Law Commons^™

Rethinking Article Iii Standing In Class Action Consumer Protection Cases Following Spokeo V. Robins, Joshua Scott Olin

University of Miami Business Law Review

The Supreme Court recently handed down the landmark decision of Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins, holding that a “bare procedural violation” of a federal consumer protection statute—namely, the Fair Credit Reporting Act—was not enough to satisfy Article III standing because the injury alleged was particularized but not concrete. After Spokeo, those wishing to bring suit based on consumer protection statutes will have a much more difficult time showing that the injury suffered was “concrete” enough to confer Article III standing and, as a result, the term “consumer protection” will be rendered meaningless. Unless the Supreme Court revisits the issue …

Seeking To Have Banks Sing To The Same Tune: The Basel Committee Addresses Credit Risk–Weighted Assets, O. Jean Strickland

University of Miami Business Law Review

The objective of this Comment is to provide a critical assessment of the recent debate about the Basel Committee for Banking Standards’ (“BCBS”) reforms to risk–weighted assets (“RWA”) calculations used to measure credit risk and to establish international standards for bank capital requirements. After introducing the interests and objectives of both the regulators and the banking industry relative to this issue, the second part of this Comment will cover the origins of the approaches to the calculation of RWAs for regulatory capital requirement purposes. Using loans as the focus of the analysis, the third part of this Comment will examine …

The Value Of Cryptocurrencies: How Bitcoin Fares In The Pockets Of Federal And State Courts, Brandon M. Peck

University of Miami Business Law Review

A recent Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida decision has raised concerns over how both federal and state courts consider the unregulated cryptocurrency, Bitcoin. In State of Florida v. Michell Abner Espinoza, Judge Teresa Pooler held that Bitcoin did not fall under the statutory definitions of “payment instrument” or “monetary instrument” because virtual currency is not directly specified nor could it be included within one of the defined categories listed in Fla. Stat. § 560.103(29) or 896.101(2). Furthermore, Judge Pooler, alluding to the doctrine of lenity, refused to hold Espinoza responsible under a statute that is “so vaguely written …

Cuba: Déjà Vu Or New Beginnings, Ryan Forrest, Hunter W. Phillips, Magena Rodriguez

University of Miami Business Law Review

That the United States has long had a strained relationship with Cuba is no secret to the international community. Most recently, this strain has been embodied in a commercial, economic and financial embargo that has been enforced by the United States since 1962. That said, focusing only on this limited stretch of history would ignore the greater context of American–Cuban relations. This paper takes a step back to conduct a historical analysis, examine the current state of relations, and to posit on the potential of future economic ties between the two nations. After a thorough examination, an overarching question emerges: …

Whatever Happened To Quick Look?, Edward D. Cavanagh

University of Miami Business Law Review

In California Dental Ass’n v. F.T.C. (hereafter “Cal Dental”), the Supreme Court observed that there is no sharp divide separating conduct that can be summarily condemned under section one of the Sherman Act as per se unlawful from conduct that warrants a more searching factual assessment to ascertain any anticompetitive effect and hence its legality. The Court further observed that not every antitrust claim falling outside the narrow ambit of per se illegality warrants the detailed Rule of Reason analysis prescribed in Chicago Board of Trade. The Court thereby eschewed any notion that section one analysis is …

The Epipen Problem: Analyzing Unethical Drug Price Increases And The Need For Greater Government Regulation, Talal Rashid

University of Miami Business Law Review

In recent years, some pharmaceutical companies have started increasing the price of their existing drugs to exorbitant levels. Often, these drugs are medically necessary for patients, who are left to take on the high costs of the medicine. One recent example is Mylan, who raised the price of the EpiPen by four hundred percent, solely for the profit of its own company and to the detriment of consumers who rely on the EpiPen. Similar patterns of drug price increases have occurred in the past and will likely happen again in the future. This Comment will seek to identify the common …

Floating On A Sea Of Funny Money: An Analysis Of Money Laundering Through Miami Real Estate And The Federal Government’S Attempt To Stop It, Gary Mcpherson

University of Miami Business Law Review

Miami is experiencing a money laundering controversy the likes of which have not been seen since the “Cocaine Cowboys” era of 1980’s Miami. Condominiums and other mega developments are popping up at an unprecedented pace, immediately after the housing market crash that caused the Great Recession. Adding to this questionable boom in development is the fact that the vast majority of Miami’s population cannot afford to live in places like these. So, the question presented is who is fueling this explosion in development? Criminals, that’s who. Federal agents believe criminals are buying coveted Miami real estate through shell companies to …

Rule Of Law In The Age Of The Drone: Requiring Transparency And Disqualifying Clandestine Actors—The Cia And The Joint Special Operations Command, Thomas Michael Mcdonnell

University of Miami Law Review

Since shortly after 9/11, weaponized drones have become part of the fabric of United States policy and practice in countering Islamic terrorist organizations and personnel. Although many diplomats, UN officials, and scholars have criticized the widespread use of this weapon system for “targeted killing,” drones are here to stay. But how much investigation and oversight must a democratic country carry out over such a program, and more critically, how can a country do so effectively when the Executive has handed primary responsibility for drone targeted killing attacks to its clandestine forces, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Joint Special Operations …

Our Equity: Federalism And Chancery, Jeffrey Steven Gordon

University of Miami Law Review

Federal courts sitting in diversity cannot agree on whether state or federal law governs the award of a preliminary injunction. The conditions for the exercise of a federal diversity court’s extraordinary remedial power are anybody’s guess. The immediate cause of the confusion is Justice Frankfurter’s cryptic opinion in Guaranty Trust Co. v. York, which aggressively enforced Erie and, at the same time, preserved the so-called “equitable remedial rights” doctrine. There are, however, much broader and deeper causes that explain why the equitable remedial rights doctrine is almost incomprehensible today.

This Article argues that the early history of equity in …

Eat Your Vitamins And Say Your Prayers: Bollea V. Gawker, Revenge Litigation Funding, And The Fate Of The Fourth Estate, Nicole K. Chipi

University of Miami Law Review

In August 2016, Gawker.com shut down after 14 years of—more often than not—controversial online publishing. The website was one of several Gawker Media properties crushed under the weight of a $140 million jury verdict awarded to Terry Bollea (better known as former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan), in a lawsuit financed by eccentric Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel. Thiel’s clandestine legal campaign was part of a vendetta against Gawker Media, a venture he confirms was singularly focused on bankrupting the company through litigation. His success sent shudders through the media world, demonstrating that determined actors with deep pockets could sue the …

@Potus: Rethinking Presidential Immunity In The Time Of Twitter, Douglas B. Mckechnie

University of Miami Law Review

President Donald Trump’s use of Twitter portends a turning point in presidential communication. His Tweets animate his base and enrage his opponents. Tweets, however, like any form of communication, can ruin reputations. In Nixon v. Fitzgerald, the Supreme Court determined that a president retains absolute immunity for all actions that fall within the “outer perimeter” of his official duties. This Article explores the “outer perimeter” of presidential immunity. It suggests the First, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments inform the demarcation of the “outer perimeter,” and that when a president engages in malicious defamation, his speech falls outside this perimeter and …

Contra Scalia, Thomas, And Gorsuch: Originalists Should Adopt A Living Constitution, R. Randall Kelso

University of Miami Law Review

Two main approaches appear in the popular literature on constitutional interpretation: originalism and non-originalism. An originalist approach refers back to some aspect of the framers’ and ratifiers’ intent or action to justify a decision. A non-originalist approach bases the goal of constitutional interpretation in part on consideration of some justification independent of the framers’ and ratifiers’ intent or action.

What is often unappreciated in addressing the question of whether to adopt an originalist or non-originalist approach to constitutional interpretation is the complication that emerges if one concludes that the framing and ratifying generation believed in the model of a living …

Comparative Defamation Law: England And The United States, Vincent R. Johnson

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

“Capitalist” Cuba: The Privatization Of The Cuban Economy And Its Unintended Consequences, Christopher Palomo

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

Disposing With A (Not-So) Blunt Instrument, For Privacy’S Sake, Victoria Ashley Paxton

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Future Of U.S. Claims For Property Restoration In Cuba, Ashley Morales

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Call To Higher Action: Cannabis Prohibition In The United States And Canada Makes For An Uncertain Future, Carlos Alvarez

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

Uber In The U.S. And Canada: Is The Gig-Economy Exploiting Or Exploring Labor And Employment Laws By Going Beyond The Dichotomous Workers’ Classification?, Yasaman Moazami

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Silencing Of Human Rights Activists In Egypt Post-Revolution, Jennifer Helmy

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

How To Unlock The Voting Block: Oregon’S Sweeping Solution To Poor Voter Turnout: Automatic Registration, Gavin Rynard

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

Aspectos Laborales En Los Tratados De Libre Comercio Y Acuerdos De Integración Regional: Entre Normas Internacionales Del Trabajo Y “Cláusulas Sociales” En El Derecho Estatal, Inter-Estatal Y Transnacional. Del Nafta Al Tpp, Marlon M. Meza-Salas

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Transformation Of Human Rights Litigation: The Alien Tort Statute, The Anti-Terrorism Act, And Jasta, Stephen J. Schnably

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

A quarter century ago, the prospects for federal civil litigation of international human rights violations under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS) seemed bright. With the statute’s modern revival, a decade earlier in Filártiga, foreign nationals, often with no recourse in their own countries, had a forum for judicial vindication of a broad range of wrongs by state officials, multinational corporations, and even, in limited circumstances, foreign states themselves. The Supreme Court’s Kiobel decision in 2013, however, may signal the end of the Filártiga revolution, with Congress’s seeming acquiescence: Congress, after all, could amend the ATS if it disagreed with …

The South China Sea Arbitration Award, Bernard H. Oxman

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

Striking A Balance Between The Paramount Importance Of The Safety Of Children And Constitutionally-Imposed Limits On State Power, Lindsey Lazopoulos Friedman

University of Miami Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Economic Loss Rule: Is A Building A “Product?” — Another View, Steve Siegfried, Erwin Gonzalez, H. Hugh (Terry) Mcconnell, Allen Bonner, James Czodli

University of Miami Law Review

This Article addresses how the Florida Supreme Court in Tiara Condominium Association v. Marsh & McLennan Cos. receded from its definition of “other property” in Casa Clara Condominium Association, Inc. v. Charley Toppino & Sons, Inc. In Casa Clara the Florida Supreme Court held that a building is to be treated as a “product” for purposes of applying the Economic Loss Rule’s bar to tort claims for defective building materials incorporated into the building. Although Casa Clara adopted the economic loss rule established by Seely v. White Motor Co. and East River Steamship Corp. v. Transamerica Delaval, Inc., …

Lost At Sea: The Continuing Decline Of The Supreme Court In Admiralty, Michael Sevel

University of Miami Law Review

For the first 200 years of its history, the United States Supreme Court served as the primary leader in the development of, and its cases the primary source of, the admiralty and maritime law of the United States. That appears to be changing. The Court’s admiralty cases over the last quarter century indicate that it is slowly giving up its traditional leading role in creating and developing rules of admiralty law, and instead deferring to Congress to make those rules, a trend that is tantamount to abandoning its Article III constitutional duty to serve as the country’s only national admiralty …

Splitting Hairs: The Eleventh Circuit’S Take On Workplace Bans Against Black Women’S Natural Hair In Eeoc V. Catastrophe Management Solutions, D. Wendy Greene

University of Miami Law Review

What does hair have to do with African descendant women’s employment opportunities in the 21st century? In this Article, Professor Greene demonstrates that Black women’s natural hair, though irrelevant to their ability to perform their jobs, constitutes a real and significant barrier to Black women’s acquisition and maintenance of employment as well as their enjoyment of equality, inclusion, and dignity in contemporary workplaces. For nearly half a century, the federal judiciary has played a pivotal role in establishing and preserving this status quo. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeal’s recent decision in EEOC v. Catastrophe Management Solutions exacerbates what Professor …

The American Child Welfare System: The Inconspicuous Vehicle For Social Exclusion, Zachary Auspitz

University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review

No abstract provided.

Dilution Of The Black Vote: Revisiting The Oppressive Methods Of Voting Rights Restoration For Ex-Felons, Tara A. Jackson

University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Never Ending State Of Emergency: The Danger Of National Security In Emboldening The Color Line In America, Celeste Mccaw

University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review

No abstract provided.