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Case Summaries

Civil Procedure

[07/23] Meza v. Livingston
In an inmate's suit against state prison officials raising claims under the Fourteenth Amendment, denial of summary judgment for defendants is affirmed for lack of jurisdiction where an appeal of the district court's alleged failure to address defendants' Eleventh Amendment immunity claims was an unreviewable interlocutory appeal.

[07/22] In Re: Repine
Judgment against attorney for attempting to collect fees from debtor in violation of a stay imposed by a bankruptcy court is affirmed in part and vacated in part where: 1) attorney willfully violated the stay in attempting to collect her fees; 2) attorney's refusal to consent to an agreed order to allow debtor to be released from civil incarceration caused debtor actual harm; 3) damages awarded to debtor for lost wages were appropriate; 4) debtor failed to set forth specific information regarding emotional damages; and 5) awarding attorney's fees to debtor was proper.

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Bankruptcy Law

[07/22] Bondi v. Capital & Fin. Asset Mgmt. S.A.
Denial of motion by debtor in foreign bankruptcy proceedings to enjoin actions brought against it in the United States is affirmed where the district court acted within its sound discretion in interpreting 11 U.S.C. section 304(c)'s instruction to assure an economical and expeditious administration of a foreign estate.

[07/21] In re Reilly
Where a Chapter 7 bankruptcy debtor indicates the intent to exempt her entire interest in a given property by claiming an exemption of its full value and the trustee does not object in a timely manner, the debtor is entitled to the property in its entirety, even if it is later discovered that the property has a higher value than the exempted amount.

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Dispute Resolution & Arbitration

[07/23] Cox v. Ocean View Hotel Corp.
In an employment discrimination case involving an employment agreement containing a mandatory arbitration clause, denial of defendant-employer's motion to compel arbitration and partial summary judgment for plaintiff is reversed where: 1) for purposes of a breach-of-agreement theory, plaintiff did not properly initiate arbitration under the terms of his employment agreement via a letter he sent; and 2) the district court improperly granted summary judgment in plaintiff's favor on the issue of waiver.

[07/21] Simmons v. Ghaderi
In a breach of contract action arising from a medical malpractice suit, wherein plaintiffs sought to enforce an oral settlement agreement allegedly formed during mediation, a ruling upholding a decision to admit evidence relating to the mediation proceedings is reversed where: 1) the court of appeal improperly relied on the doctrine of estoppel to create a judicial exception to the comprehensive statutory scheme of mediation confidentiality; and 2) the evidence relating to the mediation proceedings should not have been admitted at trial.

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Asset Forfeiture

[07/22] US v. De La Mata
In a case where the government obtained defendants' promises to convey certain interests in property to the United States, in lieu of a forfeiture trial and sentence, an order granting the government's motion for a "final order of forfeiture" is affirmed in part and vacated in part where: 1) individual defendants and corporate defendants were properly before the court of appeals; 2) the circuit court rejects individual defendants' argument that the district court lacked subject matter jurisdiction because the government's motion sought relief in a criminal case via amended sentences; but 3) corporate defendants were not parties to individual defendants' agreements and thus retained certain property interests.

[05/21] Jackson v. US
Partial denial of defendant's motion for return of property under Fed. R. Crim. Pro 41(g) is affirmed in part and reversed in part where: 1) evidence indicated that another party had a claim of ownership interest adverse to defendant's stereo/video equipment and clothing found in his girlfriend's vehicle at the time of arrest; but 2) defendant was entitled to return of custom wheels installed on his girlfriend's vehicle as, evidence did not suggest that the property was abandoned, intended as a gift, or integrated under Missouri's doctrine of accession.

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Military

[07/22] CNA v. US
In a negligence suit under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) stemming from a robbery and shooting by an Army recruit, dismissal of plaintiffs'-insurers' claims is affirmed where: 1) under the FTCA's requirements for waiving sovereign immunity, the question of whether an agent of the government was acting within the scope of his employment is a subject-matter jurisdiction issue properly analyzed under Fed. R. Civ. P 12(b)(1) for purposes of considering a motion to dismiss; 2) the Army recruiter against whom negligence was alleged was not acting within the scope of his employment; and 3) no evidence supported a negligent-supervision claim against either the recruiter's supervisor or the Army as a whole.

[05/28] Lane v. Halliburton
In an action arising from plaintiff's contract work as truck drivers for defendants in Iraq and Afghanistan, dismissal of plaintiffs' claims for damages from injuries, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and civil rights violations, is reversed and the case remanded where: 1) defendant's conduct could be examined by a federal court without violating the separation of powers; 2) judicial standards exist to resolve the claim in the present context between an employer and an employee in tort; and 3) the court will not be drawn into a reconsideration of military decisions or be forced to announce opposition to Executive or Congressional policy.

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Family Law

[07/22] In re Esmeralda S.
Juvenile court's order terminating defendant-mother's parental rights to her child is affirmed over claims of error that: 1) defendant's due process rights were violated when the juvenile court appointed her a guardian ad litem; and 2) the juvenile court did not properly inquire into her and the minor's father's possible American Indian ancestry for purposes of complying with Indian Child Welfare Act.

[05/29] In re Marriage of Gong
An appeal from an order to pay child support and related obligations is dismissed as frivolous and monetary sanctions are imposed on appellant who pursued every possible avenue to evade his support obligations, even when ordered to do so by the court, and prosecuted a meritless appeal solely for the purpose of taking advantage of the delay in discharging his payment obligations.

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