Fourth Circuit Answers Civ Pro Hypothetical
Civil procedure professors love to gin up tricky hypotheticals to quiz 1Ls on the limits of diversity jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a). The Fourth Circuit recently confronted a real-world scenario involving a dual-citizen LLC and the distinction between § 1332(a)(2) and § 1332(a)(3). In a decision destined to be cited in casebooks, the Fourth…
Continue ReadingSupreme Court decides Enbridge and Fluor
Last Tuesday, the Supreme Court decided two cases that TLB has been following: Enbridge Energy, LP v. Nessel and Hencely v. Fluor Corp. Enbridge Enbridge is a dispute about whether Michigan can effectively shut down a pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac, but the particular question before the Court was purely procedural: does equitable tolling…
Continue ReadingSDNY Certifies Class in Major Crypto Case
The Southern District of New York recently certified a class action involving allegations of market manipulation in the cryptocurrency sector. Judge Katherine Polk Failla’s certification order addresses one of the key challenges in this type of litigation: the intersection between limits on the extraterritorial application of U.S. regulatory law and the requirements for class certification…
Continue ReadingUsing TLB to Teach Civil Procedure (2025 Update)
As the fall semester gets underway, we are updating our posts on using resources on TLB to teach various classes. This post gathers materials that can complement a standard civil procedure course, whether by providing concise overviews of doctrines, distilling Supreme Court developments, or suggesting recent cases that can spark discussions of perennial procedural issues….
Continue ReadingA New CISG Decision from Arizona
Many U.S. lawyers are unaware that the U.N. Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods – or CISG – might apply to the contracts they negotiate on behalf of their clients. A recent federal district court decision from Arizona, Kümpers Composites GmbH v. TPI Composites (Judge Susan M. Brnovich), provides a nice occasion…
Continue ReadingDevas v. Antrix: Headed back to the Ninth Circuit?
On Monday, the Supreme Court held oral argument in Devas v. Antrix to decide “whether plaintiffs must prove minimum contacts before federal courts may assert personal jurisdiction over foreign states sued under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA).” Minimum contacts between the defendant and the United States might be required as a matter of statutory…
Continue ReadingAll I Want for Christmas (from the Federal Courts)
Rounding out this week’s posts by John Coyle and Bill Dodge, here’s my wish list for the lower federal courts (plus a bonus plea to the Supreme Court). Stop Violating Rule 4(f) and the Hague Service Convention Rule 4(f) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure authorizes service of process on defendants “at a place…
Continue ReadingUsing TLB to Teach Civil Procedure (2024 Update)
If you are teaching civil procedure this fall, TLB can help. This post gathers materials that can complement a standard civil procedure course, whether by providing concise overviews of doctrines, helping to track Supreme Court developments, or suggesting recent cases that can spark discussions of perennial procedural issues. Personal Jurisdiction TLB has a new primer…
Continue ReadingLiability Waivers and Statutory Interpretation
In 1936, Congress passed a law to prevent companies in the business of transporting people across the ocean from writing liability waivers into their contracts. That law, currently codified at 46 U.S.C. 30527(a), reads as follows: The owner, master, manager, or agent of a vessel transporting passengers between ports in the United States, or between…
Continue ReadingThe Perils of Rule 44.1
Late last month, Judge Malachy E. Mannion of the Middle District of Pennsylvania ruled on a motion for summary judgment in Epsilon-NDT Endustriyel Kontrol Sistemleri Sanayi VE Ticaret, A.S. (“Epsilon”) v. Powerrail Distribution, Inc. (“PowerRail”). From one perspective, this case is an unremarkable business dispute arising out of an international contract. But from another perspective,…
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