Federal Courts

Natalie Thomas v. EOTech, LLC - Employment Law Opinion

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that private parties cannot prospectively shorten the time employees have to sue their employers under Title VII or the ADEA. The court vacated a district court's decision that enforced a 180-day limitations agreement, finding it disrupted statutory remedial schemes.

US v. Kenneth Hart - Opinion Affirmed

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court's resentencing of Kenneth Wayne Hart to 300 months. Hart was convicted of drug and sex trafficking offenses. The court found his arguments regarding procedural and substantive unreasonableness of the sentence to be without merit.

Elon Musk Petition for Writ of Mandamus - Deposition Protective Order

Elon Musk and several government entities filed a petition for a writ of mandamus with the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals after a district court denied their motion for a protective order. The protective order sought to prevent the deposition of Musk and other high-ranking officials in a case alleging violations of the Appointments Clause and separation of powers principles.

Johnson v. Adams - Appeal of Pretrial Detainee's Death

The Fourth Circuit affirmed a district court's grant of summary judgment in favor of prison employees and a medical contractor in a lawsuit alleging deliberate indifference to a pretrial detainee's medical needs. The court found no genuine dispute of material fact regarding the defendants' liability for the detainee's death.

Brian Farabee v. Commissioner - Appeal of Habeas Corpus Petition Dismissal

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Brian Farabee's appeal of a district court order that dismissed his habeas corpus petition. The dismissal was based on Farabee's failure to exhaust state court remedies, and a certificate of appealability was denied.

Duarte v. Frane - Order to Show Cause for Dismissal

The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts has ordered plaintiff Eric J. Duarte to show cause within 28 days why his civil action should not be dismissed for failure to complete service of process. The court noted that no proof of service has been filed, and the USMS has not received documents for this action.

Covidien motion to strike denied in hernia mesh litigation

The District Court for Massachusetts denied Covidien's motion to strike a declaration from Dr. Lucian Newman III in the hernia mesh products liability litigation. The court found that the declaration was properly submitted and did not violate discovery rules or constitute a sham affidavit. This ruling pertains to MDL No. 22-md-03029-PBS.

DeBruyn v. Douglas - Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Opinion

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court's denial of a habeas corpus petition filed by Scott DeBruyn. DeBruyn was convicted of delivering oxycodone, leading to a death, and claimed ineffective assistance of counsel. The court found he could not meet the requirements of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996.

United States v. Demetrius Burt Catching - Sixth Circuit Opinion

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court's sentences for Demetrius Burt Catching, who admitted to violating supervised release terms and pleaded guilty to distributing marijuana and conspiring to commit money laundering. The court found no error in the resulting sentences.

Melvin Weatherholt v. Crockett County School Board - Civil Rights

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court's decision in Melvin Weatherholt v. Crockett County School Board. The court found that the plaintiffs failed to plausibly allege a Fourth Amendment violation regarding their removal from a school event, thus upholding the dismissal of their claims.