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…
Tag: Judge Stanley Marcus
Civil RICO Class Action Dismissal Affirmed
A civil RICO class action challenging Spirit Airlines’ “Passenger Usage Fee” landed for a second time in the Eleventh Circuit and this time the airline fared better: the court affirmed the dismissal of the amended complaint in a major opinion on RICO pleading standards authored by Judge Stanley Marcus. Ray v. Spirit Airlines, Inc., 2016…
Paymaster Is Not a Joint Employer Under Title VII or the Equal Pay Act
Companies with complex corporate structures or contractor relationships frequently face the threat of joint-employer liability under federal employment law. Just this year, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued guidance expansively interpreting the joint-employer doctrine under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) and the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, with…
Court Applies Final Judgment Review Standard to Grant of Summary Judgment
When no jury is demanded, does a district court have more leeway in granting summary judgment? The Eleventh Circuit explained the question in its July 26 opinion in Florida International University Board of Trustees v. Florida National University, Inc., 2016 WL 4010164 (11th Cir. July 26, 2016), affirming the district court’s judgment in favor of the…
Eleventh Circuit Holds That Bankruptcy Rules Apply to Adversary Proceedings in District Court, Orders Reinstatement of $6-Million Verdict on Procedural Grounds
When a federal district court oversees adversary bankruptcy proceedings, is the post-trial deadline to request judgment as a matter of law governed by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 50(b), which allows 28 days to file such a motion—or by Bankruptcy Rule 9015(c), which allows only 14 days? The Eleventh Circuit applied the Bankruptcy Rules’ shorter…
Class Certification of Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act Claim Affirmed
On May 17, the Eleventh Circuit decided Carriuolo v. General Motors Co., 2016 WL 2870025 (11th Cir. May 17, 2016), affirming the district court’s partial grant of a motion for class certification. The plaintiffs’ motion in the district court involved four classes relating to four claims, but the district court denied certification of three and only granted…