Law Commons^™

A Matter Of Trial And Error, Or Betting On Appeals, Radek Goral

Notre Dame Law Review Reflection

Sampling from the actual portfolio of a leading third-party litigation financier, this Essay demonstrates that making systematic bets on pending appeals is a viable business model applicable to a wide range of cases. “Appellate investments” may include both consumer and commercial cases, including also public-interest actions where prevailing plaintiffs are permitted attorney’s fees—even if they themselves do not seek monetary relief. Additionally, the analyzed sample indicates that appellate funders buy both from plaintiffs and plaintiffs’ attorneys, often in the same case.

The overview of the business strategy of appellate financing contributes to a larger theme: the role and impact of …

Trial Practice And Procedure, Brandon L. Peak, Tedra C. Hobson, David T. Rohwedder, Robert H. Snyder, Morgan E. Duncan, Joseph M. Colwell, Christopher B. Mcdaniel

Mercer Law Review

This Article addresses several significant opinions issued and legislation passed during the survey period of this publication for the Georgia civil trial practitioner.

For Every Wrong, A Remedy: A Narrow Interpretation Of The Locomotive Inspection Act's Preemptive Scope In Asbestos Cases, Andrew Malzahn

Hamline Law Review

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State Action On Appeal: Parker Immunity And The Collateral Order Doctrine In Antitrust Litigation, Jason Kornmehl

Seattle University Law Review

The collateral order doctrine is perhaps the most significant exception to the general rule that only final judgments are appealable. The doctrine is particularly important in antitrust litigation when a defendant asserts state action immunity, often referred to as Parker immunity. However, the circuit courts have struggled with the question of whether a denial of Parker immunity is immediately appealable as a collateral order. This unsettled procedural issue is further complicated by the fact that the substantive law on Parker immunity differs depending on the entity asserting state action. This Article argues that a governmental entity that is deemed part …

Business And Commercial Litigation In Federal Courts (3d Ed.), Edited By Robert L. Haig, James M. Wicks

St. John's Law Review

(Excerpt)

The BCL is comprehensive, up-to-date, and very user-friendly. The practice aids, strategic considerations, checklists, and forms all make this set of books a "must-have" for every business litigator who is or will be going to federal court. Even as law libraries seem to be moving toward cutting book subscriptions, if one were to subscribe to only a single set of practice-based books, this should be it.

The Roberts Court And Securities Class Actions: Reaffirming Basic Principles, Eric Alan Isaacson

Akron Law Review

Part II of this Article presents an overview of Roberts Court decisions concerning class litigation...The Article’s primary focus, however, is on a trilogy of Roberts Court decisions concerning class certification in open-market securities fraud cases, where fraudulent statements allegedly manipulated the price of securities traded in the open market: Erica P. John Fund, Inc. v. Halliburton, Co. (“Halliburton I”), Amgen, Inc. v. Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds, and Halliburton Co. v. Erica P. John Fund, Inc. (“Halliburton II”)...Rather than jumping directly into a discussion of the three decisions, which have been extraordinarily good news for investors seeking to prosecute …

The Practical Approach: How The Roberts Court Has Enhanced Class Action Procedure By Strategically Carving At The Edges, Paul G. Karlsgodt, Dustin M. Dow

Akron Law Review

This Article explores the practical impacts of the Court’s class-action jurisprudence from 30,000 feet, observing that, with some notable exceptions, the Court has nibbled away at the rough edges of class-action procedure while passing on chances to dictate more drastic reform. Part II is a chronological summary of notable Roberts Court cases that have come to define its approach toward class litigation. Perhaps surprisingly, the Court eased its way to this point, neglecting to grant certiorari in any significant class-action cases for the first four years after the swearing in of Chief Justice Roberts in 2005. That changed in 2009 …

The New Class Action Federalism, Mark Moller

Akron Law Review

Because separation of powers is “an aspect of federalism”10—a mechanism through which federalism is protected—this idea helps connect the Court’s “happenstantial” class action federalism with constitutional principle. This Article develops this idea in three parts. Part I briefly summarizes Richard Marcus’s account of CAFA’s potential to catalyze a kind of hyper-aggressive mass tort nationalism. Part II then reviews how the Roberts Court’s stinting approach to class actions is, to the contrary, throwing a lifeline to federalism. Part III ends by showing how Bayer points to a link, so far undeveloped in the case law, between that stinting approach and the …

The Roberts Court And The End Of The Entity Theory, Andrew J. Trask

Akron Law Review

This Article traces the shift away from the entity theory. It begins with a discussion of the various academic treatments of the entity model, from its first formulation years ago to the more radical “trust device” theories advanced today. It then looks at the various ways in which implicitly adopting the entity model has affected various rulings in class action litigation. Finally, it discusses how the 9–0 opinions in Taylor v. Sturgell, Bayer Corp. v. Smith, and Standard Fire Insurance Co. v. Knowles (buttressed by Justice Elena Kagan’s dissent in Symczyk v. Genesis Health Co.) have made it clear that …

Employment Discrimination Class Actions After Wal-Mart V. Dukes, Michael Selmi, Sylvia Tsakos

Akron Law Review

This Article explores the ramifications of Wal-Mart approximately five years after the case was decided. While five years hardly provides definitive data on how the case will be interpreted, it is possible to identify trends in the cases that have been decided to date—trends that are likely to provide insight into the future of class action claims. That future suggests that there will be fewer, and perhaps no, nationwide class actions in cases that do not involve a clear challenged practice (any such cases are likely to be disparate impact cases) and that the prospect for class certification will turn …

The Class Abides: Class Actions And The "Roberts Court", Elizabeth J. Cabraser

Akron Law Review

This Article does not delve deeply into the substantive issues of Wal-Mart, Concepcion, or Italian Colors...My focus is on how Rule 23 has fared, structurally and practically, in the aftermath of the “common answer” formulation of Wal-Mart; three other decisions of the Roberts Court, Dukes, Amgen, and Comcast; and three cases that the Roberts Court did not ultimately take in the wake of Amgen and Comcast: its denials of review in Whirlpool, Butler, and Deepwater. Also discussed is the newly intense debate on the use of cy pres, catalyzed by Chief Justice Roberts’ extraordinary “Statement” accompanying the denial of certiorari …

Front-Loading, Avoidance, And Other Features Of The Recent Supreme Court Class Action Jurisprudence, Richard D. Freer

Akron Law Review

This Article discusses each of the thirteen Supreme Court decisions with the goal of drawing at least tentative conclusions for their impact on federal class practice. The thirteen decisions may be placed into five groups. Only three of the cases directly involve the general interpretation and application of Rule 23, while the other ten fall into four particular substantive areas. Reflecting these divisions, this Article proceeds in five parts. Part I discusses the three cases directly interpreting Rule 23. Part II addresses the three decisions involving securities classes brought under Rule 10b-5. Part III discusses the three decisions involving the …

Back To Class: Lessons From The Roberts Court Class Action Jurisprudence, Bernadette Bollas Genetin

Akron Law Review

This symposium issue on The Class Action After a Decade of Roberts Court Decisions provides perspectives on how the class action has fared under persistent Supreme Court scrutiny. Over the past ten years, the Roberts Court has repeatedly returned to questions concerning class action litigation...This ten-year retrospective on the Roberts Court’s class action decisions provides a timely opportunity to reflect on the Supreme Court’s institutional role in construing the Federal Rules and in creating class action policy through decisions construing Rule 23...The contributors to this symposium focus on the Roberts Court class action decisions as a whole; the Roberts Court’s …

Navigating The Limitations On Discovery In Aia Post-Grant Proceedings, Mary R. Henninger, Jill K. Macalpine, Amelia Feulner Baur, Anthony A. Hartmann, Lara C. Kelley, Rebecca M. Mcneill, P. Andrew Riley, Michael A. Stramiello

Buffalo Intellectual Property Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Stay Awhile: The Evolving Law Of District Court Stays In Light Of Inter Partes Review, Post-Grant Review, And Covered Business Method Post-Grant Review, Jonathan Stroud, Linda Thayer, Jeffrey C. Totten

Buffalo Intellectual Property Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Amending Rather Than Cancelling Claims In Inter Partes Reviews, Stacy Lewis, Tom Irving

Buffalo Intellectual Property Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Preservation Rules In The Federal Courts Of Appeals, Ian S. Speir, Nima H. Mohebbi

The Journal of Appellate Practice and Process

No abstract provided.

Transnational Class Actions In The Shadow Of Preclusion, Zachary D. Clopton

Indiana Law Journal

The American class action is a procedural tool that advances substantive law values such as deterrence, compensation, and fairness. Opt-out class actions in particular achieve these goals by aggregating claims not only of active participants but also passive plaintiffs. Full faith and credit then extends the preclusive effect of class judgments to other U.S. courts. But there is no international full faith and credit obligation, and many foreign courts will not treat U.S. class judgments as binding on passive plaintiffs. Therefore, some plaintiffs may be able to wait until the U.S. class action is resolved before either joining the U.S. …

Section 230 Of The Communications Decency Act: The True Culprit Of Internet Defamation, Heather Saint

Loyola of Los Angeles Entertainment Law Review

This Note highlights the growing concern of Internet defamation and the lack of viable legal remedies available to its victims. Internet defamation is internet speech with the purpose to disparage another’s reputation. At common law, a victim of alleged defamation has the right to file suit against not only the original speaker of the defamatory statements, but the person or entity to give that statement further publication as well. In certain cases even the distributor, such as a newspaper stand, can be held liable for a defamation claim. However, liability due to defamatory speech on the Internet is quite different. …

Florida's "Brave New World": The Transition From Frye To Daubert Will Transform The Playing-Field For Litigants In Medical Causation Cases, Erica W. Rutner, Lara B. Bach

Barry Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Discovery Sombrero And Other Metaphors For Litigation, William H. J. Hubbard

Catholic University Law Review

Little is known about discovery costs in civil litigation, particularly in regard to preservation—the duty to preserve relevant information when litigation is reasonably anticipated. This article is one of the first to present and analyze empirical evidence on the nature and costs of preservation and discovery. Using this data, the author proposes three new metaphors for civil litigation: the discovery sombrero, the preservation iceberg, and the long tail of litigation costs. These metaphors help demonstrate the sometimes surprising ways that the Erie doctrine, the role of technology in litigation, and the Federal Rules’ commitment to transsubstantivity interact with current challenges …

Injury-In-Fact In Chilling Effect Challenges To Public University Speech Codes, Jennifer L. Bruneau

Catholic University Law Review

Campus speech codes began to spring up on university campuses during the 1980s and continue to operate today. The codes regulate various forms of arguably offensive speech, including speech regarding race, gender, sexual orientation, ideology, views, and political affiliation. Numerous litigants have challenged the chilling effect these policies have on student and faculty speech, but in cases where the challenged code has not yet been enforced, some courts find that the plaintiff has not met the “injury-in-fact” requirement for Article III standing. The Supreme Court has not ruled on standing requirements in speech code challenges and lower courts are divided. …

Enhancing Accountability At The Department Of Veterans Affairs: The Legality Of The Veterans Access, Choice, And Accountability Act Of 2014 Under The Due Process Clause, Ashton Habighurst

Catholic University Law Review

In April 2014, news of long delays at the Phoenix VA Medical Center and the subsequent deaths of forty Veterans awaiting medical appointments shocked the nation. Based on this perceived failure among VA’s senior medical staff, legislation swept through the House and the Senate in an attempt to enhance accountability at the VA. By August 2014, President Obama signed the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 into law. This Act revises the termination procedures concerning the VA’s senior executives, by eliminating the notice requirement, significantly reducing the appellate procedures for adverse employment decision to the Merit Systems Protection …

Blackness As Character Evidence, Mikah K. Thompson

Michigan Journal of Race and Law

Federal Rule of Evidence 404 severely limits the government’s ability to offer evidence of a defendant’s character trait of violence to prove action in conformity with that trait on the occasion in question. The Rule states that such character evidence is generally inadmissible when offered to prove propensity. The Rule also allows the government to offer evidence of an alleged victim’s character for peacefulness in homicide cases where the defendant asserts the self-defense privilege. Although criminal defendants may offer character evidence under limited circumstances, Rule 404 creates a significant disincentive for doing so. Where a defendant offers evidence of an …

Design Litigation And The State Of The Art: Terminology, Practice And Reform, Edward T. O'Donnell

Akron Law Review

We suggest that rather than ignore these problems, or bemoan them ineffectually, the judiciary should accept the fact that the decision to venture into the area of scientific and technological controversy' carries with it a duty to reconcile the law with the essentials of the scientific method. Some courts already have begun to do so. For instance, suggestions that the manufacturer's obligation to design a safe product necessarily must be limited by the state of the art are common in negligence, warranty and strict liability decisions alike. Unfortunately these statements usually are dicta rather than holdings. Worse, the authors of …

The Products Liability Crisis: Modest Proposals For Legislative Reform, William P. Bivins Jr.

Akron Law Review

This article will attempt to identify some of the sources of the problems which are adversely affecting the system of products liability litigation and will offer proposals for reform within the framework of the law of products liability.

Is A Paid Idea Tuition Reimbursement Case Moot? The Intersection Of Pendency, Tuition Reimbursement, And Mootness, Daniel W. Morton-Bentley

Brigham Young University Education and Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Of Ethics And Economics: Contingent Percentage Fees For Legal Services, Janet Ann Laufer

Akron Law Review

The contingent percentage fee "is the dominant system in the United States by which legal services are financed by those seeking to assert a claim." The contingent fee is practically the exclusive method of compensating attorneys in personal injury cases.' Contingent percentage fees are also frequently employed in antitrust litigation, class suits, minority stockholder suits, worker's compensation practice, tax practice, and will settlements.'I While the Ethical Considerations of the Code of Professional Responsibility authorize use of the contingent fee in most civil cases," contingent fees are generally considered unethical when applied to criminal cases, divorce cases, and arrangements for procuring …

Hypnosis In Our Legal System: The Status Of Its Acceptance In The Trial Setting, Joel R. Hlavaty

Akron Law Review

Hypnosis is a method of therapy which has been utilized by society for quite some time. Recently, it has gained popularity as a new device to be used in the trial setting. Although it is a legitimate method of therapy in the medical and psychological professions, in the hands of attorneys and the legal system it takes on a whole new life. This new life is plagued with questions of admissibility, reliability and suggestibility. This comment will examine these questions and the use of hypnosis in the various stages of trial. This paper will show that some courts hold such …

The Citizen's Relief Against Inactive Federal Officials: Case Studies In Mandamus, Actions "In The Nature Of Mandamus," And Mandatory Injuctions, Howard W. Brill

Akron Law Review

Historically, the citizen-plaintiff would have sought the common law writ of mandamus if he were able to scale, or avoid, the threshold barriers of standing and sovereign immunity. This article will examine briefly the history of the writ of mandamus, the requirements for issuance of the writ, and the defenses accepted by courts to deny its issuance. The article will focus specifically on the unique position of the writ in federal courts, including its abolition by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.