11th Circuit Case Commentaries

Eleventh Circuit Clarifies: After One Instructed Repleader and Explicit Warnings, Pro Se Shotgun Pleadings May Be Dismissed With Prejudice Under Rule 41(b)

Date: Oct 9, 2025

Eleventh Circuit Clarifies: After One Instructed Repleader and Explicit Warnings, Pro Se Shotgun Pleadings May Be Dismissed With Prejudice Under Rule 41(b) Introduction In this unpublished, per...

Conditional Intent, Short Stays, and Tourist Visas: Eleventh Circuit Clarifies Habitual Residence and Harmless-Error Review in ICARA Cases

Date: Oct 9, 2025

Conditional Intent, Short Stays, and Tourist Visas: Eleventh Circuit Clarifies Habitual Residence and Harmless-Error Review in ICARA Cases Introduction In Forest Lee v. Tiffany Curcio, No. 25-11835...

Eleventh Circuit Clarifies FDCPA Limits: State‑Mandated Nonjudicial Foreclosure Notices Do Not Create “Debt Collector” Status; § 1692f(6) Requires Absence of a Present Right to Possession

Date: Oct 9, 2025

Eleventh Circuit Clarifies FDCPA Limits: State‑Mandated Nonjudicial Foreclosure Notices Do Not Create “Debt Collector” Status; § 1692f(6) Requires Absence of a Present Right to Possession...

“Play ALJ, Not Doctor”: Eleventh Circuit Affirms ALJ’s Authority Under Post‑2017 SSA Regulations to Reject Medical Opinion Limitations Based on Supportability and Consistency

Date: Oct 9, 2025

“Play ALJ, Not Doctor”: Eleventh Circuit Affirms ALJ’s Authority Under Post‑2017 SSA Regulations to Reject Medical Opinion Limitations Based on Supportability and Consistency Case: Marta Rivera v....

Independent Obligations Under California Law Do Not Excuse Self‑Help Termination; Good‑Faith Amount‑in‑Controversy Pleading Controls Diversity Jurisdiction

Date: Oct 9, 2025

Independent Obligations Under California Law Do Not Excuse Self‑Help Termination; Good‑Faith Amount‑in‑Controversy Pleading Controls Diversity Jurisdiction Case: Music Royalty Consulting, Inc. v....

Eleventh Circuit Reaffirms Two Gatekeepers: Specific, Merits-Based Grounds Are Required to Withdraw Rule 36 Admissions, and FCRA §1681s‑2(b) Claims Fail Absent Proof of Inaccuracy—No Right to an Oral Hearing on Summary Judgment

Date: Oct 9, 2025

Eleventh Circuit Reaffirms Two Gatekeepers: Specific, Merits-Based Grounds Are Required to Withdraw Rule 36 Admissions, and FCRA §1681s‑2(b) Claims Fail Absent Proof of Inaccuracy—No Right to an Oral...

No Plain Error in Dual Lay–Expert Agent Narrative; Express Assent Invokes Invited-Error Bar to Modified Allen Charge — United States v. Kentrail Brown (11th Cir. 2025)

Date: Oct 9, 2025

No Plain Error in Dual Lay–Expert Agent Narrative; Express Assent Invokes Invited-Error Bar to Modified Allen Charge — United States v. Kentrail Brown (11th Cir. 2025) Introduction In United States...

Appeal Waivers Enforced, Rule 11 Factual-Basis Challenges Allowed, and “Protective” Gun Possession Suffices for § 924(c)’s “In Furtherance” Element: Commentary on United States v. Elbert (11th Cir. 2025)

Date: Oct 9, 2025

Appeal Waivers Enforced, Rule 11 Factual-Basis Challenges Allowed, and “Protective” Gun Possession Suffices for § 924(c)’s “In Furtherance” Element Commentary on United States v. Mario Lenard Elbert,...

Post‑Counterman Bomb‑Threat Prosecutions: Eleventh Circuit Confirms that “Willfully” in 18 U.S.C. § 844(e) and the Pattern “Serious Threat” Instruction Satisfy the First Amendment

Date: Oct 9, 2025

Post‑Counterman Bomb‑Threat Prosecutions: Eleventh Circuit Confirms that “Willfully” in 18 U.S.C. § 844(e) and the Pattern “Serious Threat” Instruction Satisfy the First Amendment Case: United States...

Persistent Assertions of Innocence Defeat Plea-Stage Prejudice: Eleventh Circuit Clarifies When § 2255 Petitioners Get an Evidentiary Hearing

Date: Oct 9, 2025

Persistent Assertions of Innocence Defeat Plea-Stage Prejudice: Eleventh Circuit Clarifies When § 2255 Petitioners Get an Evidentiary Hearing Introduction In Catrell Ivory v. United States (11th Cir....

Eleventh Circuit Reaffirms: “Wasted Time” and Attorney Consultation Alone Are Self‑Imposed Harms Insufficient for Article III Standing in FDCPA/FCCPA Suits

Date: Oct 9, 2025

Eleventh Circuit Reaffirms: “Wasted Time” and Attorney Consultation Alone Are Self‑Imposed Harms Insufficient for Article III Standing in FDCPA/FCCPA Suits Case: Alex El Bachiri v. Medicredit, Inc....

Eleventh Circuit Reaffirms State-Schedule Approach and Georgia Aggravated Assault as “Crime of Violence” for §2K2.1 Enhancements: United States v. Morris

Date: Oct 9, 2025

Eleventh Circuit Reaffirms State-Schedule Approach and Georgia Aggravated Assault as “Crime of Violence” for §2K2.1 Enhancements Introduction In United States v. Devontae Jammell Morris (No....

No Obligation to Reweigh § 3553(a) in Light of Intervening Law: Eleventh Circuit Affirms Denial of Compassionate Release in United States v. Cruz

Date: Oct 9, 2025

No Obligation to Reweigh § 3553(a) in Light of Intervening Law: Eleventh Circuit Affirms Denial of Compassionate Release in United States v. Cruz Introduction In an unpublished, per curiam decision,...

Keene Harmless-Error Shield Applies Even When the Alternative Sentence Is Prompted by the Government: United States v. Parks (11th Cir. 2025)

Date: Oct 9, 2025

Keene Harmless-Error Shield Applies Even When the Alternative Sentence Is Prompted by the Government: United States v. Parks (11th Cir. 2025) Introduction In United States v. Santino Demarco Parks,...

A New Interpretation on Appeal Is a Forfeited Issue: The Eleventh Circuit Clarifies the Issue–Argument Divide in Gould v. Interface

Date: Oct 9, 2025

A New Interpretation on Appeal Is a Forfeited Issue: The Eleventh Circuit Clarifies the Issue–Argument Divide in Gould v. Interface Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Date: October...

Affirmance on Alternative Grounds: No State Action Under § 1983, Time-Barred Claims, and Kentucky Venue Control Despite Rooker-Feldman Misstep

Date: Oct 2, 2025

Affirmance on Alternative Grounds: No State Action Under § 1983, Time-Barred Claims, and Kentucky Venue Control Despite Rooker-Feldman Misstep Introduction In Alan Boyd Curtis v. Robyn Pauline...

Post–Loper Bright in the Eleventh Circuit: Perez‑Zenteno Factors Govern “Particular Social Group”; No Unsettled‑Caselaw Exception to Exhaustion for NTA Defects

Date: Oct 2, 2025

Post–Loper Bright in the Eleventh Circuit: Perez‑Zenteno Factors Govern “Particular Social Group”; No Unsettled‑Caselaw Exception to Exhaustion for NTA Defects Introduction In Esperanza Francisca...

Reaffirming the Discretionary Nature of §5K1.1 and the High Bar for Withdrawing Guilty Pleas After a Proper Rule 11 Colloquy

Date: Oct 2, 2025

Reaffirming the Discretionary Nature of §5K1.1 and the High Bar for Withdrawing Guilty Pleas After a Proper Rule 11 Colloquy Introduction In United States v. Latrel Jackson (No. 24-12863), the...

Voluntary Dismissal Is Not Automatically a Bona Fide Termination: Eleventh Circuit Affirms Early Disposition of Florida Malicious Prosecution Claims and Upholds Rule 11 Sanctions Where Affiliate Joined Post‑Filing

Date: Oct 2, 2025

Voluntary Dismissal Is Not Automatically a Bona Fide Termination: Eleventh Circuit Affirms Early Disposition of Florida Malicious Prosecution Claims and Upholds Rule 11 Sanctions Where Affiliate...

Bona Fide Termination Requires More Than a Voluntary Dismissal; Naming Non‑Initiators in Malicious Prosecution Can Warrant Rule 11 Sanctions

Date: Oct 2, 2025

Bona Fide Termination Requires More Than a Voluntary Dismissal; Naming Non‑Initiators in Malicious Prosecution Can Warrant Rule 11 Sanctions Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh...