Designated for publication Maxim Crane Works, L.P. v. Zurich American Insurance Co., 19-20489, appeal from S.D. Tex. per curiam (Smith, Ho, Oldham), insurance, Texas Anti-Indemnity Act, standing Certifying question of interpretation of the term “employee” in the Texas Anti-Indemnity Act to the Texas Supreme Court; and holding that district court did not err in declining … More August 20, 2021 opinions
Designated for publication Schweizer v. Canon, Inc., 20-20071, appeal from S.D. Tex. Higginson, J. (Wiener, Elrod, Higginson), False Claims Act, qui tam Affirming summary judgment dismissal of plaintiff’s qui tam action under the False Claims Act alleging that Canon overcharged the U.S. for office equipment and provided non-compliant office products, holding that the claims were … More August 12, 2021 opinions
Designated for publication U.S. v. Butler, 19-40095, appeal from E.D. Tex. Smith, J. (Owen, Smith, Graves), criminal, sentencing Affirming imposition of special conditions of release and temporary denial of federal benefits as part of sentence on guilty plea to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine. Defendant entered into a guilty plea agreement that indicated a sentence of … More August 10. 2021 opinions
Designated for publication Quadvest, L.P. v. San Jacinto River Authority, 20-20447, appeal from S.D. Tex. Higginson, J. (Wiener, Elrod, Higginson), antitrust law Affirming denial of state-action immunity on behalf of water authority, against which plaintiff investor-owned utilities had brought claims under Section 1 of the Sherman Act. Defendant water authority, the SJRA, is a political … More August 3, 2021 opinions
Designated for publication Kaswatuka v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 20-10632, appeal from N.D. Tex. Stewart, J. (Stewart, Costa, Willett), employment discrimination, Title VII, Americans with Disabilities Act Affirming 12(b)(6) dismissal of plaintiff’s employment discrimination claims against the TSA. The Court first held that the plaintiff had waived any arguments other than those directly related … More August 2, 2021 opinions
Designated for publication U.S. v. Jackson, 19-10627, appeal from N.D. Tex. per curiam (Wiener, Elrod, Higginson), criminal, crime of violence Vacating conviction of using a facility in aid of a racketeering enterprise with intent to commit a “crime of violence”; holding that predicate offense of sex trafficking of children is not a “crime of violence,” … More July 27-28, 2021 opinions
Designated for publication U.S. v. Gaspar-Felipe, 19-50997, appeal from W.D. Tex. Duncan, J. (Jones, Costa, Duncan), criminal, sentencing, Confrontation Clause, sufficiency of evidence Affirming convictions and 78-month sentence for defendant’s role in an alien smuggling operations in which the person being smuggled died. The Court held that there was no Confrontation Clause violation in the … More July 13, 2021 opinions
Designated for publication Dean v. Akal Security, Inc., 20-30306, appeal from W.D. La. Southwick, J. (Higginbotham, Southwick, Engelhardt), Fair Labor Standards Act Affirming summary judgment in favor of defendant on FLSA claims arising from meal-period policy that automatically deducted one hour of pay from employees of security company whose employees accompanied deportees being flown to … More June 22, 2021 opinions
Designated for publication SED Holdings, LLC v. St. John, 19-20841, appeal from S.D. Tex. Duncan, J. (Haynes, Duncan, Engelhardt), fraud, breach of contract, res judicata, judicial estoppel Affirming judgment of fraud, but finding damages excessive and remanding for remittitur, and vacating judgment of breach of contract, and remanding for further proceedings. This case arose from … More June 17, 2021 opinions
Designated for publication Retana v. Twitter, Inc., 19-11389, appeal from N.D. Tex. Wiener, J. (Wiener, Costa, Willett), Anti-Terrorism Act Affirming 12(b)(6) dismissal of claims against Twitter, Google, and Facebook under the Anti-Terrorism Act under a theory of liability for aiding and abetting terrorism as a social media platform on which a third party, Hamas, radicalized … More June 16, 2021 opinions
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