establishing-personal-jurisdiction-requires-targeted-activities Case Commentaries

South Dakota’s “Form-at-Inception” Insurable-Interest Rule (and One-Year Trust Statute of Repose) in Alleged STOLI/Premium-Financed Life Insurance

Date: Jul 3, 2026

South Dakota’s “Form-at-Inception” Insurable-Interest Rule (and One-Year Trust Statute of Repose) in Alleged STOLI/Premium-Financed Life Insurance Case: Viva Capital Trust v. Garrett, 2026 S.D. 42...

Rule 45(b) Objections Forestall Subpoena Compliance; Bad-Faith Subpoena Misuse Supports Rule 41(b) Dismissal

Date: Jul 3, 2026

Rule 45(b) Objections Forestall Subpoena Compliance; Bad-Faith Subpoena Misuse Supports Rule 41(b) Dismissal Case: Gibson v. Gibson, 2026 S.D. 43 (S.D. July 1, 2026) Court: Supreme Court of South...

Florida Requires Apportionment in All Joint Proposals for Settlement—even for a Unified Single Claim

Date: Jul 3, 2026

Florida Requires Apportionment in All Joint Proposals for Settlement—even for a Unified Single Claim Trace Elements, Inc. v. Nadja Mackensen (Fla. July 2, 2026) (Muñiz, J.) 1) Introduction This...

Rhodes v. State (Fla. 2026): Decades-Late Jailhouse Recantations—Absent Credible Proof—Do Not Establish Brady/Giglio/Massiah Violations or Newly Discovered Evidence in Successive Death Postconviction

Date: Jul 3, 2026

Rhodes v. State (Fla. 2026): Decades-Late Jailhouse Recantations—Absent Credible Proof—Do Not Establish Brady/Giglio/Massiah Violations or Newly Discovered Evidence in Successive Death Postconviction...

Ribera v. Ribera (2026 WY 69): Timely, Particularized “Good Cause” for Rule 35 Custody Exams; Valuation of Suspicious Post-Filing Transfers to a Nonprofit in Property Division

Date: Jul 3, 2026

Timely, Particularized “Good Cause” Is Required for Rule 35 Psychological Exams in Custody Cases; Suspicious Post-Filing Transfers to a Nonprofit May Be Valued in the Marital Estate Introduction In...

People v. Ceus (2026 CO 59): Omitted “Resulted in Death” Enhancer Finding Is Instructional Error but May Be Constitutionally Harmless; “Results in” Requires But-For Causation, Not Proximate Cause

Date: Jul 3, 2026

Omitted “Resulted in Death” Enhancer Finding in Colorado Child Abuse Trials: Error, But Potentially Harmless Beyond a Reasonable Doubt; “Results in” Means But-For Causation Case: The People of the...

Colorado Single-Subject Rule: An Initiative Violates the Single Subject Requirement When Its Effectiveness Is Conditioned on Passage of a Separate Initiative

Date: Jul 3, 2026

Colorado Single-Subject Rule: An Initiative Violates the Single Subject Requirement When Its Effectiveness Is Conditioned on Passage of a Separate Initiative Decision: Balink v. Nathan (In re Title,...

§ 13-81-103(1)(b) Imposes a One-Year Survival-Action Deadline for Decedents Under Disability Regardless of Legal Representative

Date: Jul 3, 2026

§ 13-81-103(1)(b) Imposes a One-Year Survival-Action Deadline for Decedents Under Disability Regardless of Legal Representative 1. Introduction In City of Grand Junction & Pub. Serv. Co. of Colo. v....

§922(g)(4) After Rahimi and Hemani: As-Applied Validity Turns on Current Dangerousness and an Evidentiary Record

Date: Jul 3, 2026

§922(g)(4) After Rahimi and Hemani: As-Applied Validity Turns on Current Dangerousness and an Evidentiary Record Case: United States v. Jonathan S. Rose (7th Cir. July 2, 2026) Panel: Easterbrook,...

Rule 16(b)(1)(A) Defense Production May Support Rule 901(b)(4) Authentication Without Violating the Right to Testify

Date: Jul 3, 2026

Rule 16(b)(1)(A) Defense Production May Support Rule 901(b)(4) Authentication Without Violating the Right to Testify I. Introduction In United States v. Luisito Espanola (7th Cir. July 1, 2026), the...

Performance-Based Violence by Sports Hooligans Lacks “Nexus” to Asylum Protected Grounds; New Social Group Theories Must Be Raised Before the IJ

Date: Jul 3, 2026

Performance-Based Violence by Sports Hooligans Lacks “Nexus” to Asylum Protected Grounds; New Social Group Theories Must Be Raised Before the IJ Case: Bojan Andric v. Todd W. Blanche, No. 25-1448...

Paragon Metals: Anti-Reliance Clauses Do Not Impose a “Reasonable Due Diligence” Duty or Bar Contractual Fraud Absent True Willful Blindness

Date: Jul 3, 2026

Paragon Metals: Anti-Reliance Clauses Do Not Impose a “Reasonable Due Diligence” Duty or Bar Contractual Fraud Absent True Willful Blindness Case: Paragon Metals Holdings, LLC v. Michael J. Smith...

Dismissal With Prejudice of a Pro Se In Forma Pauperis Shotgun Pleading After Notice and a Final Opportunity to Amend

Date: Jul 3, 2026

Dismissal With Prejudice of a Pro Se In Forma Pauperis Shotgun Pleading After Notice and a Final Opportunity to Amend 1. Introduction In Ivette Echenique v. Hamilton Hospital, the Eleventh Circuit...

Rutherford Bars Compassionate Release Based on Nonretroactive Statutory Sentencing Changes; Age Alone Does Not Satisfy § 1B1.13(b)(2)

Date: Jul 3, 2026

Rutherford Bars Compassionate Release Based on Nonretroactive Statutory Sentencing Changes; Age Alone Does Not Satisfy § 1B1.13(b)(2) I. Introduction United States v. Gilberto Chineag (11th Cir. July...

State v. Wright (2026): SB 751 Discovery Amendments Apply by Alleged Offense Date, Not Charging Date

Date: Jul 3, 2026

State v. Wright (2026): SB 751 Discovery Amendments Apply by Alleged Offense Date, Not Charging Date 1. Introduction Case: State v. Wright, 375 Or 383 (Supreme Court of Oregon, July 2, 2026)...

McCaffrey v. Anderson (2026 UT 14): Rational-Basis Validation of Time-Limited Landowner Opt-Outs in Utah Incorporations

Date: Jul 3, 2026

Rational-Basis Validation of Time-Limited “Specified Landowner” Exclusion Rights in Utah Municipal Incorporations Case: McCaffrey v. Anderson, 2026 UT 14 (Utah Sup. Ct. July 2, 2026) 1. Introduction...

Temporal Proximity Does Not Prove Retaliation Causation When Discipline Was Already Underway

Date: Jul 3, 2026

Temporal Proximity Does Not Prove Retaliation Causation When Discipline Was Already Underway Introduction In Wanda Jean-Baptiste v. City of Miami (11th Cir. July 2, 2026) (unpublished), the Eleventh...

Drug-Dog Alert During an Ongoing Traffic Stop Establishes Automobile-Exception Probable Cause; Marijuana Odor and “Shake” Support Search and Arrest

Date: Jul 3, 2026

Drug-Dog Alert During an Ongoing Traffic Stop Establishes Automobile-Exception Probable Cause; Marijuana Odor and “Shake” Support Search and Arrest 1. Introduction In United States v. Nicholas Smith...

JSIN Sentencing Averages, Without Defendant-Specific Comparators, Do Not Show an Unwarranted § 3553(a)(6) Disparity

Date: Jul 3, 2026

JSIN Sentencing Averages, Without Defendant-Specific Comparators, Do Not Show an Unwarranted § 3553(a)(6) Disparity 1. Introduction United States v. Uwa Nosakhare (11th Cir. July 1, 2026) is an...

Seniority-Plan Changes Are Discrete Title VII Acts Triggering the 180-Day EEOC Clock; Speculative Race Inferences and a Single Non-Racial Text Cannot Plead Discrimination or Hostile Environment

Date: Jul 3, 2026

Seniority-Plan Changes Are Discrete Title VII Acts Triggering the 180-Day EEOC Clock; Speculative Race Inferences and a Single Non-Racial Text Cannot Plead Discrimination or Hostile Environment 1....