Law Commons^™

The Implausibility Standard For Environmental Plaintiffs: The Twiqbal Plausibility Pleading Standard And Affirmative Defenses, Celeste Anquonette Ajayi

Washington Law Review

Environmental plaintiffs often face challenges when pleading their claims. This is due to difficulty in obtaining the particular facts needed to establish causation, and thus liability. In turn, this difficulty inhibits their ability to vindicate their rights. Prior to the shift in pleading standards created by Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly and Ashcroft v. Iqbal, often informally referred to as “Twiqbal,” plaintiffs could assert their claims through the simplified notice pleading standard articulated in Conley v. Gibson. This allowed plaintiffs to gain access to discovery, which aided in proving their claims.

The current heightened pleading standard …

Science Or Status Quo? Disregard For A Defendant's Mental Illness In Tort Suits, Gabrielle Lindquist

Washington Law Review Online

Mental illness is almost never considered when courts determine whether a defendant is liable for a tort. Nearly every United States jurisdiction—Washington state included—declines to offer a modified “reasonable person” standard for negligent tort defendants with mental illnesses or any form of mental illness-based affirmative defense for intentional tort defendants. There is much debate about whether tort law should evolve to accommodate defendants with mental illnesses. This Comment seeks to dive deeper into why that debate persists.

Although there are numerous justifications for this current state of tort law, the most common rationalizations given are twofold. First, that the primary …

Rethinking Section 142 Of The Restatement Of Restitution: Fault, Bad Faith, And Change Of Position, John D. Mccamus

John D. McCamus

No abstract provided.

A ‘Plausible’ Outcome?: Twombly, Iqbal, And The Unforeseen Impact On Affirmative Defenses, Jennifer M. Auger

Maryland Law Review

No abstract provided.

Protecting Human Trafficking Victims From Punishment And Promoting Their Rehabilitation: The Need For An Affirmative Defense, Francisco Zornosa

Washington and Lee Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Equity's Leaded Fleet In A Contest Of Scoundrels: The Assertion Of The In Pari Delicto Defense Against A Lawbreaking Plaintiff And Innocent Successors, Brian A. Blum

Hofstra Law Review

A defendant sued by a plaintiff whose cause of action is based on or arises from the plaintiff’s illegal conduct may assert the affirmative defense that the illegality of the plaintiff’s action bars the suit. The defense is expressed in the maxim, in pari delicto potior est conditio defendentis (where the parties are in equal guilt the position of the defendant is the stronger). The essential purpose of the in pari delicto rule is to prevent a lawbreaking plaintiff from enforcing rights or otherwise obtaining a remedy arising from her violation of the law. The maxim indicates that the defense …

An Implausible Standard For Affirmative Defenses, Stephen Mayer

Michigan Law Review

In the wake of Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly and Ashcroft v. Iqbal, the federal district courts split over whether to apply Twombly’s plausibility standard to the pleading of affirmative defenses. Initially, a majority of district courts extended Twombly to defense pleadings, but recently the courts that have declined to extend the plausibility standard have gained majority status. This Note provides a comprehensive analysis of each side of the plausibility split, identifying several hidden assumptions motivating the district courts’ decisions. Drawing from its analysis of the two opposing positions, this Note responds to the courts that have applied plausibility pleading …

Solving A Pleading Plague: Why Federal Courts Should Strike Insufficient Affirmative Defenses Under The Twombly-Iqbal Plausibility Standard, Nathan A. Leber

Cleveland State Law Review

The plausibility standard is the remedy to the rampant pleading of meritless affirmative defenses in federal courts. Set forth in Bell Atlantic Corp v. Twombly, and later clarified in Ashcroft v. Iqbal, the plausibility standard requires pleadings to contain sufficient factual allegations that give rise to a plausible claim for relief. In both Twombly and Iqbal, the Supreme Court used the plausibility approach to dismiss factually-deficient complaints. Applying the plausibility test to insufficient affirmative defenses produces the same result. The central proposition of this Note is that federal courts should analyze affirmative defenses under the Twombly-Iqbal plausibility standard. In order …

Why Non-Discrimination Policies In Higher Education Require A Second Look: The Battle For First Amendment Freedom In The University Setting, Rebecca D. Ryan

Catholic University Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Advice-Of-Counsel Defense In Patent Infringement Cases: How Far Does Waiver Of Work Product Extend?, Cecil C. Kuhne Iii

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

Is Silica The Next Asbestos? An Analysis Of Silica Litigation And The Sudden Resurgence Of Silica Lawsuit Filings, Melissa Shapiro

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Torts Restatement's Inchoate Definition Of Intent For Battery, And Reflections On The Province Of Restatements, Joseph H. King

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

Limiting The Affirmative Defense In The Digital Workplace , Daniel B. Garrie

Michigan Journal of Gender & Law

From 2009 to 2011, there were more than 30,000 sexual harassment claims filed in the United States. The ubiquitous availability of digital technology devices has facilitated many instances of sexual harassment. Such sexual harassment occurs through unprovoked and offensive e-mails, messages posted on electronic bulletin boards, and other means available on the Internet. To date, courts remain silent on this issue. Should this type of sexual harassment be treated differently from physical sexual harassment? The surprising answer is yes. This Article suggests a new judicial framework for addressing sexual harassment perpetrated through digital communications. This framework accounts for the real-world …

Plausible Answers And Affirmative Defenses, Eric S. Janus, Thomas Tinkham

Faculty Scholarship

Our federal courts have introduced a degree of uncertainty in the law of pleading that ought to be resolved with a clear decision about the scope of Twombly and Iqbal. We write to set forth what we believe are the overwhelming arguments in support of the developing majority view: pleading standards should not distinguish between plaintiffs and defendants, or between pleadings asserting and pleadings defending against a claim. Proponents of the minority view make policy arguments grounded in the asserted realities of litigation, leveraging small textual differences between Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Rule 8(a) and 8(c). But the …

Respondent Superior As An Affirmative Defense: How Employers Immunize Themselves From Direct Negligence Claims, J. J. Burns

Michigan Law Review

Most courts hold that where a defendant employer admits that it is vicariously liable for its employee's negligence, a plaintiff's additional claims of negligent entrustment, hiring, retention, supervision, and training must be dismissed. Generally, courts apply this rule based on the logic that allowing a plaintiff's additional claims adds no potential liability beyond that which has already been admitted. Furthermore, since the additional claims merely allege a redundant theory of recovery once a respondeat superior admission has been made, the prejudicial evidence of an employee's prior bad acts which often accompanies direct negligence claims against employers can be excluded without …

How The New Economics Can Improve Employment Discrimination Law, And How Economics Can Survive The Demise Of The Rational Actor, Scott A. Moss, Peter H. Huang

Publications

Much employment discrimination law is premised on a purely money-focused "reasonable" employee, the sort who can be made whole with damages equal to lost wages, and who does not hesitate to challenge workplace discrimination. This type of "rational" actor populated older economic models but has been since modified by behavioral economics and research on happiness. Behavioral and traditional economists alike have analyzed broad employment policies, such as the wisdom of discrimination statutes, but the devil is in the details of employment law. On the critical damages-and-liability issues the Supreme Court and litigators face regularly, the law essentially ignores the lessons …

Rethinking Section 142 Of The Restatement Of Restitution: Fault, Bad Faith, And Change Of Position, John D. Mccamus

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

There's No "I" In "League": Professional Sports Leagues And The Single Entity Defense, Nathaniel Grow

Michigan Law Review

This Note argues that outside of labor disputes, sports leagues should be presumed to be single entities. Part I argues that professional sports leagues are single entities in disputes regarding league-wide, non-labor policy. In particular, the focus of the Supreme Court's jurisprudence on economic reality rather than organizational form necessitates a finding that professional sports leagues are single entities in non-labor disputes. Part II argues that professional sports leagues are not single entities for purposes of labor disputes; sports leagues, on the whole, do not involve a unity of interest for labor matters. More importantly, existing precedent outside of the …

Sexual Harassment: Limiting The Affirmative Defense In The Digital Workplace, Donald P. Harris, Daniel B. Garrie, Matthew J. Armstrong

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Digital communications sexual harassment is on the rise. Such harassment occurs through sexually offensive and unwarranted e-mails, placing harassing messages on electronic bulletin boards, and other forms of harassment that occur through the Internet. To date, courts have remained silent on the issue of sexual harassment by digital communications. Should this type of harassment be treated any differently than harassment that occurs in the physical space? The somewhat surprising answer is yes.

This Article advocates applying a new judicial framework for addressing digital communications sexual harassment. This new framework accounts for the real-world technology in the digital workplace and the …

Case Note: Tort Law—Shades Of Gray: The Sophisticated Intermediary Defense Is Now Available For Minnesota Industrial Failure To Warn Actions—Gray V. Badger Mining Corp., Kerri Nelson

William Mitchell Law Review

This Note briefly examines the context of Minnesota failure to warn claims against industrial suppliers. It describes the various defenses Gray has made available, particularly the sophisticated intermediary and bulk supplier doctrines. The Note also reviews the various jurisdictional incarnations of the sophisticated intermediary defense, and analyzes the doctrine’s application in Gray. Additionally, the Note attempts to predict Gray’s future, recommending that the sophisticated intermediary defense not be expanded beyond the employment context, and suggesting that the Gray defenses, viewed as a cohesive whole, will quickly get rid of weaker claims while permitting valid claims to go forward. Finally, the …

Employers Who Implement Pre-Employment Tests To Screen Their Applicants, Beware (Or Not): An Analysis Of Lanning V. Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority And The Business Necessity Defense As Applied In Third Circuit Employment Discrimination Cases, Michael R. Sarno

Villanova Law Review

No abstract provided.

Alternative Dispute Resolution And The Occupational Safety And Health Review Commission: Settlement Judges And Simplified Proceedings, Morell E. Mullins Sr.

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

A Modest Proposal: The “Reasonable Victim” Standard And Alaska Employers’ Affirmative Defense To Vicarious Liability For Sexual Harassment, Kamla Alexander

Alaska Law Review

No abstract provided.

Regulation B: How Lenders Can Fight Back Against The Affirmative Use Of Regulation B, Ami L. Dilorenzo

University of Miami Business Law Review

No abstract provided.

Affirmative Defense Of Reasonable Care Under Section 12(2) Of The Securities Act Of 1933, Therese H. Maynard

Notre Dame Law Review

No abstract provided.

Confusion Reigns Supreme: The United States Supreme Court's Refusal To Grant Certiorari In L.R. Willson And Sons, Inc. V. Oshrc Perpetuates The Split Among Circuits In Osha Employee Misconduct Cases, Heather Malone Garrison

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Self-Defense In Colorado, H. Patrick Furman

Publications

No abstract provided.

Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Amendments: The Omnibus Trade And Competitiveness Acts Focus On Improving Investment Opportunities, Beverley H. Earle

Cleveland State Law Review

President Reagan signed into law the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 (OTCA) on August 23, 1988. Included within this law were provisions addressing authority for trade agreements, section 301 remedies, section 201 escape clause, antidumping, and countervailing duties as well as amendments to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Additionally, export control provisions were included in this law as part of the Export Enhancement Act of 1988. This comprehensive law was the culmination of a lengthy process over several years which included hearings; debates; negotiation among House and Senate leaders and the President; and one Presidential veto. The …

County Court Of Ulster County V. Allen And Sandstorm V. Montana: The Supreme Court Lends An Ear But Turns Its Face, John M. Schmolesky

Faculty Articles

Because criminal verdicts provide no clue as to how the jury reached its decision, jury instructions are crucial indicators of how a deductive device operates. Deductive devices are mechanisms that allow or require the fact-finder to assume the existence of a fact when proof of other facts are shown. Any deductive device, whether permissive or mandatory, has pernicious possibilities that imperil the rationality of fact-finding. The controlling method of review for deductive devices in criminal cases simply require a rational connection between the basic fact and the presumed fact. However, the Supreme Court in Allen broke new ground in exempting …

Ohio Rule 8(C) And Related Rules: Some Notes On The Pleading Of Affirmative Defenses, J. Patrick Browne

Cleveland State Law Review

The adoption of the Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure on July 1, 1970, ushered in the age of "Pleader's Lib" for the plaintiff's attorney. In code days, a pleader had to allege facts which showed a cause of action. Under the rules, however, a statement of claim' need only state the bare operative facts which show that the claimant has a claim for relief, and the complaint cannot be dismissed for failure to state such a claim unless it appears beyond doubt from the face of the pleading that the claimant can prove no set of facts entitling him or …