November 29, 2023, opinions

Designated for publication per curiam (King, Smith, Elrod), qualified immunity, municipal liability, Americans with Disabilities Act Affirming qualified immunity dismissal of plaintiff’s excessive force claims against K9 officer arising from dog-bite injuries when officers responded to call that plaintiff was suicidal, and bystander liability claims against second officer; and 12(b)(6) dismissal of municipal liability claim … More November 29, 2023, opinions

November 28, 2023, opinions

Designated for publication per curiam (en banc Court), Voting Rights Act Granting en banc rehearing of November 10 panel opinion that affirmed the district court’s injunction against County’s redistricting plan that eliminated a majority-minority county commissioner district, but that had expressly requested an en banc poll on the basis of the panel’s disagreement with binding Circuit precedent … More November 28, 2023, opinions

November 27, 2023, opinions

Designated for publication Elrod, J. (Dennis, Elrod, Ho), Dennis, J., dissenting; mineral law Certifying to Louisiana Supreme Court question of whether Louisiana’s negotiorum gestio doctrine applies to Louisiana mineral law regarding the deduction of post-production costs from an unleased mineral-interest owner’s pro rata share of unit production. The same question was previously certified in Self … More November 27, 2023, opinions

November 21, 2023, opinions

Unpublished per curiam (Jolly, Engelhardt, Douglas), criminal, search and seizure Affirming conviction of bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, upholding denial of motion to suppress. per curiam (Wiener, Willett, Douglas), prisoner suit, municipal liability Affirming dismissal of pretrial detainee’s Monell claim arising from conditions during her pretrial detention. per curiam … More November 21, 2023, opinions

November 17, 2023, opinions

Designated for publication Clement, J. (Clement, Haynes, Oldham), Haynes, J., dissenting; qualified immunity Reversing denial of qualified immunity for officer defendant arising from fatal shooting of suspect armed with a handgun equipped with a high-capacity ammunition extension, and rendering judgment dismissing excessive force claims brought by suspect’s survivors. The Court held, “We therefore conclude that, … More November 17, 2023, opinions

November 16, 2023, opinions

Designated for publication Duncan, J. (Jones, Stewart, Duncan), personal tort Affirming dismissal of claims by plaintiffs who suffer from chronic Lyme disease against peer-reviewed medical journal arising from article published regarding new proposed treatment of Lyme disease; plaintiffs alleged that the article cast doubt on how to treat chronic Lyme disease and even whether the … More November 16, 2023, opinions

November 2, 2023, opinions

Designated for publication Elrod, J. (Stewart, Elrod, Graves), qualified immunity, expert testimony, First Amendment Affirming in part and reversing in part qualified immunity dismissal of plaintiff’s claims arising from arrest for making a false report of a hostage situation. The Court first held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in excluding the … More November 2, 2023, opinions

October 6, 2023, opinions

Designated for publication Willett, J. (Willett, Engelhardt, Oldham), ERISA Reversing district court’s order of reclassification of former NFL player to the highest level of disability plan benefits under the League’s retirement and disability plan, holding that the former player had not timely appealed the initial classification and had failed to show a change of circumstances … More October 6, 2023, opinions

October 5, 2023, opinions

Designated for publication Oldham, J. (Willett, Engelhardt, Oldham), insurance, diversity jurisdiction Remanding appeal of summary judgment in favor of insurer regarding coverage for Covid-related shutdown of music festival, for purposes of determining the existence of diversity jurisdiction where the record did not adequately document the citizenship of LLC parties to the litigation. The Court noted … More October 5, 2023, opinions

October 2-3, 2023, opinions

Designated for publication Richman, C.J. (Richman, Wiener, Willett), criminal, Anti-Kickback Statute, sufficiency of evidence, Travel Act, Speedy Trial Act, Bruton violation, Court Reporter’s Act, jury instructions, prosecutorial conduct, sentencing, restitution The Court upheld the sufficiency of evidence to support the Anti-Kickback Statute convictions of six co-defendants, holding that the government need not prove defendants had … More October 2-3, 2023, opinions