Category: Appellate Law  

Second Opinions - December 08, 2011
Certified question. The Second Circuit has certified two questions to the Virginia Supreme Court. The questions are:1. Does Virginia law permit equitable tolling of a state statute of limitations due to the pendancy of a putative class action in another jurisdiction?

Second Opinions - December 08, 2011
Seventh Circuit. OK, it's not from the Second Circuit, but you have to read this opinion just for the first line, especially if you are an appellate lawyer.

Second Opinions - December 08, 2011
Incarcertation Is Not Withdrawal. The Second Circuit has held that a party to a conspiracy can be held responsible for losses caused by the conspiracy after his incarcertation. In United States v. Leslie, the defendant arguedthat his sentence had been incor

Second Opinions - July 05, 2011
School paper. The Second Circuit held that a school can prohibit a student newspaper from publishing a sexually explicit stick-figure cartoon.R.O. v. Ithica City School District can be found

Second Opinions - July 05, 2011
Waiving Penalties. The Second Circuit has held that only the Attorney General, not a district court, has the authority towaive all or part of any delinquency or default penalties properly assessed under 18 U.S.D. 3612(g) for failure to pay restitution.The decision in

Second Opinions - July 05, 2011
Defaulted. Defendant was charged with murder. The jury was hung on his first trial. On his second trial, the testimony of a state's witness at the first trial was admitted without informing the jury at the second trial that the witness had since recanted his testimony. The Defendant

Second Opinions - July 05, 2011
No baseball caps. The Second Circuit has upheld a District Court decision, dismissing an action by an attorney who was ordered not to wear a baseball cap and casual attire when appearing in Court. The attorney had asserted claims under the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the Cons

Second Opinions - May 11, 2011
Cigarette taxes on Indian reservations. The Second Circuit has held that the District Court improperly enjoined the state from enforcing a cigarette tax on sales in Indian reservations. Because the tax was paid by the consumer, not by the Indian retailer, the law did not violate tri

Second Opinions - May 02, 2011
Certified Question. In Connecticutt, there is a common law "make whole" doctrine, under which an insurer's right of subrogation may only be enforced after the insured has been fully compensated for his loss. In Fireman's Fund Ins. Co. v. TD Banknorth Ins. Agency Inc.

Second Opinions - April 28, 2011
Sanctions for frivolous and vexatious litigation. When April Gallop commenced an action claiming that Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld orchestrated the September 11, 2001 attacks for their own political purposes, you could predict that the case was not long for the world. And, of cou

Second Opinions - April 11, 2011
No private right of action. The Second Circuit, in M.F. v. State of New York Executive Department Division of Parole has held that the Interstate Compact for Adult Offender Supervision does not create a private right of action. M.F., an individual who had b

Second Opinions - March 21, 2011
Standing. The Second Circuit has reversed the District Court's grant of summary judgment to the Government in a case involving the constitutionality of a provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillane Act of 1978, which provides the Government unregulated authority to monitor in

Second Opinions - December 20, 2010
New Judge. The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Raymond Joseph Lohier, Jr. by a vote of 92-0.

Second Opinions - December 15, 2010
Removal. The Second Circuit held that the time to remove a case begins to run from the time that the amount of damages are specified, not from the time the complaint is served (though, of course, that can be the same time). In Moltner v. Starbucks Coffee Co.

Second Opinions - December 15, 2010
Burned. In Moltner v. Starbucks Coffee Co. (discussed below), the plaintiff had been burned while opening the lid on a "Venti"-sized cup of coffee from Starbucks. The defendant moved for summary judgment, which motion was granted. The plaintiff put in exper