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Guidelines And Best Practices For Large And Mass Tort Mdls (First Edition), Duke Law School Center For Judicial Studies

Bolch Judicial Institute Publications

Mass-tort MDLs dominate the federal civil docket, yet they present enormous challenges to transferee judges assigned to manage them. There is little official guidance and no rules specific to the management of mass-tort MDLs, often requiring the transferee judge to develop procedures out of whole cloth.

Beginning in 2013, the Bolch Judicial Institute (then the Center for Judicial Studies) sought to address this issue through a series of annual bench-bar conferences. From these conferences came the Guidelines and Best Practices for Large and Mass-Tort MDLs document, which is designed to help judges and legal practitioners understand and efficiently navigate complex …

Summary Of Valdez V. Cox Commc’Ns Las Vegas, 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 89, Stephen Davis

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined that: (1) under NRCP 21, when claims are severed, two separate actions exist and severed claims may be appealed before resolution of the other, non-severed claims; and (2) a final order for severed claims need not be certified under NRCP 54(b) before appeal.

Reforming The Consumer Class Action, Elizabeth Chamblee Burch

Presentations and Speeches

Professor Elizabeth Chamblee Burch was part of a panel on Reforming the Consumer Class Action. This was part of a conference entitled: The Future of Class Action Litigation: A View From the Consumer Class that took place at the New York University School of Law on November 7, 2014

The New York Court Of Appeals Visits (And Then Revisits) The Preclusive Impact Of Administrative Findings Of Fact In Subsequent State Court Actions, Jay C. Carlisle

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

The Court of Appeals decision in Auqui v. Seven Thirty One Limited Partnership, 3 N.E.3d 682 (N.Y. 2013), recognizes that administrative proceedings which take the form of “quasi-judicial” determinations may sometimes be given preclusive impact in subsequent judicial proceedings provided that the identity of issue and full and fair opportunity requirements of collateral estoppel or issue preclusion are satisfied. The decision also recognizes that administrative determinations made without the benefit of rules of evidence, pre-trial disclosure and motion practice should be given very limited affect in subsequent judicial proceedings. The fact that the Empire State’s highest court unanimously reversed itself …

Summary Of Fdic V. Rhodes, 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 8, Aleem A. Dhalla

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined that (1) 12 U.S.C. § 1821(d)(14)(A) (the “FDIC extender statute”)[1] preempts any similarly applicable state law, in this case NRS 40.4055(1)[2]; and (2) the Court refused to adopt a rule that a state statute of repose cannot be preempted by federal law.

[1] “Under the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA),…the [FDIC] acts as a "conservator or receiver" for failed financial institutions. 12 U.S.C. § 1821(d)(2)(A) (2012). FIRREA extends

the time period for the FDIC, in its capacity as the failed institution's conservator or receiver, to bring a contract claim …

Summary Of D.R. Horton V. Betsinger, 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 84, Gil Kahn

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined that even when a case is remanded only in order for a trier of fact to determine the amount of punitive damages, NRS 42.005(3) requires that same trier of fact to first determine whether such damages are warranted.

Summary Of Oxbow Constr. V. Eighth Jud. Dist. Ct., 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 86, Erik Foley

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined that (1) previously leased units become a “residence” under NRS 40.630 when their titles are later transferred to a home purchaser; (2) units previously leased prior to transfer of title to a purchaser are not considered “new” under NRS 40.615; and (3) where there is at least one “new residence” in a multiple unit building, relief is available for construction defects in the limited common areas assigned to that building.

Empirical Law And Economics, Jonah B. Gelbach, Jonathan Klick

All Faculty Scholarship

Empirical work has grown in importance in law and economics. This growth coincides with improvements in research designs in empirical microeconomics more generally. In this essay, we provide a stylized discussion of some trends over the last two or three decades, linking the credibility revolution in empirical micro to the ascendancy of empirical work in law and economics. We then provide some methodological observations about a number of commonly used approaches to estimating policy effects. The literature on the economics of crime and criminal procedure illustrates the ways in which many of these techniques have been used successfully. Other fields, …

Summary Of Artiga-Morales V. State, 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 77, Janine Lee

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

In the absence of a rule or statute mandating disclosure of jury background information from the prosecution to the defense, no such obligation exists.[1] If policy considerations dictate that defendants should be allowed to see prosecution-developed jury dossiers, then a court rule should be proposed, considered and adopted as implicitly authorized by NRS 179A.100(7)(j). Such a procedure would allow the court to better assess the “scope of disparity, impact on juror privacy interests, the need to protect work product, practicality, and fundamental fairness

than this case, with its limited record and arguments.”

[1] This is the majority opinion. A …

Summary Of Renown Reg’L Med. V. Second Jud. Dist. Ct., 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 80, Leesa Goodwin

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined that before a court may grant summary judgment sua sponte, the defending party must be given notice and an opportunity to defend itself. Thus, summary judgment cannot be granted on claims for which no party sought summary judgment in their pleadings or arguments.

Summary Of Henson V. Henson, 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 79, Sydney Gambee

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined that (1) survivor benefits must be specifically set forth in a divorce decree notwithstanding NRS 286.590, which does not automatically confer survivor benefits and (2) immediate payment of benefits to a former non-employee spouse must be requested by motion, in accordance with California’s approach in In re Marriage of Cornejo.

[1] 916 P.2d 476 (Cal. 1996).

Summary Of Copper Sands Homeowners Ass’N, Inc. V. Flamingo 94, Llc, 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 81, Vincent Godinho

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined that when a third-party defendant prevails in an action and moves for costs pursuant to NRS 18.020, the district court must determine which party (plaintiff or defendant) is adverse to the third-party defendant and allocate the costs award accordingly.

Auctioning Class Settlements, Jay Tidmarsh

Journal Articles

Although they promise better deterrence at a lower cost, class actions are infected with problems that can keep them from delivering on this promise. One of these problems occurs when the agents for the class (the class representative and class counsel) advance their own interests at the expense of the class. Controlling agency cost, which often manifests itself at the time of settlement, has been the impetus behind a number of class-action reform proposals. This Article develops a proposal that, in conjunction with reforms in fee structure and opt-out rights, controls agency costs at the time of settlement. The idea …

Revising Civil Rule 56: Judge Mark R. Kravitz And The Rules Enabling Act, Edward H. Cooper

Articles

This contribution uses the history of amending Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56, “Summary Judgment,” to pay tribute to Mark R. Kravitz and to the Rules Enabling Act process itself. The three central examples involve discretion to deny summary judgment despite the lack of a genuine dispute as to any material fact, the choice whether to prescribe a detailed “point–counterpoint” procedure for presenting and opposing the motion, and the effect of failure to respond to a motion in one of the modes prescribed by the rule. These topics are intrinsically important. The ways in which the Civil Rules Advisory Committee …

Enforcement Of Foreign Arbitration Agreements And Awards: Application Of The New York Convention In The United States, Louis Del Duca, Nancy A. Welsh

Faculty Scholarship

Internationalc ommercial arbitrationp rovides customized and efficient resolution for disputes arising out of transnational commerce. When arbitration occurs in states that have ratified the New York Convention, the process also offers enforceable outcomes even in states other than the one where the arbitration occurred. The United States ratified the New York Convention in 1970, and its courts overwhelmingly enforce both arbitration agreements and arbitral awards. There are exceptions, however, and American courts require the use of certain procedures.

This Article provides a brief survey of American courts' recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitration agreements and arbitral awards. It begins by …

Actavis And Error Costs: A Reply To Critics, Aaron S. Edlin, C. Scott Hemphill, Herbert J. Hovenkamp, Carl Shapiro

All Faculty Scholarship

The Supreme Court’s opinion in Federal Trade Commission v. Actavis, Inc. provided fundamental guidance about how courts should handle antitrust challenges to reverse payment patent settlements. In our previous article, Activating Actavis, we identified and operationalized the essential features of the Court’s analysis. Our analysis has been challenged by four economists, who argue that our approach might condemn procompetitive settlements.

As we explain in this reply, such settlements are feasible, however, only under special circumstances. Moreover, even where feasible, the parties would not actually choose such a settlement in equilibrium. These considerations, and others discussed in the reply, serve to …

Conflict Of Laws, James P. George, Susan T. Phillips

Faculty Scholarship

States' and nations' laws collide when foreign factors appear in a lawsuit. Nonresident litigants, incidents outside the forum, and judgments from other jurisdictions can create problems with personal jurisdiction, choice of law, and the recognition of foreign judgments. This Article reviews Texas conflict cases from Texas state and federal courts during the Survey-period from November 1, 2011 through October 31, 2013. The Article excludes cases involving federal-state conflicts; intrastate issues, such as subject matter jurisdiction and venue; and conflicts in time, such as the applicability of prior or subsequent law within a state. State and federal cases are discussed together …

Summary Of Déjà Vu Showgirls Of Las Vegas, Llc V. Nevada Dep’T Of Taxation, 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 72, Hayley Miller

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court (1) determined the sole remedy for a taxpayer aggrieved by a final decision from the Nevada Tax Commission concerning a tax refund request under NRS Chapter 368A (the Nevada Live Entertainment Tax) is to file a petition for judicial review pursuant to NRS 233B.130 and (2) reaffirmed its judicial estoppel doctrine.

Summary Of Las Vegas Sands Corp. V. Eighth Judicial Dist. Court, 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 69, Michael Bowman

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined whether a former CEO is within a “class of persons” allowed to use the corporation’s privileged documents in litigation against the corporation.

Summary Of Campos-Garcia V. Johnson, 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 64, Michael Valiente

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

An appeal is properly taken from an amended judgment only when the amendment “disturb[s] or revise[s] legal rights and obligations which the prior judgment had plainly and properly settled with finality."

Thus, an appeal from a post-judgment award of attorney’s fees and costs must be timely filed, because its incorporation into an amended judgment does not disturb or revise the legal rights and obligations of the parties.

Summary Of Brady, Vorwerck, Ryder & Caspino V. New Albertson’S, Inc., 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 68, Ashleigh Wise

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined that NRS 11.207(1), in regards to the two-year statute of limitations, is tolled against a cause of action for attorney malpractice pending the outcome of the underlying lawsuit in which the malpractice allegedly occurred. The Court did not address whether the four-year time limitation may be tolled, because that time limitation had not expired when the malpractice action at issue was filed.

16th Annual Open Government Summit: Access To Public Records Act & Open Meetings Act, 2014, Department Of Attorney General, State Of Rhode Island

School of Law Conferences, Lectures & Events

No abstract provided.

Allison Orr Larsen On Intensely Empirical Amicus Briefs And Amicus Opportunism At The Supreme Court, Allison Orr Larsen

Popular Media

No abstract provided.

The Federal Rules At 75: Dispute Resolution, Private Enforcement Or Decision According To Law?, James Maxeiner

All Faculty Scholarship

This essay is a critical response to the 2013 commemorations of the 75th anniversary of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure were introduced in 1938 to provide procedure to decide cases on their merits. The Rules were designed to replace decisions under the “sporting theory of justice” with decisions according to law. By 1976, at midlife, it was clear that they were not achieving their goal. America’s proceduralists split into two sides about what to do.

One side promotes rules that control and conclude litigation: e.g., plausibility pleading, case management, limited discovery, cost indemnity …

Reforming Property Law To Address Devastating Land Loss, Thomas W. Mitchell

Faculty Scholarship

Tenancy-in-common ownership represents the most widespread form of common ownership of real property in the United States. Such ownership under the default rules also represents the most unstable ownership of real property in this country. Thousands of tenancy-in-common property owners, including members of many poor and minority families, have lost their commonly-owned property due to court-ordered, forced partition sales as well as much of their real estate wealth associated with such ownership as a result of such sales. Though some scholars and the media have highlighted how thousands of African-Americans have lost an untold amount of property and substantial real …

Summary Of All Star Bail Bonds, Inc. V. Eighth Jud. Dist. Ct., 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 45, Sean Daly

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

A defendant who left the country voluntarily, but was denied admission upon returning to the country, is considered “excluded,” not “deported,” for purposes of NRS 178.509(1)(b)(5). Furthermore, a district court may not exonerate a bond without a statutory basis for doing so.

Summary Of L.V. Dev. Assocs. V. Eighth Jud. Dist. Ct., 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 37, Ryan Becklean

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined whether NRS 50.125 applies to depositions.

Summary Of Dornbach V. Tenth Jud. Dist. Ct., 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 33, Kylee Gloekner

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined two issues: (1) whether the NRCP 16.1(e) time period begins to run when the defendant appears or answers and (2) whether a district court may consider its own internal delays when justifying a deadline extension.

Summary Of Alcantara V. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 28, Allison Vitangeli

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

Whether issue and/or claim preclusion can prevent an heir from asserting a wrongful-death claim under NRS 41.085(4) when the decedent’s estate had previously attempted but failed to succeed on a wrongful death claim under NRS 41.085(5).

The Perils Of Productivity, Emily Spottswood

Scholarly Publications

This Essay urges that those who seek to minimize delay in litigation should proceed with greater caution. Productivity reform proponents usually assume that an increase in case processing speed can be purchased at little cost to other procedural values, but this may not be the case. Such reforms may lower the quality of lawyers’ case preparation and worsen the quality of judicial decisions. The extent of these effects is unclear because the proponents of such changes have not made an effort to establish that increases in speed can be achieved without undermining the accuracy of litigation outcomes. Relatedly, it is …