Month: December 2020

Take the Fifth: Dec. 18, 2020 opinions

December 28, 2020

Designated for publication McMillan v. Amazon.com, Inc., 20-20108, appeal from S.D. Tex. Willett, J. (Wiener, Costa, Willett), products liability, certification Certifying question to the Texas Supreme Court whether an e-tailer such as Amazon is a “seller” liable under Texas’s products liability statute for products sold on its website by third-party vendors. The district court had … More Take the Fifth: Dec. 18, 2020 opinions

Take the Fifth: Dec. 17, 2020 opinions

December 18, 2020

Designated for publication Knight v. Kirby Offshore Marine Pacific, LLC, 19-30756, appeal from E.D. La. Barksdale, J. (Barksdale, Elrod, Ho); Ho., J., concurring; Elrod, J., dissenting; Jones Act, contributory negligence Affirming in part and vacating in part district court judgment that defendant employer was negligent for vessel captain ordering seaman plaintiff to replace stern line … More Take the Fifth: Dec. 17, 2020 opinions

Take the Fifth: Dec. 16, 2020 opinions

December 17, 2020

Unpublished Union Pacific Railroad Company v. American Railway and Airway Supervisors’ Association, 18-50110, appeal from W.D. Tex. per curiam (Owen, King, Stewart), Owen, C.J., dissenting; labor law, employment law Reversing district court’s vacatur of Public Law Board’s order to reinstate employee on finding that positive drug test was a false-positive, and remanding for further proceedings. … More Take the Fifth: Dec. 16, 2020 opinions

Take the Fifth: Dec. 15, 2020 opinions

December 16, 2020

Designated for publication Cohen v. Gilmore, 19-20152, appeal from S.D. Tex. Graves, J. (Graves, Costa, Engelhardt), fraudulent transfer Affirming in part and vacating in part rulings of the state trial court entered prior to bankruptcy removal, and remanding to the federal district court for further proceedings. Plaintiff brought claim for fraudulent transfer in a real … More Take the Fifth: Dec. 15, 2020 opinions

Take the Fifth: Dec. 11 and 14, 2020 opinions

December 15, 2020

Designated for publication Stelly v. Duriso, 19-20160, appeal from S.D. Tex. Haynes, J. (Jones, Haynes, Ho), Ho. J., concurring in part; intentional infliction of emotional distress, employment discrimination Vacating district court’s default judgment in favor of plaintiff on intentional infliction of emotional distress (“IIED”) claim against individual defendant in lawsuit against unions and maritime association … More Take the Fifth: Dec. 11 and 14, 2020 opinions

Take the Fifth: December 10, 2020 opinions

December 11, 2020

Unpublished U.S. v. Martinez-Tapia, 18-40649, appeal from S.D. Tex. per curiam (Smith, Stewart, Higginson), criminal Granting Anders motion to withdraw, and dismissing appeal. Pierre v. Local Rule Policy Maker for the First Circuit Court of Appeal, 19-30738, appeal from M.D. La. per curiam (Stewart, Graves, Higginson), prisoner suit Denying IFP status, dismissing appeal as frivolous, … More Take the Fifth: December 10, 2020 opinions

Take the Fifth: Dec. 9 opinions

December 10, 2020

Unpublished U.S. v. Castaneda, 19-10687, appeal from N.D. Tex. per curiam (Clement, Higginson, Engelhardt), criminal, sentencing Affirming within-Guidelines sentence of 180 months for conviction of possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. U.S. v. Love, 19-11331, appeal from N.D. Tex. per curiam (Jones, Barksdale, Stewart), criminal, sentencing Affirming conviction and sentence … More Take the Fifth: Dec. 9 opinions

Take the Fifth: Dec. 7 and 8, 2020 opinions

December 10, 2020

Designated for publication U.S. v. Lipscomb, 18-11168, appeal from N.D. Tex. Clement, J. (Clement, Ho, Duncan), habeas corpus, Armed Career Criminal Act Vacating district court’s grant of § 2255 petition and remanding to reinstate original sentence. Petitioner had been convicted as a felon in possession of a firearm after being apprehended with a sawed-off shotgun … More Take the Fifth: Dec. 7 and 8, 2020 opinions

Take the Fifth: Dec. 4, 2020 opinions

December 8, 2020

Designated for publication Jones v. New Orleans Regional Physician Hospital Organization, Inc., 19-31027, appeal from E.D. La. Jones, J. (Higginbotham, Jones, Higginson), Fair Labor Standards Act Affirming summary judgment in favor of defendant employer, dismissing white-collar employees’ claims for violation of the FLSA. The Court rejected plaintiffs’ argument that their job duties did not fall … More Take the Fifth: Dec. 4, 2020 opinions