In Yellow Pages Photos, Inc. v. Ziplocal, LP, 2017 WL 343520 (11th Cir. Jan. 24, 2017), the Eleventh Circuit reversed a district court’s decision to use a mathematical formula to award costs and fees in proportion to the degree of success in litigation of the underlying claims. Yellow Pages Photos, Inc. (“YPPI”) and Ziplocal entered…
Patronage Capital Class Action Removable; Dismissal Affirmed
An electric cooperative organized under state law is nonetheless entitled to remove a putative class action to federal court under the “federal officer” removal statute, according to the Eleventh Circuit in Caver v. Central Alabama Electric Cooperative, 845 F.3d 1135 (11th Cir. 2017), which also affirmed dismissal of a complaint seeking immediate return of patronage capital. Specifically,…
Kardashians Left Blushing, Can’t Compel Arbitration in Makeup Case
Kimberly, Kourtney, and Khloe Kardashian will find themselves back in court after the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the denial of their motion to compel arbitration in Kroma Makeup EU, LLC v. Boldface Licensing + Branding, Inc., No. 15-15060 (11th Cir. Jan. 18, 2017). The Kardashians sought to enforce an arbitration clause against a party to the underlying contract…
Supreme Court to Decide Circuit Split on Statute of Limitations for SEC Disgorgement Claims
This past Friday, the Supreme Court granted certiorari in Kokesh v. SEC, No. 16-529 (cert. granted Jan. 13, 2017), to review a circuit split on whether the SEC’s claims for disgorgement are limited to a five-year statute of limitations. 28 U.S.C. § 2462 places a five-year statute of limitations on any “action, suit or proceeding for…
Defending Insurance Company Not Liable for Legal Expenses Its Insured Incurred Before Notifying Insurer
An insurer is not required to pay the legal fees its insured had incurred before notifying the insurer of the litigation, according to the Eleventh Circuit’s decision in EmbroidMe.com, Inc. v. Travelers Property Casualty Co. of America, 2017 WL 74694 (Jan. 9, 2017). Applying Florida law, the court affirmed the district court’s grant of summary…
Direct Appeal from Bankruptcy Proceeding Transferred for Lack of Jurisdiction
Federal courts have struggled with the implications of Stern v. Marshall, 564 U.S. 462 (2011), and Wellness International Network, Ltd. v. Sharif, 135 S. Ct. 1932 (2015)—in which the Supreme Court held that the Constitution requires the parties’ consent before bankruptcy courts can finally adjudicate claims that neither “stem[] from the bankruptcy itself [n]or would necessarily…
Post-Acquisition Conduct Fails Concerted Action Requirement Under Sherman Act
The Eleventh Circuit found two grounds independently sufficient to affirm summary judgment in an antitrust case, Procaps S.A. v. Patheon, Inc., 2016 WL 7487726 (11th Cir. Dec. 30, 2016). The court ruled that summary judgment was proper both because the plaintiff could not establish the concerted action requirement based on post-acquisition conduct by one party to a…
Stock Issuer Not Required to Disclose Hiring of Outside Promoters
In the first published appellate court decision to decide the issue, the Eleventh Circuit has held that companies that retain promoters to publish promotional materials to “recommend” or “tout” their stock (and raise the stock price) are not required by federal securities laws to disclose the business arrangement between the issuing company and promoter. In…
Common-Law Agency Principles, Not DOL Regulations, Dictate Whether Company Is a Joint “Employer”
The Eleventh Circuit considered the meaning of “employer” in the context of the H-2A visa program and declined to apply Chevron deference to a then-prevailing Department of Labor interpretation. The court instead applied common-law agency principles. Garcia-Celestino v. Consolidated Citrus Limited Partnership, 2016 WL 7240150 (Dec. 15, 2016), involved claims brought by a group of…
District Court Improperly Excluded Co-Worker’s Affidavit in Granting Summary Judgment to Employer on Sex Discrimination Claim
In a published opinion in Furcron v. Mail Centers Plus, LLC, 2016 WL 7321211 (Dec. 16, 2016), the Eleventh Circuit reversed the district court’s grant of summary judgment to the defendant on the plaintiff’s sex discrimination claim and affirmed the district court’s grant of summary judgment to the defendant on the plaintiff’s retaliation claim. On…