Citation517 U.S. 370, 116 S.Ct. 1384, 134 L.Ed.2d 577 (1996) Brief Fact Summary. Petitioner sued Respondent for patent infringement. Synopsis of Rule of Law. The construction of a patent and its terms is an issue for a judge, not the jury. ...
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Marrese v. American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons
Citation470 U.S. 373, 105 S.Ct. 1327, 84 L.Ed.2d 274 (1985) Brief Fact Summary. Petitioners separately sued Respondent in state court after they were denied membership. Synopsis of Rule of Law. The Full Faith and Credit Clause requires a federal court look to the state’s law regarding res judicata in order to determine if a matter litigated in that state may be relitigated in federal court. ...
Parklane Hosiery Co. v. Shore
Citation439 U.S. 322, 99 S.Ct. 645, 58 L.Ed.2d 552 (1979) Brief Fact Summary. Respondent sued Petitioners for issuing a materially false and misleading proxy statement. Offensively relying on collateral estoppel, Respondent moved for partial summary judgment against Petitioners on the issues that had already been ruled against the Petitioners in a prior action with other parties. Synopsis of Rule of Law. By the discretion of the trial judge, plaintiffs may use collateral estoppel offensively in cases where a plaintiff could not easily have joi ...
Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation v. Lubell
Citation77 N.Y.2d 311, 567 N.Y.S.2d 623, 569 N.E.2d 426 Brief Fact Summary. Appellee sued Appellant to recover a stolen painting. Appellant argued that the statute of limitations had passed. Synopsis of Rule of Law. Under New York law, the statute of limitations begins when a property owner demands the return of their stolen property and the good faith purchaser refuses. ...
Grable & Sons Metal Products, Inc. v. Darue Engineering and Manufacturing
Citation545 U.S. 308, 125 S.Ct. 2363, 162 L.Ed.2d 257 (2005) Brief Fact Summary. Petitioner brought a quiet tile action in state court against Respondent for property claimed and sold by the Internal Revenue Service. Respondent had the case removed. Synopsis of Rule of Law. State law claims can be removed under federal question jurisdiction when they implicate significant federal issues, unless removing the case would disrupt the division of labor between state and federal courts. ...
Gasperini v. Center for Humanities, Inc.
Citation518 U.S. 415, 116 S.Ct. 2211, 135 L.Ed.2d 659 (1996) Brief Fact Summary. Petitioner sued Respondent for losing 300 of the transparencies of his photographs. Synopsis of Rule of Law. In cases of diversity jurisdiction and consistent with the Seventh Amendment, when a federal district court uses New York’s CPLR § 5501(c) to determine excessiveness of a jury award, the appellate court reviews the decision for abuse of discretion. ...
Standard Fire Ins. Co. v. Knowles
Citation568 U.S. 588 (2013) Brief Fact Summary. . Synopsis of Rule of Law. Under CAFA, a plaintiff’s stipulation as to damages being sought prior to the certification of a class may not bind the members of the class and overcome a finding that the amount in controversy exceeds the jurisdictional amount. ...
V.L. v. E.L.
Citation136 S. Ct. 1017 (2016) Brief Fact Summary. Plaintiff and Defendant were two women in a romantic relationship. During their relationship, Defendant gave birth to three children, whom the couple raised together as joint parents. A Georgia court entered a final judgment of adoption making Plaintiff a legal parent of the children. The parties subsequently separated while they were living in Alabama. Plaintiff filed a petition against Defendant, asking the Alabama courts to enforce the Georgia judgment and grant her custody or visitation rights. The Alabama Supreme Court ...
Unitherm Food Systems, Inc. v. Swift-Eckrich, Inc.
Citation546 U.S. 394 (2006) Brief Fact Summary. Plaintiff sued, alleging that Defendant had violated the Sherman Antitrust Act by attempting to enforce a patent obtained by fraud. Defendant moved for judgment as a matter of law under FRCP Rule 50(a), asking the district court to dismiss the case based on insufficiency of evidence. The court denied the motion and sent the case to the jury, which returned a verdict for Plaintiff. Defendant appealed, without filing a post-verdict motion for relief with the district court. The circuit court found the evidence insu ...
Thompson v. Greyhound Lines, Inc.
Citation2012 WL 6213792 (S.D. Ala. 2012) Brief Fact Summary. Plaintiff had a court hearing in Tunica, Mississippi, and purchased a one-way ticket from Defendant Greyhound in Pensacola. The trip would require the passenger to switch buses twice. While in transit, Plaintiff took a nap. He did not wake up at the stop where he was supposed to switch buses and the bus he rode returned to its original destination. As a result, Plaintiff missed his court date and was found guilty in absentia. Plaintiff sued the bus companies as well as the driver in Alabama on several sta ...
Reise v. Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin
Citation957 F.2d 293 (7th Cir. 1992) Brief Fact Summary. Plaintiff, a job applicant, brought an action against his employer for discrimination. Defendant requested a mental examination of Plaintiff. Plaintiff refused. The district court ordered Plaintiff to submit to a mental examination under FRCP Rule 35. Plaintiff sought review of the order. Synopsis of Rule of Law. Interlocutory orders, discovery orders in particular, are not appealable, prior to a final order. ...
Monfore v. Phillips
Citation778 F.3d 849 (10th Cir. 2015) Brief Fact Summary. Plaintiff pursued negligence claims against Defendants after they failed to inform her deceased husband of his cancer when it was still treatable. Through twenty months of motions, discovery, and all the way through their submissions for the final pretrial order, Defendants denied any negligence. Two weeks before trial, some of the Defendants settled. Just days before jury selection, Defendant Phillips sought permission to amend the pretrial order. The district court denied the motion. At the trial’s end, ...
Atlantic Marine Construction Co. v. United States District Court
Citation571 U.S. 49 (2013) Brief Fact Summary. A subcontractor sued a construction company over a pay dispute in the Western District of Texas despite the contract containing a forum-selection clause requiring suit in Virginia. The construction company filed a motion to either dismiss the suit on the ground of the venue being improper or transfer the suit to Virginia pursuant to the forum-selection clause, which was denied by the district court. The U.S. Court of Appeals denied the company’s petition for a writ of mandamus. The case was elevated to the Supreme Court ...
Worldwide Volkswagen v. Woodson
Citation444 U.S. 286 (1980) Brief Fact Summary. The Robinsons purchased a car in New York. The next year, they were involved in and sustained injuries from an auto accident that occurred while they were driving in Oklahoma. Claiming that defective design and construction of the car caused their injuries, the Robinsons brought a products liability action against against Petitioners (and others) in state court in Oklahoma. The state court rejected a lack of jurisdiction claim raised by Petitioners, and denied a motion for reconsideration. Petitioners sought a writ of pr ...
Shady Grove Orthopedic Associates, P.A. v. Allstate Insurance Co.
Citation559 U.S. 393 (2010) Brief Fact Summary. Galvez, a third party, was insured by Allstate, and assigned her rights under her insurance policy to Shady Grove. Shady Grove sued Allstate on behalf of itself and a class of others in New York federal court to recover unpaid statutory interest on the insurance benefits. The district court dismissed the lawsuit because a New York law prohibited the use of a class action lawsuit to recover a “penalty.” The court of appeals affirmed, finding no conflict between the New York law and Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23. ...
Leathermann v. Tarrant County Narcotics Intelligence & Coordination Unit
Citation507 U.S. 163 (1993) Brief Fact Summary. Leatherman filed a civil rights action against Tarrant County Narcotics Intelligence and Coordination Unit, a municipal government unit. The district court, applying a heightened standard of pleading, granted a motion to dismiss the complaint. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed. The Supreme Court granted certiorari. Synopsis of Rule of Law. A heightened standard of pleading in civil rights cases alleging municipal liability under 42 U.S.C. 1983 does not comport wi ...
Jackson v. California Newspapers Partnership
Citation406 F. Supp. 2d 893 (N.D. Ill. 2005) Brief Fact Summary. Plaintiff brought a tort action against Defendants in federal district court in Illinois, seeking damages for defamation, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, arising out of an article published on a website and in a newspaper. Jurisdiction was based on diversity of citizenship. Defendants moved to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction. Synopsis of Rule of Law. For purposes of determining specific jurisdiction, the court looks to the re ...
In re Recticel Foam Corp. (I)
Citation859 F.2d 1000 (1st Cir. 1988) Brief Fact Summary. For discovery purposes, cases arising out of a hotel fire that involved almost 2000 plaintiffs and 200 defendants, were consolidated. One codefendant moved to compel discovery of videotapes and photographs from another. The holder of the tapes and photographs sought reimbursement of half the cost of reproducing the materials. The district court ordered all served defendants to share in the expense. A codefendant appealed. Synopsis of Rule of Law. The finality principle that limits appe ...
In re Recticel Foam Corp. (II)
Citation859 F.2d 1000 (1st Cir. 1988) Brief Fact Summary. Cases arising out of a hotel fire that involved almost 2000 plaintiffs and 200 defendants were consolidated for discovery purposes. One codefendant moved to compel discovery of videotapes and photographs from another codefendant. The holder of the tapes and photographs sought reimbursement of half the cost of reproducing the materials. The district court ordered all served defendants to share in the expense. A codefendant filed a writ of mandamus to challenge the expense sharing order. ...
Hohlbein v. Heritage Mutual Insurance Co.
Citation106 F.R.D. 73 (W.D. Wis. 1985) Brief Fact Summary. Plaintiffs were four individuals who were contacted and interviewed by Defendants representatives in connection with executive employment positions. They filed a complaint against Defendant based on alleged material misrepresentations made the during job interviews. Defendant moved, pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 20(a) and 21, to sever the action into four separate lawsuits. Synopsis of Rule of Law. Joinder under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 20(a) requires that th ...
Hanna v. Plumer
Citation380 U.S. 460 (1965) Brief Fact Summary. Hanna, who had been involved in an auto accident, brought an action in federal court, based on diversity, against Plumer, executor of the estate of the individual who was involved in the auto accident with Hanna. The district court granted Plumer’s motion for summary judgment because service was not effected in accordance with state law. The court of appeals affirmed. The Supreme Court granted certiorari. Synopsis of Rule of Law. If there is no conflicting state procedure, based on the feder ...
Guaranty Trust Co. of New York v. York
Citation326 U.S. 99 (1945) Brief Fact Summary. York, as owner of certain notes, brought a class action lawsuit in federal court in New York against Guaranty Trust Co., based on Guaranty’s alleged failure, as trustee, to protect the noteholders’ interests. Guaranty Trust asserted that York’s action was barred by the New York’s state statute of limitations. The Court of Appeals held that the state statute of limitations did not apply. Synopsis of Rule of Law. The federal court in this diversity case should apply the state statute of l ...
Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins
Citation304 U.S. 64 (1938) Brief Fact Summary. Tomkins (a Pennsylvania citizen) sued Erie Railroad Co. (a New York company) in federal district court in New York for negligence, seeking to recover for injuries he sustained when he was injured by one of Erie’s passing trains. The trial judge refused to rule that Pennsylvania law applied to preclude recovery. A jury verdict was entered for Tompkins; the Court of Appeals affirmed. The Supreme Court granted certiorari. Synopsis of Rule of Law. A federal district court sitting in diversity applies ...
Bensusan Restaurant Corp. v. King
Citation126 F.3d 25 (2d Cir. 1977) Brief Fact Summary. Bensusan Restaurant Corp. brought an action against King asserting trademark infringement and related claims against King. Bensusan was the creator of the trademark-named “The Blue Note” jazz club in New York City, and alleged that King’s live entertainment cabaret in Columbia, Missouri, also called The Blue Note, infringed on Bensusan’s trademark. The district court dismissed the complaint based on lack of personal jurisdiction. Synopsis of Rule of Law. In diversity or feder ...
Exxon Mobile Corp. v. Allapattah Services, Inc.
Citation545 U.S. 546, 125 S.Ct. 2611, 162 L.Ed.2d 502 (2005) Brief Fact Summary. In two separate federal lawsuits, additional plaintiffs to the lawsuit did not meet the amount in controversy requirement under diversity jurisdiction. Synopsis of Rule of Law. In a case with multiple plaintiffs, if one plaintiff’s claim meets the amount in controversy requirement for diversity jurisdiction, federal courts may exercise supplemental jurisdiction over substantially related claims from other plaintiffs even if they do not meet the amount in controversy ...