lawsuit because the plaintiff failed to serve defendants within the time limits required by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

Civil Civil Rights - Section 1983 Qualified Immunity Summary Judgment
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Apr 7 2026
10th Cir. 5:21-CV-00653-SLP Panel Decision

JUAN DOMINGUEZ v. WEISER SECURITY SERVICES, INC

The Tenth Circuit affirmed the grant of summary judgment for Weiser Security Services, ruling that the plaintiff failed to prove causation in his Title VII retaliation claim. The court held that there was insufficient evidence that the decisionmaker knew of the protected activity or that a biased supervisor used the decisionmaker as a cat's paw.

Civil Civil Rights - Employment Sixth Amendment - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel Summary Judgment
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Apr 7 2026
3rd Cir. 25-2732 Panel Decision

DAWN WALEGA v. JUSTIN MACGREGOR, MPA Deputy Director for Human Resources; WILLIAM BROWNING, Director of OYFS and Human Services; LACKAWANNA COUNTY GOVERNMENT OFFICE; KERRI BROWN...

The Third Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment in favor of Lackawanna County, ruling that the appellant failed to prove her termination was motivated by age. The court found no evidence that the employer's documented performance-based actions were a pretext for age discrimination.

Civil Civil Rights - Employment Summary Judgment
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Apr 7 2026
9th Cir. 3:21-cv-00753-MO Unanimous

Julio Aguilar-Padilla v. Boydstun Equipment Manufacturing, LLC

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the jury's finding that an employer violated the Oregon Safe Employment Act by retaliating against an employee for taking COVID-19 quarantine leave. However, the court vacated the district court's award of full attorney's fees, remanding the issue to determine which legal work was exclusively devoted to the state retaliation claim versus the federal claim.

Civil Civil Rights - Employment Summary Judgment
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Apr 6 2026
10th Cir. 1:23-CV-01108-DDD-JPO Panel Decision

Morphew v. Chaffee County, Colorado

The Tenth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Barry Morphew's civil rights lawsuit, ruling that he failed to plausibly allege a lack of probable cause for his arrest and prosecution. The court held that the arrest affidavit contained sufficient evidence of motive, means, and opportunity to support the murder charges, regardless of the alleged misconduct by investigators.

Civil Rights - Section 1983 Criminal Drug Trafficking Fourth Amendment - Search & Seizure
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Apr 3 2026
3rd Cir. 4:22-cv-01948) Panel Decision

SHARON KINNER v. PORTFOLIO RECOVERY ASSOCIATES, LLC

The Third Circuit affirmed summary judgment for Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC, holding that withdrawing a debt collection complaint without prejudice does not constitute a favorable termination under the Pennsylvania Dragonetti Act. The court reasoned that the statutory requirement for a claim to terminate in the plaintiff's favor was not met because the withdrawal was not an abandonment in bad faith.

Civil Other Civil Summary Judgment
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Apr 3 2026
3rd Cir. 1:23-cv-02402 Panel Decision

JIM WANG; DEAN WANG; YU BAI v. MASERATI NORTH AMERICA, INC.; JOHN DOES 1-10

The Third Circuit affirmed summary judgment for Maserati because the plaintiffs failed to provide expert testimony proving a vehicle defect caused a garage fire. The court clarified that while expert testimony is not always required for complex instruments, it is necessary when the average juror cannot deduce the cause of failure without technical knowledge.

Civil Insurance Summary Judgment
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Apr 3 2026
11th Cir. 6:23-cv-01971-JA-LHP Per Curiam

KENNETH BYNDOM v. WAFFLE HOUSE, INC a Foreign Profit Corporation EAST COAST WAFFLES, INC a Foreign Profit Corporation

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment for Waffle House, ruling that an employee's stabbing of a customer was an independent criminal act outside the scope of employment. The court held that the employer was not liable under Florida law because the assault was not reasonably foreseeable and the employee had stepped away from his duties at the time of the incident.

Civil Securities Summary Judgment
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