Designated for publication Richman, C.J. (Richman, Smith, Graves), excessive force, false arrest Affirming dismissal of § 1983 claims arising from arrest of plaintiff for driving while intoxicated. The Court held that there was probable cause for the plaintiff’s arrest, based on the admitted facts, such that the district court did not err in finding that … More May 23, 2023, opinions
Designated for publication Clement, J. (Clement, Oldham, Wilson), Oldham, J., concurring; insurance Affirming dismissal of insured’s suit against insurer on pollution liability policy, where insured sought defense from charges that it had intentionally dumped polluted polluted wastewater into city sewer system and policy only covered “accidents.” Judge Oldham concurred in the judgment, but for a … More May 19-22, 2023, opinions
Designated for publication Graves, J. (Graves, Willett, Engelhardt), qualified immunity Affirming qualified immunity summary judgment in favor of officer defendant based on shots he fired into sedan as he stood directly in front of car and driver ignored multiple commands from the officers; but reversing qualified immunity summary judgment in favor of officer defendants for … More May 17-18, 2023, opinions
Designated for publication Higginbotham, J. (Higginbotham, Southwick, Willett), prisoner suit Affirming dismissal of Texas state prisoner’s § 1983 claim for impeding access to medical care after the onset of stroke symptoms, upon holding that plaintiff’s claims were malpractice claims but did not allege a deprivation of constitutionally secured rights. The Court held, “We conclude that … More May 5-8, 2023, opinions
Designated for publication Engelhardt, J. (Higginbotham, Smith, Engelhardt), venue, insurance, forum selection clause Affirming dismissal without prejudice of plaintiff’s coverage suit for forum non conveniens, on basis that parties’ insurance policy contained an enforceable forum-selection clause requiring litigation in the courts of England and Wales with no return-jurisdiction clause required. Holding that it should apply … More May 1, 2023, opinions
Designated for publication per curiam (Higginbotham, Smith, Engelhardt), criminal, sentencing, First Step Act Affirming resentencing on remand under the First Step Act, in which district court declined to retroactively apply the decrease in the 25-year mandatory minimum under the First Step Act to defendant’s sentence for discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of … More April 14, 2023, opinions
Designated for publication Higginbotham, J. (Higginbotham, Smith, Engelhardt), personal torts, Batson violation Affirming denial of new trial or remittitur motion brought by plaintiff in trucker-collision case where jury found in favor of plaintiff but only awarded $37,500. The Court held that the defense counsel’s closing argument comments that allegedly alluded to the plaintiff’s counsel’s marketing … More April 13, 2023, opinions
Designated for publication Higginson, J. (Wiener, Higginson, Wilson), criminal, sentencing, Brady violation, restitution Affirming convictions of depriving two persons of their constitutional rights under color of law, arising from defendant’s sexual assault of two men while a police officer, and concurrent sentences of 12 and 360 months. The Court held that withheld evidence was not … More April 6-12, 2023, opinions
Designated for publication Wiener, J. (Wiener, Stewart, Engelhardt), breach of contract Affirming judgment that original ship owners were in default on their loan agreements for the mortgages that financed construction of the vessels, and that, under Panamanian law, the lenders’ preferred ship mortgages outranked the state-created liens of a purchaser who agreed to purchase the … More March 24, 2023, opinions
Designated for publication Smith, J. (Smith, Barksdale, Haynes), qualified immunity, Equal Protection, municipal liability Reversing dismissal of plaintiffs’ excessive force, denial of medical care, and unlawful arrest claims arising from fatal shooting during routine traffic stop; affirming dismissal of remaining claims for unlawful arrest and detention and racial discrimination; and denying as moot motion to … More March 21, 2023, opinions
