Designated for publication Smith, J. (Smith, Stewart, Haynes) (no oral argument), bankruptcy Affirming bankruptcy court’s dismissal of creditor’s claim for contribution. The court affirmed the bankruptcy court (and district court) in rejecting Spin’s claim that it should be paid under a receivables-sale agreement with Jet Oilfield Services (“Jet”). Under the agreement, Spin paid Jet $3,000,000 … More December 4, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication Higginson, J. (Southwick, Higginson, Wilson) (oral argument), bankruptcy Affirming district court’s holding that bankruptcy court properly sustained creditor’s objection to debtor’s claimed exemption of property from administration by bankruptcy estate, on basis that debtor waived his right to object to the untimeliness of the creditor’s objection to his claimed exemption. In 2019 … More November 17, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication Jones, J. (King, Jones, Oldham) (oral argument), bankruptcy, jurisdiction, breach of contract Reversing bankruptcy court’s dismissal of breach of contract action, and remanding to bankruptcy court with instructions to remand to state court. The Fifth Circuit reverses a bankruptcy court’s Rule 12(c) dismissal and a district court affirmance, holding the bankruptcy court … More November 13, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication Stewart, J. (Jones, Stewart, Ramirez) (oral argument), criminal, sufficiency of evidence, testimony, jury instruction Affirming conviction of bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and making false entries in bank records. A federal jury convicted Ashton J. Ryan, Jr.—former President/CEO of First NBC Bank and Chair of its Board—of conspiracy to commit … More October 17, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication Elrod, C.J. (Elrod, Clement, Haynes) (no oral argument), Rooker-Feldman doctrine, personal tort, defamation Vacating Rooker-Feldman-based dismissal of plaintiff attorney’s defamation claims against defendant attorneys who had represented the plaintiff’s client’s employer in underlying Title IX claims brought by plaintiff’s client arising from alleged sexual assault and harassment of university students by university’s … More October 8, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication Higginbotham, J. (Elrod, Higginbotham, Smith), qualified immunity On remand from the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal and disabling of the Fifth Circuit’s “moment-of-threat” rule for analyzing a deadly force case, again affirming–this time under a reasonableness framework–the district court’s qualified immunity dismissal of a suit against a police officer who used deadly force … More September 18, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication Hendrix, J. (Jones, Oldham, Hendrix, by designation), takings, trespass Affirming district court’s judgment that property owner was not entitled as part of just compensation for land taken by government for border wall the value of the portion of the wall built outside the easement previously obtained by the government. Mary Bennett owns … More July 24, 2025, opinions
Richman, J. (Richman, Willett, Douglas), Americans with Disabilities Act, sec. 1983, expert witness Affirming district court’s exclusion of plaintiff’s expert witness and grant of Rule 50 motion dismissing plaintiff’s ADA claim. William Carter, a paraplegic man, was jailed for eight days in the Shreveport City Jail for unauthorized use of 911. Prior to his incarceration, … More July 21, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication Granting en banc rehearing of unpublished February 26, 2025, panel opinion (Barksdale, Southwick, Graves, per curiam) reversing denial of summary judgment dismissal of plaintiff’s implied-false-certification claim and remanding for dismissal of case. Higginson, J. (Davis, Higginson, Douglas), search and seizure, administrative law, standing Vacating summary judgment in favor of airplane part manufacturer … More June 26, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication Haynes, J. (Stewart, Dennis, Haynes), criminal, Second Amendment Affirming conviction for possession of a firearm by a felon. In 2019, Texas authorities arrested Betancourt after he allegedly brandished a firearm during a domestic dispute and was later found with multiple firearms, ammunition, and body armor in his home. A federal grand jury … More June 4, 2025, opinions
