Weekly Case Roundup
Into the Lions’ Dens
Location
The place of suit matters a lot in civil cases. Suing at home helps the plaintiff — by keeping her costs low, giving her comfort that local judges and juries will give her fair treatment, and throwing out-of-town defendants off balance. All of that bigly boosts the plaintiff’s chances of success.
But a trio of recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings promise to make plaintiffs’ home fields more like patches of weeds than acres of sweet verdance.
Continue Reading Into the Lions’ Dens
A Trial Lawyer for the Supreme Court?
In the last quarter-century and more, no current member of the Supreme Court tried a lawsuit of any kind to a judge or jury. Almost none of the justices has ever tried a civil case to verdict. And before their honors became appellate judges, only one of their number served as a full-time trial judge.
Does the justices’ nearly total lack of trial-lawyer chops matter? Has the almost utter absence of actual trial experience in fact degraded the quality of civil justice? And will confirming the nomination of a former trial lawyer like Neil Gorsuch make a difference?Continue Reading A Trial Lawyer for the Supreme Court?
A New Day in the Fifth Circuit?
Possible shift
In 2014, the ABA Journal called the Fifth Circuit the “nation’s most divisive, controversial and conservative appeals court”. Liberal blog Jezebel deemed it “exceedingly conservative”. Even The Wall Street Journal described the court this year as “conservative-leaning”.
But in a recent case over limits on voting rights, the court ruled for the left-leaning opponents of the restrictions. And last week, the court sitting en banc voted 11-5 to revive a $250+ million class action. Torres v. S.G.E. Management, L.L.C., No. 14-20128 (5th Cir. Sept. 30, 2016) (en banc).
Has the court’s center of gravity shifted?Continue Reading A New Day in the Fifth Circuit?
Bad News for Price-Fixers
A dilemma
A price-fixer cheats his buyers, but he may also do something worse — frighten them into doing nothing about it.
Last week, the Third Circuit made a ruling that will calm victims’ fears. Instead of bringing a claim they don’t want to prosecute, the court held, they may freely assign it to someone
LIBOR Price-Fixing Case Returns
Scary case
After a trip to the Supreme Court and back, a massive case against 16 of the world’s largest banks for rigging the London inter-bank offer rate (LIBOR) — “the world’s most important number” — will return to the district court in Manhattan scarier than ever for the defendants. Gelboim v. Bank of Am.
Trade Secrets Cases Say Buh-Bye to State Court
On May 11, 2016, the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 took effect. The effect of its effectiveness? Almost all new trade secrets cases will either start in federal court, or they will wind up there once the defendant removes it from state court. Key parts of the new law include these:
Cause of action.
Chaos in the Lower Courts?
How will lower federal courts react to the loss of a 5-4 pro-business majority on the U.S. Supreme Court?
Justice Scalia & Me
In this post, I will tell you my Antonin Scalia story — and about his role in limiting class actions.
Continue Reading Justice Scalia & Me