Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Discipline
-
- Civil Procedure (12)
- Judges (8)
- Labor and Employment Law (7)
- Civil Rights and Discrimination (4)
- Courts (4)
-
- Supreme Court of the United States (3)
- Dispute Resolution and Arbitration (2)
- Law and Economics (2)
- Administrative Law (1)
- Constitutional Law (1)
- Criminal Law (1)
- Economics (1)
- First Amendment (1)
- Jurisdiction (1)
- Jurisprudence (1)
- Law and Race (1)
- Legal Education (1)
- Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility (1)
- Legal Profession (1)
- Legislation (1)
- Public Economics (1)
- Rule of Law (1)
- Social and Behavioral Sciences (1)
- State and Local Government Law (1)
- Institution
- Publication Year
- Publication
- Publication Type
Articles 1 - 21 of 21
Full-Text Articles in Litigation
Toward A Theory Of Motion Practice And Settlement: Comment, Adam C. Pritchard
Toward A Theory Of Motion Practice And Settlement: Comment, Adam C. Pritchard
Articles
"Scott Baker (2017) has provided a thought-provoking contribution to this symposium volume, helping us to better understand the strategic game of litigation. In terms of both resources and actual disputes resolved, pretrial practice is vastly more important than actual trials. Trials are a rarity in the American civil justice system, as the overwhelming majority of disputes are resolved via settlement. Indeed, rational-choice scholars have struggled to explain why all disputes are not resolved via settlement, as settlement avoids the expense of a trial, which is a dead-weight loss to both sides of the dispute. The parties’ mutual incentive toward settlement …
Material Facts In The Debate Over Twombly And Iqbal, Jonah B. Gelbach
Material Facts In The Debate Over Twombly And Iqbal, Jonah B. Gelbach
All Faculty Scholarship
This paper presents empirical evidence concerning the adjudication of defendant-filed summary judgment motions from nearly 2,000 randomly selected employment discrimination and contracts cases to try to assess Twombly and Iqbal’s performance in filtering cases according to merit. I first explain how such data might be helpful in such an assessment, taking into account the possibility that parties’ behavior might have changed following Twombly and Iqbal.
I then report results indicating that even using this large collection of data -- the most comprehensive data assembled to date to address this question -- we cannot tell whether “TwIqbal” …
The Death Of Inference, Andrew S. Pollis
The Death Of Inference, Andrew S. Pollis
Faculty Publications
This Article examines a disturbing trend in civil litigation: the demise of the jury’s historic prerogative to draw inferences from circumstantial evidence. Judges have arrogated to themselves the power to dismiss cases if they find the proffered inferenc
A Diamond In The Rough: Trans-Substantivity Of The Federal Rules Of Civil Procedure And Its Detrimental Impact On Civil Rights, Suzette Malveaux
A Diamond In The Rough: Trans-Substantivity Of The Federal Rules Of Civil Procedure And Its Detrimental Impact On Civil Rights, Suzette Malveaux
Publications
No abstract provided.
Solving The Nuisance-Value Settlement Problem: Manadatory Summary Judgment, David Rosenberg, Randy J. Kozel
Solving The Nuisance-Value Settlement Problem: Manadatory Summary Judgment, David Rosenberg, Randy J. Kozel
Randy J Kozel
The nuisance-value settlement problem arises whenever a litigant can profitably initiate a meritless claim or defense and offer to settle it for less than it would cost the opposing litigant to have a court dismiss the claim or defense on a standard motion for merits review like summary judgment. The opposing litigant confronted with such a nuisance-value claim or defense rationally would agree to settle for any amount up to the cost of litigating to have it dismissed. These settlement payoffs skew litigation outcomes away from socially appropriate levels, undermining the deterrence and compensation objectives of civil liability. Yet current …
The Jury (Or More Accurately The Judge) Is Still Out For Civil Rights And Employment Cases Post-Iqbal, Suzette M. Malveaux
The Jury (Or More Accurately The Judge) Is Still Out For Civil Rights And Employment Cases Post-Iqbal, Suzette M. Malveaux
NYLS Law Review
No abstract provided.
Essay:1 From The “No Spittin’, No Cussin’ And No Summary Judgment”2 Days Of Employment Discrimination Litigation To The “Defendant’S Summary Judgment A Rmed Without Comment” Days: One Judge’S Four-Decade Perspective, Hon. Mark W. Bennett
NYLS Law Review
No abstract provided.
Bringing Back Reasonable Inferences: A Short, Simple Suggestion For Addressing Some Problems At The Intersection Of Employment Discrimination And Summary Judgment, Hon. Bernice B. Donald, J. Eric Pardue
Bringing Back Reasonable Inferences: A Short, Simple Suggestion For Addressing Some Problems At The Intersection Of Employment Discrimination And Summary Judgment, Hon. Bernice B. Donald, J. Eric Pardue
NYLS Law Review
No abstract provided.
Bad Briefs, Bad Law, Bad Markets: Documenting The Poor Quality Of Plaintiffs' Briefs, Its Impact On The Law, And The Market Failure It Reflects, Scott A. Moss
Publications
For a major field, employment discrimination suffers surprisingly low-quality plaintiffs' lawyering. This Article details a study of several hundred summary judgment briefs, finding as follows: (1) the vast majority of plaintiffs' briefs omit available caselaw rebutting key defense arguments, many falling far below basic professional standards with incoherent writing or no meaningful research; (2) low-quality briefs lose at over double the rate of good briefs; and (3) bad briefs skew caselaw evolution, because even controlling for win-loss rate, bad plaintiffs' briefs far more often yield decisions crediting debatable defenses. These findings are puzzling. In a major legal service market, how …
Summary Judgment In Employment Discrimination Cases: A Judge’S Perspective, Hon. Denny Chin
Summary Judgment In Employment Discrimination Cases: A Judge’S Perspective, Hon. Denny Chin
NYLS Law Review
No abstract provided.
Summary Judgment And The Influence Of Federal Rulemaking (Foreword To Symposium: The Future Of Summary Judgment), Bernadette Bollas Genetin
Summary Judgment And The Influence Of Federal Rulemaking (Foreword To Symposium: The Future Of Summary Judgment), Bernadette Bollas Genetin
Akron Law Faculty Publications
This essay provides an overview of symposium articles on The Future of Summary Judgment, which were submitted in connection with the Section on Litigation’s program on summary judgment at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Law Schools. Contributions to the symposium by Professors Edward Brunet, Stephen Burbank, Jeffrey Cooper, Steven Gensler, and Linda Mullenix, explore issues regarding (1) amendments to Federal Rule 56 that are set to take effect on December 1, 2010; (2) emerging safeguards to prevent improvident grant of summary judgment; (3) the potential of summary judgment to impact interrelated aspects of the pretrial process, …
Summary Judgment And The Influence Of Federal Rulemaking (Foreword To Symposium: The Future Of Summary Judgment), Bernadette Bollas Genetin
Summary Judgment And The Influence Of Federal Rulemaking (Foreword To Symposium: The Future Of Summary Judgment), Bernadette Bollas Genetin
Bernadette Bollas Genetin
This essay provides an overview of symposium articles on The Future of Summary Judgment, which were submitted in connection with the Section on Litigation’s program on summary judgment at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Law Schools. Contributions to the symposium by Professors Edward Brunet, Stephen Burbank, Jeffrey Cooper, Steven Gensler, and Linda Mullenix, explore issues regarding (1) amendments to Federal Rule 56 that are set to take effect on December 1, 2010; (2) emerging safeguards to prevent improvident grant of summary judgment; (3) the potential of summary judgment to impact interrelated aspects of the pretrial process, …
Procedural Extremism: The Supreme Court's 2008-2009 Labor And Employment Cases, Melissa Hart
Procedural Extremism: The Supreme Court's 2008-2009 Labor And Employment Cases, Melissa Hart
Publications
It has become nearly a commonplace to say that the Supreme Court under the leadership of Chief Justice John Roberts is a court of “incrementalism.” The 2008 Term, however, featured several opinions that showcase the procedural extremism of the current conservative majority. In a series of sharply divided decisions, the Court re-shaped the law that governs the workplace - or more specifically the law that governs whether and how employees will be permitted access to the courts to litigate workplace disputes. At least as important as the Court’s changes to the substantive legal standards are the procedural hurdles the five …
When Should A Case Be Dismissed? The Economics Of Pleading And Summary Judgment Standards, Keith N. Hylton
When Should A Case Be Dismissed? The Economics Of Pleading And Summary Judgment Standards, Keith N. Hylton
Faculty Scholarship
This paper applies a simple economic framework to the choice between pleading and summary judgment as points at which a claim can be dismissed. It concludes generally that pleading standards should vary with the evidentiary demands of the associated legal standards and the social costs of litigation. The common law's imposition of higher pleading standards for fraud claims is consistent with this proposition. The theory implies that the rigorous summary judgment standards that have been developed by antitrust courts should lead to a correspondingly rigorous assessment at the pleading stage.
Celotex Trilogy Revisited: How Misapplication Of The Federal Summary Judgment Standard Is Undermining The Seventh Amendment Right To A Jury Trial, David H. Simmons, Stephen J. Jacobs, Daniel J. O'Malley, Richard H. Tami
Celotex Trilogy Revisited: How Misapplication Of The Federal Summary Judgment Standard Is Undermining The Seventh Amendment Right To A Jury Trial, David H. Simmons, Stephen J. Jacobs, Daniel J. O'Malley, Richard H. Tami
Florida A & M University Law Review
No abstract provided.
Solving The Nuisance-Value Settlement Problem: Manadatory Summary Judgment, David Rosenberg, Randy J. Kozel
Solving The Nuisance-Value Settlement Problem: Manadatory Summary Judgment, David Rosenberg, Randy J. Kozel
Journal Articles
The nuisance-value settlement problem arises whenever a litigant can profitably initiate a meritless claim or defense and offer to settle it for less than it would cost the opposing litigant to have a court dismiss the claim or defense on a standard motion for merits review like summary judgment. The opposing litigant confronted with such a nuisance-value claim or defense rationally would agree to settle for any amount up to the cost of litigating to have it dismissed. These settlement payoffs skew litigation outcomes away from socially appropriate levels, undermining the deterrence and compensation objectives of civil liability. Yet current …
Section 1983 In The Second Circuit, Honorable George C. Pratt
Section 1983 In The Second Circuit, Honorable George C. Pratt
Touro Law Review
No abstract provided.
New Paradigm, Normal Science, Or Crumbling Construct? Trends In Adjudicatory Procedure And Litigation Reform, Jeffrey W. Stempel
New Paradigm, Normal Science, Or Crumbling Construct? Trends In Adjudicatory Procedure And Litigation Reform, Jeffrey W. Stempel
Scholarly Works
One aspect of a possible new era is the increasing ad hoc activity of various interest groups, including the bench and the organized bar, primarily pursued through official organizations such as the Judicial Conference, the Federal Judicial Center, the American Bar Association (“ABA”), and the American Law Institute. Traditionally, of course, judges and lawyers have lobbied Congress and state legislatures for litigation change, as demonstrated by the saga of the Rules Enabling Act (“Enabling Act” or “Act”). But, the legal profession's more recent “political” activity regarding litigation reform differs from the traditional model in several ways. First, the participation of …
Sanctions, Symmetry, And Safe Harbors: Limiting Misapplication Of Rule 11 By Harmonizing It With Pre-Verdict Dismissal Devices, Jeffrey W. Stempel
Sanctions, Symmetry, And Safe Harbors: Limiting Misapplication Of Rule 11 By Harmonizing It With Pre-Verdict Dismissal Devices, Jeffrey W. Stempel
Scholarly Works
With only a small risk of overstatement, one could say that sanctions in civil litigation exploded during the 1980s, with the 1983 amendment to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11 acting as the principal catalyst. From 1938 until the 1983 amendment, only two dozen or so cases on Rule 11 were reported, with courts rarely imposing sanctions. Although a few cases were notable by virtue of sanction size, prestige of the firm sanctioned, or publicity attending the underlying case, the legal profession largely regarded Rule 11 as a dead letter. In addition, other sanctions provisions, such as Federal Rule of …
Procedural And Substantive Problems In Complex Litigation Arising From Disasters, Jack B. Weinstein
Procedural And Substantive Problems In Complex Litigation Arising From Disasters, Jack B. Weinstein
Touro Law Review
No abstract provided.
A Distorted Mirror: The Supreme Court's Shimmering View Of Summary Judgment, Directed Verdict, And The Value Of Adjudication, Jeffrey W. Stempel
A Distorted Mirror: The Supreme Court's Shimmering View Of Summary Judgment, Directed Verdict, And The Value Of Adjudication, Jeffrey W. Stempel
Scholarly Works
As almost anyone alive during the past decade knows, this is the era of the ‘litigation explosion,’ or there is at least the perception that a litigation explosion exists. Although all agree that the absolute number of lawsuits has increased in virtually every corner of the state and federal court systems, there exists vigorous debate about whether the increase is unusual in relative or historical terms and even more vigorous debate about whether the absolute increase in cases symbolizes the American concern for fairness and justice or represents a surge in frivolous or trivial disputes needlessly clogging the courts. As …