Unpublished Coleman v. Groom, 19-11227, appeal from N.D. Tex. per curiam (Higginbotham, Smith, Oldham), § 1983 Dismissing as frivolous district court’s dismissal of claims arising from mercury spill in U.S. Post Office. Thompson v. Sharad, 19-20013, appeal from S.D. Tex. per curiam (Higginbotham, Jones, Costa), prisoner suit Affirming dismissal of suit filed by prisoner arising … More Take the Fifth: May 10, 2021 opinions
Designated for publication U.S. v. Gas Pipe, Inc., 19-11145, appeal from N.D. Tex. Higginson, J. (Haynes, Higginson, Oldham), criminal, sufficiency of evidence, fraud, sentencing Affirming conviction for conspiracy to defraud the United Stated for defrauding the FDA by mislabeling or selling synthetic cannabinoids marked as “not meant for human consumption” as “spice” for smoking; and … More Take the Fifth: May 6 and 7, 2021 opinions
Designated for publication U.S. v. Smith, 20-50304, appeal from W.D. Tex. Haynes, J. (King, Smith, Haynes), Smith, J., dissenting; criminal, guilty plea, firearms violation Vacating guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) based on on factual basis that defendant’s only interaction with firearm was … More Take the Fifth: May 5, 2021 opinions
Unpublished U.S. v. Lara-Benito, 19-41002, appeal from E.D. Tex. per curiam (Davis, Elrod, Oldham), criminal Granting Anders motion to withdraw, and dismissing appeal. Florence v. Lumpkin, 19-41036, appeal from S.D. Tex. per curiam (Willett, Ho, Duncan), prisoner suit Dismissing appeal of dismissal of prisoner suit, for lack of timely notice of appeal. U.S. v. Renteria-Patino, … More Take the Fifth: May 4, 2021 opinions
Designated for publication White v. U.S. Corrections, LLC, 19-51074, appeal from W.D. Tex. Wilson, J. (Elrod, Duncan, Wilson), Fair Labor Standards Act Reversing district court’s 12(b)(6) dismissal of plaintiff’s overtime claim under the FLSA, holding that, while the Motor Carrier Act (“MCA”) exemption from the FLSA governed the plaintiff’s job transporting prisoners for the defendant, … More Take the Fifth: May 3, 2021 opinions
Designated for publication Douglas v. Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha, 20-30379, appeal from E.D. La. per curiam (King, Elrod, Willett), Elrod, J., specially concurring, joined by WIllett, J.; personal jurisdiction Affirming dismissal of two lawsuits against Japanese company that chartered boat that collided with U.S. Navy vessel in Japanese territorial waters, killing seven sailors and injuring … More Take the Fifth: April 30, 2021 opinions
Unpublished Heidari v. Barr, 18-60543, petition for review of BIA order per curiam (Owen, Barksdale, Duncan), immigration Dismissing Iranian citizen’s petition to review BIA order affirming an Immigration Judge’s (IJ) denying a motion to reopen removal proceedings for deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture. U.S. v. Geske, 19-11334, appeal from N.D. Tex. per … More Take the Fifth: April 29, 2021 opinions
Designated for publication U.S. v. Onyeri, 18-50869, appeal from W.D. Tex. Clement, J. (Owen, Clement, Higginson), criminal, RICO, search and seizure Affirming RICO conviction for pattern of criminal activity culminating in attempted assassination attempt on state judge. The Court held that the district court did not err in denying a motion to suppress evidence from … More Take the Fifth: April 28, 2021 opinions
Unpublished Garcia v. Harlingen County, 19-40860, appeal from S.D. Tex. per curiam (Jolly, Elrod, Graves), prisoner suit Affirming dismissal of prisoner suit as frivolous. U.S. v. Clark, 20-10364, appeal from N.D. Tex. per curiam (Jones, Costa, Duncan), habeas corpus, firearms violation Reversing district court’s denial of successive § 2255 petition, and vacating conviction under 18 … More Take the Fifth: April 27, 2021 opinions
Designated for publication Sanchez v. Oliver, 20-50282, appeal from W.D. Tex. Clement, J. (Jones, Clement, Graves), qualified immunity, deliberate indifference Reversing district court’s summary judgment dismissal of deliberate indifference claim against clinical social worker who had taken pretrial detainee off suicide watch prior to his committing suicide, and remanding for further proceedings. The victim’s mother … More Take the Fifth: April 26, 2021 opinions
Take the Fifth 