4th Circuit Case Commentaries

Fourth Circuit Upholds District Court's Ruling on RESPA Claims Against Wells Fargo and Long & Foster

Date: Aug 6, 2014

Fourth Circuit Upholds District Court's Ruling on RESPA Claims Against Wells Fargo and Long & Foster Introduction In the landmark case of Denise Minter, Individually and on behalf of a class of...

Tatum v. R.J. Reynolds: Affirming the 'Would Have' Standard for Loss Causation in ERISA Fiduciary Breaches

Date: Aug 5, 2014

Tatum v. R.J. Reynolds: Affirming the 'Would Have' Standard for Loss Causation in ERISA Fiduciary Breaches Introduction In the landmark case TATUM v. R.J. REYNOLDS TOBACCO CO., the United States...

Affirmation of Statutory Protections for Manufacturers' Rights: Priority Auto Group Inc. v. Ford Motor Company

Date: Jul 31, 2014

Affirmation of Statutory Protections for Manufacturers' Rights: Priority Auto Group Inc. v. Ford Motor Company Introduction In the case of Priority Auto Group, Inc. v. Ford Motor Company, decided on...

Fourth Circuit Upholds the Fundamental Right to Same-Sex Marriage: Bostic v. Rainey

Date: Jul 29, 2014

Fourth Circuit Upholds the Fundamental Right to Same-Sex Marriage: Bostic v. Rainey Introduction In the landmark case Bostic v. Rainey, decided on July 28, 2014, the United States Court of Appeals...

Affirmation of Qualified Immunity in Civil Rights Claims: Massey v. Charlotte–Mecklenburg Police Officers

Date: Jul 22, 2014

Affirmation of Qualified Immunity in Civil Rights Claims: Massey v. Charlotte–Mecklenburg Police Officers Introduction In the case of Shawn Massey v. Charlotte–Mecklenburg Police Officers, the United...

Fourth Circuit Enhances Scrutiny on Eighth Amendment Excessive Force Claims in Correctional Settings

Date: Jul 18, 2014

Fourth Circuit Enhances Scrutiny on Eighth Amendment Excessive Force Claims in Correctional Settings Introduction In the landmark case Anthony L. Mann v. Various Defendants, the United States Court...

Actual Innocence of Sentence Does Not Override AEDPA's §2255(f)(4) Time Limitation: United States v. Torrance Jones

Date: Jul 15, 2014

Actual Innocence of Sentence Does Not Override AEDPA's §2255(f)(4) Time Limitation: United States v. Torrance Jones Introduction In the landmark case of United States v. Torrance Jones, the United...

Fourth Circuit Expands Alien Tort Statute Jurisdiction: Al Shimari v. CACI Premier Technology

Date: Jul 1, 2014

Fourth Circuit Expands Alien Tort Statute Jurisdiction: Al Shimari v. CACI Premier Technology Introduction The case of Suhail Najim Abdullah Al Shimari et al. v. CACI Premier Technology, Inc. et al....

Functionality of Registered Trade Dress Requires Jury Determination: McAirlaids v. Kimberly-Clark

Date: Jun 26, 2014

Functionality of Registered Trade Dress Requires Jury Determination: McAirlaids v. Kimberly-Clark Introduction In the case of McAIRLAIDS, Inc. v. Kimberly–Clark Corporation, the United States Court...

Scope of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(a) in Correcting Sanctions Orders: Fourth Circuit Upholds District Court’s Sanctioning of Plaintiff’s Counsel

Date: Jun 24, 2014

Scope of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(a) in Correcting Sanctions Orders: Fourth Circuit Upholds District Court’s Sanctioning of Plaintiff’s Counsel Introduction The case of Paul A. Sartin,...

Affirmation of Healthcare Fraud and Perjury Convictions: Comprehensive Analysis of United States v. Louthian

Date: Jun 24, 2014

Affirmation of Healthcare Fraud and Perjury Convictions: Comprehensive Analysis of United States v. Louthian Introduction United States of America v. Eddie Wayne Louthian, Sr. is a pivotal case...

Clarifying ACCA Predicate Offenses: United States v. Mungro

Date: Jun 12, 2014

Clarifying ACCA Predicate Offenses: United States v. Mungro Introduction United States of America v. Harvey Lee Mungro, Jr., 754 F.3d 267 (4th Cir. 2014), represents a pivotal case in the...

Hairston v. United States: Re-defining Successive §2255 Motions in Federal Law

Date: Jun 12, 2014

Hairston v. United States: Re-defining Successive §2255 Motions in Federal Law Introduction In United States v. Hairston, 754 F.3d 258 (4th Cir. 2014), the United States Court of Appeals for the...

Substantial Justification Under the Equal Access to Justice Act: Insights from Meyer v. Colvin

Date: Jun 11, 2014

Substantial Justification Under the Equal Access to Justice Act: Insights from Meyer v. Colvin Introduction The case of Maurice E. Meyer, III, Plaintiff–Appellant versus Carolyn W. Colvin, Acting...

Quiet Title Action Requires Plausible Claim of Legal Title: Analysis of Anand v. Ocwen Loan Servicing, LLC & Deutsche Bank National Trust Company

Date: Jun 7, 2014

Quiet Title Action Requires Plausible Claim of Legal Title: Analysis of Anand v. Ocwen Loan Servicing, LLC; Deutsche Bank National Trust Company Introduction In the case of Chandra Anand; Renu Anand...

Reinforcing the Reliability of In-Court Eyewitness Identification: Insights from Fowler v. Joyner

Date: Jun 3, 2014

Reinforcing the Reliability of In-Court Eyewitness Identification: Insights from Fowler v. Joyner Introduction Fowler v. Joyner, 753 F.3d 446 (4th Cir. 2014), is a pivotal case from the United States...

Public Employee's Right to Critique Government Programs Protected: Smith v. Gilchrist Establishes Clear Precedent

Date: May 15, 2014

Public Employee's Right to Critique Government Programs Protected: Smith v. Gilchrist Establishes Clear Precedent Introduction In the landmark case Sean P. Smith v. Peter S. Gilchrist, III, decided...

Refining the Contributing Factor Standard in SOX Whistleblower Claims: Feldman v. Law Enforcement Associates Corp.

Date: May 13, 2014

Refining the Contributing Factor Standard in SOX Whistleblower Claims: Feldman v. Law Enforcement Associates Corp. Introduction The case Paul H. Feldman, Plaintiff–Appellant, and Martin L. Perry,...

Enhancing Habeas Corpus Standards: Barnes v. Joyner Establishes Critical Presumptions in Juror Misconduct Cases

Date: May 6, 2014

Enhancing Habeas Corpus Standards: Barnes v. Joyner Establishes Critical Presumptions in Juror Misconduct Cases Introduction In the landmark case of William Leroy Barnes v. Carlton Joyner, the United...

Exclusion of Expert Witness and Amendment Denial in Wilkins v. Montgomery: Upholding Procedural Standards in Federal Litigation

Date: May 6, 2014

Exclusion of Expert Witness and Amendment Denial in Wilkins v. Montgomery: Upholding Procedural Standards in Federal Litigation Introduction The case of Denise C. Wilkins, Individually and as...