[Consolidated] J. Ramirez finds the district court properly convicted defendants for money laundering. DEA agents, pursuant to an investigation into a drug trafficking organization, observed defendants carrying suitcases that were later found to contain large amounts of cocaine and $269,000 in cash. Agents later found $432,116 hidden in a house associated with the organization. Sufficient evidence supports the convictions. Although defendants' motion to suppress certain evidence alleged a warrantless search, the affidavit did not establish the search occurred without a warrant. Defendants' motion for a new trial was properly dismissed as untimely. Affirmed.
Court: 5th Circuit, Judge: Ramirez , Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: 22-40570, Categories: Drug Offender, Evidence, Money Laundering
J. Pirtle finds the Nebraska Tax Equalization and Review Commission properly reversed the board's decision upholding its assessed value of the grocery store. Kroger appealed the board's assessed value of roughly $4.5 million, providing expert testimony that the property was more correctly valued at $2.5 million. The board presented little evidence as to how its computer-aided appraisal was utilized, also insufficiently explaining market adjustments and specifics on figuring depreciation. The record is inadequate as to how the board’s valuation was determined compared to Kroger's well documented valuation. Affirmed.
Court: Nebraska Court Of Appeals, Judge: Pirtle , Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: A-23-268, Categories: Evidence, Tax, Experts
J. Riedmann finds the district court properly denied defendant's motion to transfer his case to the juvenile court. Sufficient evidence supports allegations against the 16-year-old involving his sexual abuse of children, including one younger than 1 year old. Defendant's prior involvement with the juvenile court system, the allegations being made within 3 months of his return home, the severity of the allegations, and the public’s need for protection, makes retention in the district court proper. Affirmed.
Court: Nebraska Court Of Appeals, Judge: Riedmann , Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: A-23-880, Categories: Juvenile Law, Sex Offender, Jurisdiction
J. Wood rules in favor of the city, police colonel and police chief in a malicious prosecution action brought by the individual arising from his arrest for swinging a bottle towards the colonel. The assault, terroristic threats and disorderly conduct charges against the individual were eventually dismissed. The colonel and the police chief are entitled to qualified and official immunity. The colonel had probable cause to arrest the individual and the police chief cannot be held liable under supervisory liability. There is no evidence that either the colonel or police chief acted with actual malice or an actual intent to harm the individual.
Court: USDC Southern District of Georgia, Judge: Wood, Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: 5:22cv63, NOS: Other Civil Rights - Civil Rights, Categories: Malicious Prosecution
J. Donovan answers a certified legal question concerning common law and contracts. The court concludes “that the common law contract defenses of impossibility, impracticability, and frustration of commercial purpose are so fundamentally related to contract formation and purpose that they remain viable unless expressly waived. Accordingly, a force majeure clause that protects only one party to a contract should not be deemed, in and of itself, a relinquishment of the other party’s right to interpose those common law defenses.” Remanded.
Court: New Hampshire Supreme Court, Judge: Donovan, Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: 2023-0018, Categories: Commerce, Contract
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[Consolidated.] J. Collins finds that the trial court should have granted all the special anti-SLAPP motions to strike claims that the idea for the television series "Mixed-ish" was stolen. The making of a television series is protected activity, which satisfied the first element of the anti-SLAPP analysis. And the second element was satisfied by the challenger's failure to demonstrate a probability of success on her contract, breach of confidence, interference and misrepresentation claims. The challenger's work showed similarity to "Mixed-ish," but key elements in "Mixed-ish" appeared in the producers' own previous show, "Black-ish," while the "general theme, tone, characters, relationships, settings, and plots demonstrate that the two series are not substantially similar." Reversed in part.
Court: California Courts Of Appeal, Judge: Collins, Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: B316971, Categories: Anti-slapp, Contract
J. Combs finds the district court properly terminated the mother and father's parental rights. The medical examiner testified that the 15-year-old daughter reported abuse that had occurred for a number of years, which led to an examination confirming the abuse and the doctor's contacting police. Multiple witnesses with law enforcement and protective services testified to the mother and father's dismissive behavior and unwillingness to take part in a safety plan. The mother lacks standing to challenge the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act and the trial court did not violate her right to equal protection by failing to apply the act's heightened burden of proof. Affirmed.
Court: Oklahoma Supreme Court, Judge: Combs , Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: 120910, Categories: Family Law, Native Americans, Guardianship
J. Moss partially grants the FDA's motion for summary judgment and the tobacco vaporizer maker's cross-motion for summary judgment in a Freedom of Information Act suit brought by the vape maker seeking information on its denied premarket tobacco applications. The FDA's withholding of records under an exemption for "inter-agency or intra-agency memorandums or letters" was proper because those documents were part of the deliberative process, regardless of the vape maker's various arguments that they were produced after the agency's decisions were made, because they were nevertheless produced before those decisions were finalized and published. Memos summarizing scientific data also are not privilege-free scientific reports in this case, since they were compiled for deliberative purposes. The agency has also established that the release of withheld memos would cause foreseeable harm and would chill the ongoing supervisory review process.
Court: USDC District of Columbia, Judge: Moss, Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: 1:22cv2853, NOS: Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) - Other Suits, Categories: Administrative Law, Government, Public Record
J. Cooper grants the employer's motion for partial summary judgment and denies the employee's motion for summary judgment in a suit alleging that the employee reneged on an obligation to return a bonus when she left her role as the employer's subsidiary's president. The pay schedule provisions of the employee's bonus contract is enforceable, and the employee breached them by failing to return an accelerated payment. The doctrine of unclean hands also does not apply in this case. The employer's request for fees incurred in summary judgment briefing as a sanction for the employee's litigation conduct is denied.
Court: USDC District of Columbia, Judge: Cooper, Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: 1:22cv2574, NOS: Insurance - Contract, Categories: Employment, Choice Of Law, Contract
J. Phillips dismisses an appeal from a podcast and its host that sought to challenge a ruling that refused to toss defamation claims leveled against them from a doctor after the podcast spread false claims about the doctor being a member of "Antifa" and trying to rig the 2020 election in favor of Joe Biden. The lower court denied their motion to toss the claims after finding that the doctor was likely to prevail on the merits of his claims. Their appeal falls outside the collateral-order doctrine, leaving it dismissed for lack of appellate jurisdiction.
Court: 10th Circuit, Judge: Phillips, Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: 23-1109, Categories: Defamation
J. Navarro-McKelvey finds that the lower court properly granted sole legal and physical custody of the parties' three children to the father. The court was not required to consent to a parenting plan the father had proposed three years earlier, as the parties were no longer in agreement as to the custody arrangements, so the court was required to determine a custody plan that was in the best interests of the children. Affirmed.
Court: Missouri Court Of Appeals, Judge: Navarro-McKelvey, Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: ED111647, Categories: Family Law
J. Hardwick finds that the lower court properly found for the defendant grout-maker on antitrust claims alleging that its noncompete agreement with its former president violated the law. In the noncompete agreement, the former president agreed to a 10-year non-competition period because he was caught violating a previous one-year agreement within three months. The extended term was reasonable as part of a settlement agreement to avoid litigation over the president's breach of the first noncompete agreement. Affirmed.
Court: Missouri Court Of Appeals, Judge: Hardwick, Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: WD86444, Categories: Antitrust, Business Practices
J. Moss denies the state of Florida's motion seeking a stay of his prior summary-judgment order pending appeal. Staying the decision would, in effect, deny the environmental groups the preliminary injunctive relief they sought, so the public interest and risk of injury to those groups weigh against a stay. Florida, meanwhile, has not demonstrated that it is likely to suffer an irreparable injury absent a stay, nor that it is likely to prevail on appeal.
Court: USDC District of Columbia, Judge: Moss, Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: 1:21cv119, NOS: Environmental Matters - Other Suits, Categories: Civil Procedure, Environment
J. Tigar allows negligence and race discrimination claims to proceed from a single plaintiff against the California Department of Corrections stemming from an incident at CTF Soledad in July 2020 where more than 50 Black inmates were awakened in the middle of the night to be interrogated in the dining hall, leading to an outbreak of Covid-19 at the facility. Of the initial class of over 50 people who were allegedly targeted by the event or got Covid from it, years of proceedings narrowed the class down to six. Today it is trimmed down further to just one. The rest lack standing for not exhausting all of their administrative options.
Court: USDC Northern District of California, Judge: Tigar, Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: 4:23cv582, NOS: Other Civil Rights - Civil Rights, Categories: Civil Rights, Prisoners' Rights
J. Pirtle finds the county court properly divided the property in this marriage dissolution. Real estate conveyed to the couple by the ex-husband's parents was correctly found to be marital property. The ex-husband was not entitled to a credit for the value of a vehicle that was paid off with proceeds from his workers comp settlement. The court improperly awarded the ex-wife credit for money that was spent by her mother unrelated to home renovation. Affirmed in part. Reversed in part.
Court: Nebraska Court Of Appeals, Judge: Pirtle , Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: A-23-283, Categories: Family Law, Property, Workers' Compensation
J. Pirtle finds the trial court properly dismissed defendant's petition for postconviction relief without an evidentiary hearing. The 9-year-old victim reported that defendant had sexually abused her when she was 3 or 4 years old, saying that her mother made her available to defendant in exchange for drugs. Though information shared by the victim over several forensic interviews was not entirely consistent, defendant was not prejudiced by his counsel's not interviewing a previous forensic interviewer or another individual the victim had mistaken for defendant. The information would have been cumulative. No error is found in the court's denial of an evidentiary hearing. Affirmed.
Court: Nebraska Court Of Appeals, Judge: Pirtle, Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: A-23-230, Categories: Evidence, Sex Offender, Child Victims
J. Bishop finds the Nebraska Tax Equalization and Review Commission properly reversed the board's acceptance of the county assessor’s recommended valuation for a hotel property. The owner presented expert testimony using a sales comparison approach, as well as actual income and expenses from the property and comparable properties to calculate a typical market average. The expert's $660,000 appraisal was clear and convincing evidence that the board’s appraisal of $1,575,856 was arbitrary or unreasonable. No error is found. Affirmed.
Court: Nebraska Court Of Appeals, Judge: Bishop , Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: A-23-661, Categories: Evidence, Tax
J. Welch finds the trial court properly convicted defendant, by no contest plea, for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, sentencing him to 6 to 8 years in prison. After responding to an early morning report of gunshots, officers found a bullet in the flat tire of a vehicle involved in the altercation. The gun connected to the bullet was later found in defendant's girlfriend's vehicle during a traffic stop. All sentencing factors were properly considered, including defendant's criminal record and claims of posttraumatic stress disorder. The sentence is within guidelines, and no error is found. Affirmed.
Court: Nebraska Court Of Appeals, Judge: Welch , Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: A-23-817, Categories: Evidence, Firearms, Sentencing
J. Mawla finds that the state agency properly declined to reconsider an order in which the board of public utilities established siting requirements for the competitive solar incentive program for projects that exceed use on covered agricultural land or the county's 5% concentration limits. The program limits are not contained in separate sections of the underlying regulation, and state- and county-wide limits on farmland construction are contained in separate sections. Affirmed.
Court: New Jersey Appellate Division, Judge: Mawla , Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: A-2232-22, Categories: Energy, Municipal Law
J. Gale finds for the commissioner in this tax liability dispute related to a corporate filing because the company improperly claimed a deduction in connection with distressed Brazilian trade receivables.
Court: U.S. Tax Court, Judge: Gale, Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: 2024-50, Categories: Tax
J. Gratton finds that the trial court properly refused to suppress drugs and a firearm in defendant's home during a probation search prompted by a confidential tip. A probation agreement authorized law enforcement officers other than his own probation officer to conduct searches, and he did not preserve his challenge to the validity of the agreement or his claim that his probation officer must first request that he submit to a search. Also, the trial court's error in sustaining an objection to part of defendant's closing argument was harmless. Affirmed.
Court: Idaho Court Of Appeals, Judge: Gratton, Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: 50051, Categories: Drug Offender, Probation, Search
J. Dowd finds that the lower court properly convicted defendant of rape of a 17-year-old victim, and sentenced him to seven years in prison. The court did not err by allowing the victim to testify she felt intimidated at her deposition after defendant impeached her with her deposition testimony. Further, the prosecutor was permitted to highlight the age difference between defendant and the victim during closing arguments. Affirmed.
Court: Missouri Court Of Appeals, Judge: Dowd, Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: ED111691, Categories: Evidence, Sex Offender, Child Victims
J. Navarro-McKelvey dismisses the department's appeal of the lower court's decision to apply a multiplier to the award of attorneys' fees to the employee who prevailed in a sexual harassment suit. The department failed to show that the issue of waiver of sovereign immunity for attorneys' fees multipliers falls under the jurisdictional exception to the claim preservation requirements.
Court: Missouri Court Of Appeals, Judge: Navarro-McKelvey, Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: ED111748, Categories: Civil Rights, Immunity, Attorney Fees
J. Buth finds that the lower court improperly dismissed all the employees' ERISA claims against the company. To the extent the employees seek recovery for conduct taking place after November 2012, the claims are timely. Reversed in part.
Court: 7th Circuit, Judge: Wood, Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: 23-1073, Categories: Civil Procedure, Erisa
J. Birss finds a lower court properly dismissed a sports media company's patent claims against a sports marketing and advertising group. The sports media company argued that the sports marketing company copied its digital billboard electronic superimposition platform. However, the sports marketing company sufficiently showed in court that sporting events LED display boards method of digitally overlaying moving images with other images is obvious. Affirmed.
Court: Her Majesty's Court of Appeal, Judge: Birss, Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: CA-2023-786, Categories: Patent
J. Pirtle finds the trial court properly convicted defendant for assault, attempted possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Defendant admitted to assaulting the victim and stealing his vehicle and firearms after the two had been involved in a drunken altercation. Though defendant says that the victim had shot at him and missed before he punched him and stomped on his head, sufficient evidence supports the convictions. The record is insufficient to review claims of ineffective assistance, containing no discussions between defendant and his attorney regarding claims of self-defense. Affirmed.
Court: Nebraska Court Of Appeals, Judge: Pirtle , Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: A-23-1000, Categories: Assault, Weapons, Vehicle
J. Arterburn finds the district court improperly dismissed the swimming pool owner's breach of contract suit. The owner did not sign the third page of the pool remodel contract, which included the forum selection clause, and the court did not consider evidence relevant to whether an exception barred the clause's enforcement. Reversed.
Court: Nebraska Court Of Appeals, Judge: Arterburn , Filed On: April 23, 2024, Case #: A-23-572, Categories: Evidence, Jurisdiction, Contract