Civil Procedure Commons^™

Foreword: Love It Or Leave It; An Examination Of The Need For And Structure Of A Class Action Rule In Mississippi, Deborah Challener

Journal Articles

Given Mississippi's unique status as the only state without a class action rule, the recent developments in Mississippi joinder law, and the suggestions in Armond and Bailey that Mississippi should adopt a class action rule, scholars and practitioners from around the country gathered in Jackson, Mississippi on February 18, 2005, to debate two issues. First, should Mississippi now adopt a class action rule? Second, how should such a rule be structured? The articles in this Symposium represent the final written product of this debate. This Foreword organizes the articles by issue, provides an overview of each article, and identifies key …

Rethinking Civil Rico: The Vexing Problem Of Causation In Fraud-Based Claims Under 18 U.S.C. § 1962(C), Randy D. Gordon

Faculty Scholarship

To recover in a private action, the three-part structure of RICO demands proof of particularized crimes at two levels and civil standing to sue for those crimes. The interpretation and application of the standing requirement — which arises from the statute’s mandate that compensable injuries be caused “by reason of” acts of racketeering — have bedeviled courts and litigants for decades. Recent developments in class action law have exacerbated the problem. As more and more courts have rendered it nearly impossible to certify classes asserting state-law claims, class plaintiffs have turned to uniform federal laws like RICO. But civil RICO …

What Counts As Fraud? An Empirical Study Of Motions To Dismiss Under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, Adam C. Pritchard, Hillary A. Sale

Articles

This article presents the findings of a study of the resolution of motions to dismiss securities fraud lawsuits since the passage of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act (PSLRA) in 1995. Our sample consists of decisions on motions to dismiss in securities class actions by district and appellate courts in the Second and Ninth Circuits for cases filed after the passage of the Reform Act to the end of 2002. These circuits are the leading circuits for the filing of securities class actions and are generally recognized as representing two ends of the securities class action spectrum. Post-PSLRA, the Second …

The Information Black Hole: Managing The Issues Arising From The Increase In Electronic Data Discovery In Litigation, Tracey L. Boyd

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

This Note explores the problems that the increase in electronic data discovery has created in litigation. In particular, this Note centers on the issue of cost-allocation involved when discovery includes electronically stored information. Part II of this Note contains a background discussion of the technical and legal aspects of the discovery of electronic information. It examines the different types of electronically stored data, the innate differences between traditional discovery and electronic discovery, and analyzes the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure as they apply to the discovery of electronically stored information. Next, this Note discusses several early cases in which courts …

Rhetorical Questions Concerning Justice And Equality In Educational Opportunities, Michael J. Kaufman

Faculty Publications & Other Works

No abstract provided.

Class Actions And Limited Vision: Opportunities For Improvement Through A More Functional Approach To Class Treatment Of Disputes, Jeffrey W. Stempel

Scholarly Works

This Article describes the evolution of the perception of the modern class action from populist darling to greedy lawyer pariah, including recent passage of CAFA. It then examines the degree to which different types of cases present different potential benefits and detriments of class action treatment and explains why investor class actions, including those brought by institutional investors, are particularly likely to benefit from class treatment, are resistant to many of the perceived problems of class actions in other contexts, and should receive a warmer welcome from courts, both in absolute terms and relative to other types of class actions. …

Protecting Individuals From "Double Jeopardy" In A Post-Hudson Era, Megan Wischmeier Shaner

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Unconstitutional Courses, Frederic M. Bloom

Publications

By now, we almost expect Congress to fail. Nearly every time the federal courts announce a controversial decision, Congress issues a call to rein in "runaway" federal judges. And nearly every time Congress makes a "jurisdiction-stripping" threat, it comes to nothing.

But if Congress's threats possess little fire, we have still been distracted by their smoke. This Article argues that Congress's noisy calls have obscured another potent threat to the "judicial Power": the Supreme Court itself. On occasion, this Article asserts, the Court reshapes and abuses the "judicial Power"--not through bold pronouncements or obvious doctrinal revisions, but through something more …

A Great Writ Reduced: Why The Tenth Circuit’S Interpretation Of Congressional Intent And Supreme Court Precedent Portends Defeat For State Prisoners Seeking Federal Habeas Corpus Relief, Elizabeth J. Barnett

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Device Designed To Manipulate Diversity Jurisdiction: Why Courts Should Refuse To Recognize Post-Removal Damage Stipulations, Benjamin T. Clark

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.

Theory Of Punitive Damages, Benjamin C. Zipursky

Faculty Scholarship

A contemporary theory of punitive damages must answer two questions: (1) what place, if any, do punitive damages have in the civil law of tort, given that they appear to involve an idea of criminal punishment? (2) why are punitive damages subject to special constitutional scrutiny, as in the Supreme Court's decision in BMW v. Gore, if they really are part of the civil law of tort? The article offers a theory that can answer both of these questions. Punitive damages have a double aspect, corresponding to two senses of "punitive." Insofar as they pertain to the state's goal of …

Fighting To Keep Employment Discrimination Class Actions Alive: How Allison V. Citgo's Predomination Requirement Threatens To Undermine Title Vii Enforcement, Suzette M. Malveaux

Publications

The Civil Rights Act of 1991, which provides compensatory and punitive damages and attendant jury trials in cases alleging intentional discrimination, was designed to enhance enforcement and expand remedies. Its enactment, however, has triggered a schism among the circuit courts over what the proper standard is for determining whether monetary damages or injunctive relief predominates, a necessary inquiry for determining whether plaintiffs are entitled to class certification for Title VII claims under Rule 23(b)(2) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Led by the Fifth Circuit, some federal appeals courts contend that monetary relief predominates unless it is “incidental,” and …

Apology Within A Moral Dialectic: A Reply To Professor Robbennolt, Lee Taft

Michigan Law Review

Over the last several years, much has been written about the role of apology in facilitating the resolution of legal disputes. Within this body of work a debate has developed among legal scholars, practitioners, and legislators. Under traditional rules of evidence an apology which acknowledged fault would enter evidence as an admission against interest. Now there is a movement to legislatively "protect" apologies from the effects of the traditional rule in order to facilitate apology without evidentiary encumbrance. Scholars who have argued in favor of the relaxation of the traditional rule have largely relied on anecdotal evidence to support their …

Summary Of Edwards V. Direct Access, Llc, 121 Nev. Adv. Op. 89, David T. Gluth

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

Appeal from Eighth Judicial District Court’s order granting respondent’s, Direct Access’s, motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction because of appellant’s, Edwards’, failure to state a claim under federal and state statutes.

Summary Of Jordan V. State, Dep’T Of Motor Vehicles, 121 Nev. Adv. Op. 7, Daria Snadowsky

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

Jordan v. State rules on two separate appeals that address the same issue of first impression regarding guidelines Nevada state courts must follow in order to restrict court access to in proper person litigants with in forma pauperis status. This case also reconfirms the process by which in forma applications are reviewed. In the first case, respondent Officer Jimmie W. Jones arrested proper person appellant James Jacob Jordan for trespassing on state property2 after Jordan did not heed Officer Jones’s warning to leave the premises. After the trespass charge was dropped the following day, Jordan sued Officer Jones along with …

Like Migratory Birds- Latin American Claimants In U.S. Courts And The Ford-Firestone Rollover Litigation, Manuel A. Gómez

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Summary Of In The Matter Of The Estate Of John W. Bowlds, 120 Nev. Adv. Rep. 100, Kristen T. Gallagher

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

An appeal from both parties regarding a court’s review of fee agreements between an estate and its attorneys.

Summary Of State V. Sutton, 120 Nev. Adv. Rep. 99, Kristen T. Gallagher

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

Appeal from a final judgment from a breach of contract and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing in an employment law case.

Look Before You Leap And Keep On Looking: Lessons From The Institutionalization Of Court-Connected Mediation, Bobbie Mcadoo, Nancy A. Welsh

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Lawyer's Role(S) In Deliberative Democracy, Carrie Menkel-Meadow

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

A Plumber Responds To The Philosophers: A Comment On Professor Menkel-Meadow's Essay On Deliberative Democracy, Philip J. Harter

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Learning From Practice: What Adr Needs From A Theory Of Justice, Katherine R. Kruse

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Appellate Practice And Procedure, Roland F. L. Hall

Mercer Law Review

This Article surveys noteworthy decisions addressing appellate practice and procedure handed down by the Georgia appellate courts. The reviewed decisions fall into the following categories: (1) appellate jurisdiction; (2) preserving the record; (3) notice of appeal; (4) timeliness of appeal; and (5) miscellaneous cases of interest. Although there were no dramatic developments during the survey period, the courts addressed several topics of interest to the practitioner, particularly in the areas of preserving issues for appeal and correctly drafting the notice of appeal.

Trial Practice And Procedure, Jason L. Crawford, J. Clay Fuller, Dustin T. Brown, Kate S. Cook

Mercer Law Review

During this survey period, the Georgia Supreme Court and Georgia Court of Appeals issued several noteworthy opinions on topics of interest to practitioners. This Article will address these judicial opinions that cover, among other topics, the issues of damages, immunity, the attorney-client relationship, indemnification, jurisdiction and venue, statutes of limitation, standing, and trial procedure. This Article will also address several developments in Georgia's statutory law impacting trial practice and procedure.

Summary Of United Insurance Company Of America Vs. Chapman, 120 Nev. Adv. Rep. 83, Ryan Hall

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Nevada Supreme Court ruled that the prejudgment interest awarded to Chapman should have been calculated pursuant to the specific interest statute, rather than the general interest statute, because the special interest statute was in effect when the judgment was entered. The district court had erred by awarding the attorney fees to Chapman, because United’s claim was brought on reasonable ground. The award of postjudgment interest awarded to Chapman was also reversed.

Civil Practice And Procedure, John R. Walk

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Appeal Rates And Outcomes In Tried And Nontried Cases: Further Exploration Of Anti-Plaintiff Appellate Outcomes, Theodore Eisenberg

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Federal data sets covering district court and appellate court civil cases for cases terminating in fiscal years 1988 through 2000 are analyzed. Appeals are filed in 10.9 percent of filed cases, and 21.0 percent of cases if one limits the sample to cases with a definitive judgment for plaintiff or defendant. The appeal rate is 39.6 percent in tried cases compared to 10.0 percent of nontried cases. For cases with definitive judgments, the appeal filing rate is 19.0 percent in nontried cases and 40.9 percent in tried cases. Tried cases with definitive judgments are appealed to a conclusion on the …

Table Of Contents

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Summary Of Middleton Vs. Warden, 120 Nev. Adv. Rep. 74, Ryan Hall

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Nevada Supreme Court removed Middleton’s appointed appellate counsel due to substandard representation. On initial review, the Nevada Supreme Court ordered Middleton's counsel to submit an amended brief, limited to 80 pages. Counsel's "amended" brief was simply the original brief with the final few pages removed so as to meet the 80-page requirement. Counsel had repeatedly violated court orders, and the work product he ultimately submitted was unacceptable for representation of a client who was facing a death sentence.

A Survival Guide For Small Businesses: Avoiding The Pitfalls In International Dispute Resolution, Susan Franck

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

In the past decade, the number of small, entrepreneurial businesses participating in the global economy has tripled. With this increase comes a rise in the number of cross-border commercial disputes. The unwary small business, not familiar with international transactions, may commit errors that adversely affect their ability to do and stay in business. This article focuses on analyzing which methods small businesses should use in constructing their dispute resolution provisions and how to avoid errors in drafting and negotiation.