In Hillcrest Property, LLP v. Pasco County, 2019 WL 580259 (11th Cir. Feb. 13, 2019), the Eleventh Circuit confirmed that allegedly unlawful application of a land-use ordinance does not give rise to a substantive due process claim. As the court previously held in McKinney v. Pate, 20 F.3d 1550 (11th Cir. 1994), “executive action never…
Eleventh Circuit Holds That An Already-Married Couple Can Form An “Association-In-Fact” Enterprise Under The Civil RICO Statute Without Creating A New Entity
This week, in Al-Rayes v. Willingham, 2019 WL 441325 (11th Cir. Feb. 5, 2019) the Eleventh Circuit held that a married couple cannot escape civil liability under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act solely on the basis that their marriage preceded the illegal acts and they did not form a formal entity in executing…
Supreme Court to Rule on Securities Exchange Act Split Involving Eleventh Circuit
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court granted certiorari in Emulex Corp. v. Varjabedian, No. 18-459, 2019 WL 98542 (U.S. Jan. 4, 2019), in order to address a circuit split over Section 14(e) of the Securities Exchange Act, 15 U.S.C. § 78n(e), which addresses misstatements and omissions regarding tender offers. Courts of Appeals disagree over whether the…
Reinvestment of Tax Shelter Proceeds Is Not a Valid “Business Purpose”
The Eleventh Circuit last week decided a tax case exploring the appropriate scope of factual review for the economic substance and business purpose doctrines. Curtis Investment Co. v. Commissioner, 2018 WL 6380325 (11th Cir. Dec. 6, 2018). These two doctrines allow courts and the IRS to make a substance-over-form review of suspected tax avoidance activities….
Some Claims are Stronger than Others—Eleventh Circuit Revives Protein Supplement Maker’s Lanham Act Claim But Holds that Georgia Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act Claim is Preempted by Federal Law
The Eleventh Circuit recently reversed in part and affirmed in part the dismissal of a complaint alleging violations of the Georgia Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act, O.C.G.A. § 10-1-372, and the federal Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a). Hi-Tech Pharm., Inc. v. HBS Int’l, 2018 WL 6314282 (11th Cir. Dec. 4, 2018). The case presented…
Eleventh Circuit Restores $20m Punitive-Damages Verdict Against Philip Morris
The Eleventh Circuit last week reinstated a $20.76m punitive-damages verdict against tobacco giant Philip Morris, ruling that the district court had abused its discretion in ordering a new trial on the plaintiff’s intentional tort claims. Cote v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 2018 WL 6167395 (11th Cir. Nov. 26, 2018). The court also affirmed the denial…
Supreme Court to Consider TCPA Circuit Split on Interpretation of “Advertisement”
The Supreme Court will address a circuit split over the interpretation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act’s provision imposing liability for sending unsolicited advertisements. PDR Network, LLC v. Carlton & Harris Chiropractic, Inc., No. 17-1705, 2018 WL 3127423 (U.S. Nov. 13, 2018). The majority view—held by the Eleventh Circuit—is that an unsolicited fax is only…
Arbitration on a Hot Shingled Roof: Homeowners Bound by Arbitration Agreement Printed on Shingle Wrapping
Homeowners are bound by a mandatory-arbitration provision printed conspicuously on the wrapping around packages of shingles when the packages are opened and installed by the homeowners’ roofers, as a matter of Florida contract law. Dye v. Tamko Building Products, Inc., 2018 WL 5729085 (11th Cir. Nov. 2, 2018). Two Florida homeowners whose roofers had purchased,…
Unregistered Copyright Does Not Preclude Federal Jurisdiction
Capping off an October trio of copyright decisions, the Eleventh Circuit in Fastcase, Inc. v. Lawriter, LLC, 2018 WL 5318148 (11th Cir. Oct. 29, 2018), confirmed that the failure to register a copyright does not defeat federal subject-matter jurisdiction (though it may doom an infringement claim under Rule 12(b)(6)). The court also held that a…
Eleventh Circuit Takes District Court to School Over Educational Fair-Use Copyright Dispute
In Cambridge University Press v. Albert, 2018 WL 5095004 (11th Cir. Oct. 19, 2018), the Eleventh Circuit issued its second decision in a decade-long dispute over Georgia State University’s practice of distributing digital excerpts of copyrighted works to students without paying a royalty. The district court now faces its third trial to assess the fair-use…