Topic
Every decision we've filed under Summary Judgment.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed a district court order granting summary judgment against a pro se plaintiff. The appellate court found no reversible error in the lower court's adoption of a magistrate judge's recommendation regarding defamation and employment discrimination claims.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment, holding that the plaintiff's insurance claims were time-barred under Michigan law. The court further ruled that the policy's choice-of-law provision selecting Michigan law was valid and enforceable.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed a district court judgment finding Texas International Terminals liable for breaching a facility agreement by failing to issue a Notice of Stable Operations. The court held that the contract term stable operations possessed an ordinary meaning of steady, consistent operations, not a specific production rate.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for police officers and the City of Glasgow, holding that the officers were entitled to qualified immunity when using force against a drug-intoxicated suspect who actively resisted arrest. The court ruled that the use of a taser and knee strikes did not violate clearly established law because the suspect was struggling and refusing to comply with commands.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed a district court's award of litigation costs to Southern Methodist University, ruling that the university qualified as a prevailing party despite one plaintiff's claims surviving summary judgment. The court held that SMU was entitled to recover fees for deposition videos, transcripts, and copying under 28 U.S.C. § 1920 because these expenses were necessary for trial preparation.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for the Department of Veterans Affairs on Judy Vuong's claims of race, color, and sex discrimination and retaliation. However, the court reversed and remanded the case regarding her hostile work environment claim, finding the district court erred by dismissing it sua sponte without notice.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court's grant of summary judgment in an insurance coverage dispute, ruling that the plaintiff failed to file her claims within the policy's one-year limitations period. Under California law, the court held that this limitations period begins to run only upon a formal denial of coverage by the insurer.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court's grant of summary judgment in a pro se prisoner's Eighth Amendment claim, ruling that the plaintiff failed to prove deliberate indifference regarding COVID-19 quarantine conditions. The court further upheld the dismissal of a claim concerning the removal of the plaintiff's CPAP machine due to insufficient factual allegations linking the defendant to the act.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment for an insurance company, holding that a Nursing Care Policy does not provide home health care benefits under Illinois regulations. The court ruled that the policy's alternative plan of care provision is discretionary and does not trigger state protections designed for policies that affirmatively guarantee home care.
The Ninth Circuit vacated a district court's summary judgment in a prisoner's civil rights case, ruling that the lower court erred by dismissing the plaintiff's factual declaration as merely self-serving. The appellate court clarified that credibility determinations are functions reserved for a jury, not a judge, at the summary judgment stage.