2020 First Circuit US Court of Appeals Case Law

US v. Garcia
Date: December 31, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1816
NLRB v. The Wang Theatre, Inc.
Date: December 31, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1157
Ma. Dept. of Telecomm & Cable v. FCC
Date: December 30, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2282
United States v. Raymundi-Hernandez  
Date: December 29, 2020
Docket Numbers: 16-2490, 18-1076, 18-1528, 20-1385, 20-1438, 20-1402, 17-1081, 17-1092, 17-1314, 20-1405

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated Defendants' convictions for their roles in an expansive drug-trafficking conspiracy, holding that the evidence was sufficient to support the convictions but the trial was rendered unfair due to…

Taylor v. Medeiros  
Date: December 23, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1552

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of Appellant's petition for a writ of habeas corpus, holding that the the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts (SJC) reasonably applied clearly established law in…

Ruiz Varela v. Barr  
Date: December 23, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1994

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Petitioner's petition for review of a final order of removal issued by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) dismissing Petitioner's appeal from the decision of an immigration judge (IJ) denying…

United States v. Guzman-Merced  
Date: December 22, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2146

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated Defendant's plea of guilty to one count of violating 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1), which makes it a crime for a convicted felon to possess a firearm, holding that there was a reasonable probability that…

Citibank, N.A. v. Najda
Date: December 22, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1057
Calvary Chapel of Bangor v. Mills  
Date: December 22, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1507

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit dismissed this appeal without prejudice for lack of appellate jurisdiction, holding that the appeal was premature. In the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Governor of Maine responded to the…

Pojoy-De Leon v. Barr  
Date: December 21, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1006

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Petitioner's challenge to an order of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) denying her applications for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the United Nations Convention…

Perez-Tolentino v. Iancu  
Date: December 21, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1432

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing Plaintiff's disability discrimination suit against the United States Patent and Trademark Office and its director, holding that the district court…

United Surety & Indemnity Co. v. Lopez-Munoz  
Date: December 21, 2020
Docket Number: 19-9003

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel (BAP) dismissing under the doctrine of equitable mootness this appeal brought by United Surety & Indemnification Company (USIC), holding that…

Laureano-Quinones v. Nadal-Carrion  
Date: December 18, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1139

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment to Defendant Dr. Richard Nadal Carrion on Plaintiff's claims for negligently failing to obtain Plaintiff's informed consent before performing an…

Brader v. Biogen Inc.  
Date: December 18, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1268

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the order of the district court granting summary judgment to Defendant on Plaintiff's claims of disability discrimination and retaliation, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act,…

Abernathy v. Anderson  
Date: December 18, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1880

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the order of the district court granting summary judgment on Plaintiff's deliberate indifference claim brought under 42 U.S.C. 1983 against Krystal Anderson, a nurse at Souza-Baranowski…

Marquez-Paz v. Barr  
Date: December 18, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2230

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Petitioner's petition for review of the decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) denying his applications for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the United Nations…

Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications & Cable v. Federal Communications Commission  
Date: December 18, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2282

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied the petition for review filed by the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Cable (MDTC) challenging the FCC's determination that the cable system operated by Charter Communications,…

Performance Trans., Inc. v. General Star Indemnity Co.  
Date: December 18, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1022

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the order of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of General Star Indemnity Company, the excess insurer of Performance Trans., Inc. and Utica Mutual Insurance Company…

United States v. Garcia  
Date: December 16, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1816

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of a drug offense, in violation of 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B), holding that the district court did not err in denying Defendant's motion to suppress the drug…

Gicharu v. Carr  
Date: December 16, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1864

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit dismissed Appellant's appeal of the order of the district court dismissing Appellant's complaint seeking an order compelling the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) to rescind and reissue an order of…

Project Veritas Action Fund v. Rollins, Martin v. Rollins  
Date: December 15, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1586, 19-1640, 19-1629

Justia Opinion Summary: In these consolidated appeals concerning the "categorical and sweeping nature" of Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 272, 99, the First Circuit affirmed the district court's ruling that Section 99 violates the First Amendment in…

Thompson v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.  
Date: December 9, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1559

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting JPMorgan Chase Bank's (Chase) motion to dismiss Mark and Beth Thompson's action for breach of contract and for violating the statutory power of sale…

Lestage v. Coloplast Corp.  
Date: December 9, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2037

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case brought under the anti-retaliation provision of the False Claims Act, the First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court awarding Plaintiff $762,525 in compensatory damages, holding that the…

United States v. Forty-Febres  
Date: December 8, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2106

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of one count of stealing a motor vehicle and one count of brandishing a firearm, holding that Defendant was not entitled to relief on any of his allegations of…

Franchini v. Investors Bus. Daily, Inc.
Date: December 8, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1389
Barbosa v. Midland Credit Mgmt., Inc.
Date: December 8, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1896
HealthproMed Foundation, Inc. v. Department of Health And Human Services  
Date: December 4, 2020
Docket Numbers: 17-1731, 17-1812

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit dismissed these consolidated appeals, and a companion appeal, arising out of long-running litigation between Puerto Rico and several Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) over the Commonwealth's…

United States v. Ramirez-Romero  
Date: December 4, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1863

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence imposed after he pleaded guilty to one count of unlawfully possessing a machine-gun, holding that the district court did not err in sentencing Defendant. In sentencing…

Migrant Health Center, Inc. v. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
Date: December 4, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1336
Daumont-Colon v. Coop de Ahorro y Cred Caguas  
Date: December 4, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1709

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting Defendant's motion for judgment as a matter of law and dismissing Plaintiff's claim that she was fired from her position because of her age, holding…

Rijo v. United States  
Date: December 3, 2020
Docket Number: 17-2213

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing Petitioner's habeas petition under 28 U.S.C. 2255, holding that defense counsel did not render ineffective assistance in deciding not to call two…

United States v. Tirado-Nieves  
Date: December 3, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2053

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence of eighty-six months' imprisonment after pleading guilty to two firearms counts, holding that the sentence was not procedurally unreasonable. On appeal, Defendant argued…

United States v. Hernandez-Roman  
Date: December 1, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2133

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court convicting Defendant of armed bank robbery and related crimes, holding that Defendant's claims on appeal were without merit. After a trial, the jury found…

US v. Hernandez-Roman
Date: December 1, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2133
58 Swansea Mall Drive LLC v. Gator Swansea Property LLC  
Date: November 30, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1306, 19-1347

Justia Opinion Summary: In this contract dispute between Landlord and Tenant that arose under their lease to a shopping center premises the First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting summary judgment to Tenant on one…

Doughty v. State Employees' Ass'n of New Hampshire  
Date: November 30, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1636

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting a Union's motion to dismiss two Hampshire state employees' (Appellants) complaint pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 1983, holding that Appellants' claim based on…

Mahmoud v. Barr  
Date: November 30, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1777

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Petitioner's petition seeking review of a decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) dismissing Petitioner's appeal of an Immigration Judge's (IJ) decision finding that Petitioner had…

National Labor Relations Board v. Wang Theatre, Inc.  
Date: November 30, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1157

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the October 30, 2019 order of the National Labor Relations Board reinstating its November 10, 2016 order finding that Wang Theatre, Inc. (WTI) committed labor violations by failing to bargain…

United States v. Castillo  
Date: November 25, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1966

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the judgment of the sentencing court sentencing Defendant to a 235-month term of imprisonment for one count of abusive sexual contact with a child under the age of twelve, holding that the…

Barbosa v. Midland Credit Management, Inc.  
Date: November 25, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1896

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the order of the district court granting Defendants' motions to compel Plaintiff's claims to the arbitration process, holding that Defendants had the authority to enforce the arbitration…

US v. Chan
Date: November 24, 2020
Docket Numbers: 18-2232, 19-1911, 18-2233, 19-1910
Federal Deposit Insurance Co. v. Constructora Japimel, Inc.  
Date: November 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1845

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the order of the district court remanding this removed case to Puerto Rico's Court of First Instance, holding that the district court erred when it remanded to the local Puerto Rico court a…

In Re: Akebia Therapeutics v.
Date: November 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1929
United States v. Ackerly  
Date: November 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1967

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting Defendant's motion for a new trial, holding that the government failed to show that the district court granted reversible error by granting the…

Students for Fair Admissions v. President & Fellows of Harvard
Date: November 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2005
United States v. Chan  
Date: November 20, 2020
Docket Numbers: 18-2232, 19-1911, 18-2233, 19-1910

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendants' convictions for securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud, holding that Defendants' claims of trial and sentencing error were unavailing. Defendants were two…

In re Akebia Therapeutics, Inc.  
Date: November 20, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1929

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied the petition for a writ of mandamus filed by Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. pursuant to the Crime Victim's Rights Act, 18 U.S.C. 3771(d)(3), requesting vacatur of the district court's restitution…

De la Cruz-Candela v. JetBlue Airways Corporation
Date: November 20, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2139
United States v. Gonzalez  
Date: November 17, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1351

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence for violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO), 18 U.S.C. 1962(d), holding that the life without parole sentence imposed by the district court…

Celicourt v. Barr  
Date: November 17, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1201

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Petitioner's petition to review a decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) denying his requests for asylum and withholding of removal under the Immigration and Naturalization Act and…

Hisert v. Haschen  
Date: November 17, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1329

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court finding that Defendant had committed fraud in connection with a contract for dredging work to be performed in Massachusetts and in awarding Plaintiff $148,626…

Franchini v. Investors Bus. Daily, Inc.
Date: November 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1389
Wilmington Savings Fund Society v. Collart  
Date: November 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1533

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the judgment of the district court granting Wilmington Savings Fund Society, FSB a declaratory judgment declaring invalid a home equity line of credit (HELOC) that had previously been granted…

Sorreda Transport, LLC v. US Dept of Transportation
Date: November 13, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1125
Donahue v. Federal National Mortgage Ass'n  
Date: November 12, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1618

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the grant of summary judgment to Ocwen Loan Servicing, LLC in Josephine Donahue's suit against Ocwen and the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA), holding that summary judgment was…

Students for Fair Admissions v. President & Fellows of Harvard College  
Date: November 12, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2005

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit held that Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. (SFFA) had associational standing to bring its claims against the President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Board of Overseers (collectively, Harvard)…

Loja-Tene v. Barr
Date: November 12, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2192
Irish v. Fowler
Date: November 12, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1208
Gonzalez-Lopez v. State Industrial Prod. Corp.
Date: November 11, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1439
United States v. Delarosa Arias  
Date: November 9, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1572

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin, entered pursuant to a guilty plea, holding that the district court did not err in accepting Defendant's…

Sorreda Transport, LLC v. United States Department of Transportation  
Date: November 9, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1125

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Petitioner's petition for review of the final decision of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (the FMSCA) determining that Sorreda Transport, LLC's business safety rating was…

State of Rhode Island v. Shell Oil Products Co., LLC
Date: November 5, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1818
Irish v. Fowler  
Date: November 5, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1208

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case, the First Circuit held that a viable substantive due process state-created danger claim was presented against two Maine State Police officers and that the district court erred in granting the officers'…

United States v. Jurado-Nazario  
Date: October 30, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1679

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence for two counts of production of child pornography and two counts of transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in criminal activity, holding that the sentence was…

Carson v. Makin  
Date: October 29, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1746

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting judgment to the Commissioner of the Maine Department of Education in this federal constitutional challenge to the requirement of Maine's tuition…

State of Rhode Island v. Shell Oil Products Co., LLC  
Date: October 29, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1818

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the order of the federal district court allowing Rhode Island's motion to return to state court its state court complaint against several oil and gas companies for damage caused by fossil…

US v. Stinson
Date: October 28, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1386
Hermandad de Empleados v. Financial Oversight & Management Board  
Date: October 28, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2028

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of this complaint alleging that Puerto Rico's series of laws that affect the relationship between public employees in the Commonwealth and their employers…

United States v. Reyes-Torres  
Date: October 27, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2170

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence of forty-two months' imprisonment for illegal possession of a machine gun, holding that the sentence was both procedurally and substantively reasonable. On appeal,…

United States v. Stinson  
Date: October 23, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1386

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence for firearm-related convictions, holding that the district court properly applied two sentencing enhancements in this case. Defendant pleaded guilty to an information…

United States v. Clough  
Date: October 23, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1621

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of violating federal laws by conspiring to receive, and of receiving, kickbacks from the pharmaceutical company Insys in exchange for prescribing its synthetic opioid,…

United States v. Bruno-Campos  
Date: October 22, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2010

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court sentencing Defendant to an upwardly variant sixty-month term of immurement for illegal possession of a machine gun, holding that Defendant's sentence was…

Signs for Jesus v. Pembroke, NH
Date: October 21, 2020
Docket Number: 17-1192
Boulanger v. United States  
Date: October 21, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1018

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the order of the district court denying Petitioner's second 28 U.S.C. 2255 petition, holding that the district court did not err. Petitioner was convicted of using a firearm during a crime of…

US v. Russell, US v. French
Date: October 21, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1605, 19-1632
United States v. Soto-Peguero  
Date: October 19, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1897

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's convictions and sentence for three counts related to distribution of heroin and one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime, holding that the district court…

United States v. Simpkins  
Date: October 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1948

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of possession with intent to distribute oxycodone, holding that the district court did not err in denying Defendant's motion to suppress. Defendant's vehicle was…

Henderson v. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority  
Date: October 9, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1720

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment on Plaintiff's racial discrimination and retaliation claims against the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), holding that both…

United States v. Perez  
Date: October 9, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1950

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court denying Defendant's motion to suppress drug evidence that was seized without a warrant after an automobile stop and drug evidence from a subsequent visual…

United States v. Candelario-Santana  
Date: October 8, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1191

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the decision of the district court denying Defendant's motion to strike the government's notice of intent to seek the death penalty on retrial in this case, holding that double jeopardy barred…

Signs for Jesus v. Pembroke, New Hampshire  
Date: October 7, 2020
Docket Number: 17-1192

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of the Town of Pembroke, New Hampshire and dismissing the complaint filed by Signs for Jesus and Hillside Baptist Church…

United States v. Russell  
Date: October 7, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1605, 19-1632

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the order of the district court dismissing Defendants' motion for a new trial after a jury found them guilty of charges arising out of a large-scale marijuana farming operation, holding that…

Ouellette v. Beaupre  
Date: October 7, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2069

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the decision of the district court granting summary judgment for Defendants and dismissing Plaintiff's 42 U.S.C. 1983 action on the grounds that Plaintiff's claims were time barred, holding that…

Villeneuve v. Avon Products, Inc.  
Date: October 7, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1121

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit dismissed Appellant's appeal from the ruling of the district court granting in part and denying in part Avon Products, Inc.'s motion for the district court to tax costs, holding that the appeal was…

United States v. Acevedo-Vazquez  
Date: October 6, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1238

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence for carjacking and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, holding that the sentence was both procedurally and substantively reasonable. At the time…

Zhakira v. Barr  
Date: October 2, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1470

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Petitioner's petition for review of a final order of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) denying his applications for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention…

Scottsdale Insurance Co. v. United Rentals, Inc.  
Date: October 2, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1588

Justia Opinion Summary: In this insurance coverage dispute, the First Circuit vacated the decision of the district court holding that United Rentals, Inc. was entitled to defense costs from Scottsdale Insurance Company as an additional insured…

United States v. Gaccione  
Date: October 2, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1680

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction for distribution of child pornography and Defendant's sentence, holding that there was no error in the proceedings below. Defendant pleaded guilty to five counts of…

United States v. Muniz-Lopez  
Date: October 1, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1086

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the condition of Appellant's supervised release that he could not contact his preteen daughter for three years without approval from his probation officer, holding that the district court…

Mission Product Holdings, Inc. v. Schleicher & Stebbins Hotels  
Date: October 1, 2020
Docket Number: 19-9004

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the order of the bankruptcy court granting creditor Schleicher & Stebbins Hotels, LLC (S&S) relief from an automatic stay imposed by section 362 of the Bankruptcy Code, holding that the…

Tubens v. Doe  
Date: October 1, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1305

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of district court dismissing Plaintiff's case against the City of Boston and several of its police officers, holding that the district court did not abuse its discretion in…

Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. v. Azar  
Date: September 30, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1161

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Akebia Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s motion for a preliminary injunction, holding that the district court did not err or abuse its discretion in denying a…

Shea v. United States  
Date: September 28, 2020
Docket Number: 17-1899

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the district court's judgment denying Defendant's motion to vacate his 18 U.S.C. 924(c) conviction and to resentence him without a career offender enhancement, holding that because Johnson v.…

United States v. Graham  
Date: September 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1813

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence for federal charges of sex trafficking, drug trafficking, and interstate transportation of a person for prostitution in violation of the Mann Act, holding that the district…

WM Capital Partners 53, LLC v. Barreras, Inc.  
Date: September 22, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1364

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit dismissed for lack of appellate jurisdiction Defendant's appeal from the order of the district court granting Plaintiff's motion for summary judgment on its diversity action seeking a declaratory…

Lee v. Barr  
Date: September 22, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1516

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Petitioner's petition for review of determinations by the immigration judge (IJ) and Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) denying Petitioner's request for withholding of removal and voluntary…

United States v. Valdez  
Date: September 21, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2219

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's convictions for his role as a leader and organizer of a major drug-trafficking organization, holding that the district court did not err in denying Defendant's pro se motions to…

Loja-Tene v. Barr  
Date: September 21, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2192

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Petitioner's petition for judicial review of the decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) affirming the judgment of the immigration judge (IJ) denying Petitioner's applications for…

United States v. Benoit  
Date: September 17, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1476

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of one count of transporting child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography, holding that Defendant's sentence was substantively reasonable and that the…

United States v. Guzman-Ortiz  
Date: September 16, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1349

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the ruling of the district court granting Defendant's motion for a judgment of acquittal on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence to support Defendant's conviction of one count of…

United Nurses & Allied Professional v. National Labor Relations Board  
Date: September 16, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1490, 19-1602

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied the petition filed by United Nurses and Allied Professionals (the Union) for review of the decision of the National Labor Relations Board (the Board) ruling that lobbying expenses are…

United Nurses & Allied Prof. v. NLRB, NLRB v. United Nurses & Allied Prof.
Date: September 15, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1490, 19-1602
Gomez-Medina v. Barr  
Date: September 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2280

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Appellant's petition for review of the decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) dismissing Appellant's appeal from the decision of the immigration judge (IJ) denying Appellant's…

US v. Morales-Negron
Date: September 14, 2020
Docket Numbers: 17-1181, 18-1047
Doe v. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Date: September 14, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1879
PNE Energy Supply LLC v. Eversource Energy  
Date: September 9, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1678

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court dismissing this lawsuit challenging Defendants' alleged manipulation of natural gas pipeline capacity for failure to state a claim, holding that any…

Doe v. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Inc.  
Date: September 9, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1879

Justia Opinion Summary: In this ERISA action, the First Circuit affirmed the rulings of the district court entering judgment for Defendants on remand and refusing to award Plaintiff attorneys' fees for her success on a prior appeal, holding…

United States v. Morales-Negron  
Date: September 8, 2020
Docket Numbers: 17-1181, 18-1047

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and for unlawfully possessing a machine-gun but remanded for the district court to docket a sealed copy of the…

US v. Lewis
Date: September 4, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1916
Reyes-Colon v. United States  
Date: September 4, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1235

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing this case for lack of subject matter jurisdiction under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), holding that the FTCA's discretionary-function applied…

United States v. Montijo-Maysonet  
Date: September 1, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1640

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's convictions and sentences for several sex crimes, including using a facility and means of interstate commerce to knowingly induce a thirteen-year-old female to engage in sexual…

Ryan v. U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement  
Date: September 1, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1838

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the preliminary injunction granted to Plaintiffs in this case, holding that the district court abused its discretion in finding that Plaintiffs were likely to succeed on the merits of their…

United States v. Lopez-Delgado  
Date: August 31, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1952

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence that he received for his conviction for possession of a machine gun, holding that the sentence was neither procedurally nor substantively unreasonable. After the district…

Axia NetMedia Corp. v. Massachusetts Technology Park Corp.  
Date: August 31, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1649

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the judgment of the district court vacating a portion of an arbitration award that voided the guaranty agreement at issue in this case, holding that, contrary to the conclusion of the district…

Town of Weymouth v. Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection  
Date: August 31, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1794, 19-1797, 19-1803

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit granted the petition filed by Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC for rehearing as to remedy in this case where the First Circuit vacated the grant of an air permit by the Massachusetts Department of…

Yan v. ReWalk Robotics Ltd.  
Date: August 25, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1614

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing Plaintiff's Securities Act claims and finding that Plaintiff did not have standing to bring his Securities Exchange Act claims, holding that…

Conille v. Council 93  
Date: August 24, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1038

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the district court's judgment ordering Council 93, a regional division of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), to reconstitute its executive board "within…

Soto-Vittini v. Barr  
Date: August 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1372

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) ordering Petitioner's removal, holding that Petitioner's state drug conviction was an "aggravated felony" under the Immigration and…

Franjul-Soto v. Barr  
Date: August 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1859

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Petitioner's petition for review of an order of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) that denied Petitioner's motion to reconsider his motion to reopen removal proceedings, holding that the BIA…

United States v. Newton  
Date: August 21, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1305

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm, holding that the district court did not err in imposing a sentencing enhancement for possessing a firearm "in connection with…

Bell v. O'Reilly Auto Enterprises, LLC  
Date: August 21, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2164

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the judgment of the district court in favor of Defendant on Plaintiff's claim that Defendant failed properly to accommodate his disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42…

Rivera-Guevara v. Barr
Date: August 19, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1206
United States v. Adams  
Date: August 18, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1465

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction and sentence for drug-trafficking and firearms offenses, holding that the district court did not err in refusing to suppress the evidence obtained from a number of…

US v. Seward
Date: August 18, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1519
Sanchez v. Foley  
Date: August 18, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1994

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Defendants' motions for judgment as a matter of law or, in the alternative, for a new trial or remittitur, holding that the trial court properly found…

United States v. Goodman  
Date: August 18, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1313

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's convictions, entered pursuant to his guilty plea, for eight counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of possession of child pornography and dismissed Defendant's…

United States v. Reyes-Correa  
Date: August 14, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1003

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the decision of the district court denying Defendant's motion to dismiss his indictment under the Double Jeopardy Clause of the United States Constitution based on his prior conviction in a…

Donahue v. Federal National Mortgage Ass'n  
Date: August 14, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1618

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit dismissed Appellant's appeal from a grant of summary judgment to Ocwen Loan Servicing, LLC in her suit in the District of Massachusetts against Ocwen and the Government National Mortgage Association…

United States v. Lara  
Date: August 12, 2020
Docket Number: 17-1957

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated in part the convictions and sentences that Victor Lara and Kourtney Williams (together, Defendants) each received in connection with a robbery in Maine, holding that Defendants' convictions for…

Feliciano-Munoz v. Rebarber-Ocasio  
Date: August 11, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2075

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the decision of the district court dismissing Plaintiff's breach of contract claim, holding that the court erred in concluding that Plaintiff did not assert a breach of contract claim and abused…

US v. Mejia Romero
Date: August 11, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1405
United States v. Cotto-Flores  
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2013

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed Defendant's conviction for transporting a minor in interstate or foreign commerce or in any commonwealth, territory or possession of the United States with the intent to engage in criminal…

US v. Tsarnaev
Date: August 7, 2020
Docket Number: 16-6001
T-Mobile Northeast LLC v. The Town of Barnstable  
Date: August 7, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2121

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court denying two local residents' (Appellants) motion to intervene in an action brought T-Mobile Northeast LLC pursuant to the Telecommunications Act of 1996,…

Norris v. Cape Elizabeth School District
Date: August 7, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2167
Common Cause Rhode Island v. Rhode Island Republican Party  
Date: August 7, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1753

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case involving a consent judgment and decree entered on July 30, 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, effective for the September and November 2020 elections suspending Rhode Island's requirement that a voter…

United States v. Luthra  
Date: August 6, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1980

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's convictions of aiding and abetting the wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information and obstructing a criminal investigation of a health care offense, holding…

Doe v. Pawtucket School Department  
Date: August 6, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1458

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the district court's dismissal of Plaintiff's claim for a violation of Title IX, 20 U.S.C. 1961 et seq., and affirmed the district court's dismissal of the other claims, holding that Plaintiff's…

Norris v. Cape Elizabeth School District  
Date: August 6, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2167

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in granting a preliminary injunction prohibiting Defendants - Maine's Cape Elizabeth School District and officials of Cape Elizabeth High School…

Machado Sigaran v. Barr  
Date: August 5, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1282

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) denying Petitioner's request for temporary protected status (TPS) under 8 U.S.C. 1254a, holding that the BIA did not err in finding that…

United States v. Del Rosario-Acosta  
Date: August 3, 2020
Docket Number: 17-1736

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the decision of the district court denying Defendant's motion to suppress evidence obtained through a search and seizure of his vehicle, holding that the warrantless seizure of Defendant's…

United States v. Malmstrom  
Date: August 3, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1218

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction for three counts of transmitting threatening interstate communications by telephone and sentence of twenty-seven months' imprisonment, holding that the district court did…

United States v. Rivera-Berrios  
Date: August 3, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1467

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated Defendant's sentence of forty-two months' imprisonment, a year above the top of the guideline sentencing range, for illegal possession of a machine gun, holding that the sentencing court erred…

United States v. Tsarnaev  
Date: July 31, 2020
Docket Number: 16-6001

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case involving the bombing at the 2013 Boston Marathon, the First Circuit vacated Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's death sentences and reversed his three convictions for carrying a firearm during crimes of violence, holding…

Hull v. Rockwell  
Date: July 30, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2074

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the bankruptcy court denying Chapter 7 Trustee Nathaniel Richard Hull's objection to Jeffrey Rockwell's homestead exemption listed at the time he filed for Chapter 13…

United States v. Davila-Bonilla  
Date: July 29, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1774

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the sentence imposed on Defendant for intimidating or interfering with United States probation officers (count one) and influencing United States probation officers by threat (count two),…

United States v. Perez-Gonzalez  
Date: July 28, 2020
Docket Number: 17-1754

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's plea-based conviction for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, holding that Defendant's prosecution did not violate constitutional double jeopardy protections. In 2011,…

United States v. Seward  
Date: July 28, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1519

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Defendant's motion to dismiss the indictment for failing to update his registration as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), 18 U.S.C. 2250(a), holding that…

Sanabria Morales v. Barr  
Date: July 24, 2020
Docket Number: 17-1634

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Petitioner's petition for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals' (BIA) decision to deny his application for deferral of removal under the United Nations Convention Against Torture (CAT),…

Foisie v. Worcester Polytechnic Institute  
Date: July 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2090

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the judgment of the district court dismissing Plaintiff's complaint seeking to recoup assets purportedly gifted to a charitable institution for less than adequate consideration by Plaintiff's…

Lopez-Santos v. Metropolitan Security Services  
Date: July 23, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1694

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the order of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of Walden Security and dismissing the suit brought by Plaintiffs for statutory separation pay pursuant to Puerto Rico Law 80,…

TLS Management & Marketing Services, LLC v. Rodriguez-Toledo  
Date: July 21, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1104

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the district court's grant of summary judgment to TLS Management and Marketing Services, LLC (TLS) on its breach of contract claims against Ricky Rodriguez-Toledo, ASG Accounting Solutions…

Caribbean Management Group, Inc. v. Erikon, LLC  
Date: July 17, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1421

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying a judgment creditor's motion for leave to execute on the judgment and its motion for reconsideration, holding that the district court did not abuse…

Waithaka v. Amazon.com, Inc.  
Date: July 17, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1848

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of Appellants' motion to compel arbitration in this putative class action, holding that the Federal Arbitration Act's (FAA) exemption for "contracts of employment of…

United States v. Capelton  
Date: July 16, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1613

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court on resentencing pursuant to the 2018 First Step Act that Defendant was a career offender under section 4B1.1 of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, holding that…

King v. United States  
Date: July 10, 2020
Docket Number: 16-1621

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit declined to grant Defendant's petition for leave to file a second or successive motion under 28 U.S.C. 2255 to once again challenge his 18 U.S.C. 924(c)(1)(A) conviction and sentence for use of a…

Trout v. Organizacion Mundial de Boxeo, Inc.  
Date: July 10, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1068

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the decision of the district court granting the World Boxing Organization's (WBO) motion to compel arbitration of Austin Trout's claim under the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act (MABRA), 15 U.S.C.…

United States v. Cadden  
Date: July 9, 2020
Docket Number: 17-1694

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's convictions but vacated and remanded his prison sentence and forfeiture order, holding that the district court erred in calculating Defendant's recommended sentencing range and…

United States v. Chin  
Date: July 9, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1263

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed both of Defendant's federal racketeering-related convictions but vacated and remanded the prison sentence, forfeiture order, and restitution order, holding that the district court erred in…

United States v. Valdez  
Date: July 9, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1129

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit dismissed Defendant's appeal challenging his sentence imposed in connection with his plea of guilty to drug-related offenses, holding that there was no miscarriage of justice and that the appeal waiver…

Lawes v. CSA Architects and Engineers
Date: July 7, 2020
Docket Number: 16-2275
CSILO v. JC Remodeling, Inc.
Date: July 7, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1199
Kelly v. Riverside Partners, LLC  
Date: July 6, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1856

Justia Opinion Summary: In this breach of contract action, the First Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment for Defendants on all of Plaintiff's claims and all of Defendants' counterclaims, holding that, based on…

Baum-Holland v. Hilton El Con Management, LLC  
Date: June 30, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2061

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting summary judgment for Defendants and dismissing Plaintiff's tort action stemming from the death of Dr. George Holland while he was vacationing at a…

United States v. Mendoza-Sanchez  
Date: June 30, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1091

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Appellant's motion to withdraw his guilty plea to one count of reentry after deportation and to dismiss the indictment, holding that the immigration…

United States v. Hernandez-Hernandez  
Date: June 30, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1123

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence for two drug-trafficking offenses and two money-laundering offenses, holding that the sentence was neither procedurally nor substantively unreasonable. The district court…

Tomasella v. Nestle USA, Inc., Tomasella v. Mars, Inc., Tomasella v. The Hershey Co.
Date: June 24, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1130, 19-1132, 19-1131
United States v. Diaz-Lugo  
Date: June 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1284

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's upwardly variant sixty-month sentence imposed in connection with Defendant's plea of guilty to being a prohibited person in possession of firearms and ammunition and being in…

US v. Moore-Bush, US v. Moore
Date: June 24, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1582, 19-1626, 19-1625, 19-1583
United States v. Almonte-Nunez  
Date: June 18, 2020
Docket Number: 15-2070

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's convictions and sentence for robbing an individual of a United States passport, brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon,…

Lawes v. CSA Architects & Engineers LLP  
Date: June 18, 2020
Docket Number: 16-2275

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case where Plaintiff's negligence case collapsed halfway through trial due to the exclusion of his only expert witness pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 26 and Fed. R. Evid. 702 the First Circuit reversed the rulings…

US v. Lopez-Soto
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Numbers: 17-1663, 17-1680, 17-1668, 17-1679
United States v. Lewis  
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1916

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence of 108 months' imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute cocaine after the district court applied a career-offender enhancement under the United States Sentencing…

Tomasella v. Nestle USA, Inc.  
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1130, 19-1132, 19-1131

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of Appellant's claims in three putative class action lawsuits against Defendants - Nestle USA, Inc., Mars, Inc., and The Hersey Company - holding that Appellant…

Lopez-Lopez v. The Robinson School
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1386
United States v. Moore-Bush  
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1582, 19-1626, 19-1625, 19-1583

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the judgment of the district court granting Defendants' motions to suppress all evidence obtained directly by a pole camera, holding that the doctrine of stare decisis controlled this case and…

Abdisamad v. City of Lewiston
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1852
Concilio De Salud Integral De Loiza, Inc. v. JC Remodeling, Inc.  
Date: June 15, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1199

Justia Opinion Summary: In this qui tam action, the First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court denying the request of Concilio De Salud Integral De Loiza, Inc. (CSILO), on the eve of trial, to amend the pretrial order to include…

United States v. Ilarraza  
Date: June 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1395

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence for conspiring to deal in firearms without a license and dealing in firearms without a license on a theory of aiding and abetting, holding that Defendant's challenges to…

Hernandez Lara v. Barr  
Date: June 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1524

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) dismissing Petitioner's appeal of the immigration judge's (IJ) claims for relief and ordering her removed to El Salvador, holding that the…

United States v. McBride  
Date: June 11, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2197

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction for carrying and using a firearm during and in relation to, and possessing the firearm in furtherance of, a drug trafficking crime (Count Three), holding that Defendant's…

United States v. Mendoza-Maisonet  
Date: June 9, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1190

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's convictions and sentence for possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes and of possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine base, holding that…

In re HIPAA Subpoena  
Date: June 5, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1424

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's judgment reversing the magistrate's order that had quashed an administrative subpoena duces tecum as to the recordings of certain telephone conversations, holding that the…

Biller v. S-H OPCO Greenwich Bay Manor  
Date: June 5, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1865

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the order of the district court denying arbitration in this negligence case, holding that an arbitration clause in a residency agreement between an assisted living facility and its resident…

Town of Weymouth v. Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection  
Date: June 3, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1794, 19-1797, 19-1803

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated an air permit granted by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for a proposed natural gas compression station set to be built in Weymouth, Massachusetts as part of…

Dagi v. Delta Airlines, Inc.  
Date: June 2, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1056

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of Appellant's complaint alleging that he received an injury that occurred in connection with his 2015 Delta Airlines flight to London, holding that Appellant's…

Abdisamad v. City of Lewiston  
Date: June 2, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1852

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing Appellant's federal and state civil rights claims and state wrongful death claims against the City of Lewiston, the Lewiston School Department…

Russomano v. Novo Nordisk Inc.  
Date: June 2, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1173

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of Novo Nordisk Inc.'s motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against Thomas Russomano, one of its former employees, and BioMarin…

United States v. Rivera-Morales  
Date: May 29, 2020
Docket Number: 17-1258

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction for production of child pornography, holding that the district court did not err in denying Defendant's motion to suppress a video on his cellphone under the private…

Bartolomeo v. United States  
Date: May 29, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1621

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of Petitioner's successive federal habeas petition, holding that the sentencing judge did not rely on Petitioner's career-offender designation in setting…

Zabala-de Jesus v. Sanofi Aventis PR, Inc.
Date: May 27, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1852
US v. McLellan
Date: May 27, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2032
Diaz Ortiz v. Barr
Date: May 27, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1620
Paraflon Investments, Ltd. v. Fullbridge, Inc.  
Date: May 26, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1913

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court ruling against Paraflon Investments, Ltd. on its state-law misrepresentation claims against Fullbridge, Inc. and its principals, Peter Olson and Candice…

United States v. Lopez-Soto  
Date: May 21, 2020
Docket Numbers: 17-1663, 17-1680, 17-1668, 17-1679

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's convictions for three Hobbs Act robberies, conspiring to commit a Racketeer Influenced an Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) violation, and other offenses but vacated the district…

Thompson v. Barr  
Date: May 21, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1823

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) denying Petitioner's motion to reopen sua sponte his immigration proceedings, holding that the BIA departed from his settled course of…

United States v. McLellan  
Date: May 20, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2032

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's convictions of securities and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud, holding that there was no reversible error in the proceedings below. Specifically, the…

Diaz Ortiz v. Barr  
Date: May 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1620

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Petitioner's petition for review of the decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) affirming the immigration judge's decision denying Petitioner's claims for asylum, withholding of…

Sacilowski v. Saul  
Date: May 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1712

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the order of the district court finding that Plaintiff was disabled as defined under 20 C.F.R. 404.1520 and awarding her benefits, holding that there was very strong evidence of Plaintiff's…

Zabala-de Jesus v. Sanofi Aventis PR, Inc.  
Date: May 13, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1852

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court granting summary judgment for Defendants on Plaintiff's claim under the Age Discrimination and Employment Act (ADEA), 29 U.S.C. 621-634, holding that…

Rosie D. v. Baker
Date: May 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1262
Geoffroy v. Town of Winchendon  
Date: May 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1573

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting summary judgment for Defendants on Plaintiff's age discrimination and Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA) claims, holding that Plaintiff's…

GGNSC Chestnut Hill LLC v. Schrader  
Date: May 11, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1779

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case concerning arbitration agreements, nursing homes, and wrongful death claims under Massachusetts law, the First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court compelling arbitration after first…

Lopez-Lopez v. Robinson School  
Date: May 11, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1386

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court entering summary judgment against Plaintiff and dismissing her complaint asserting claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Age…

United States v. Perez-Couvertier  
Date: May 7, 2020
Docket Number: 16-2186

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of possessing with intent to distribute controlled substances in a protected area and conspiring to distribute controlled substances in a protected area, holding that the…

Lee v. Conagra Brands, Inc.  
Date: May 6, 2020
Docket Number: 17-2131

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the judgment of the district court dismissing, for failure to state a claim, Plaintiff's complaint alleging that, by labeling Wesson brand vegetable oil (Wesson Oil) "100% Natural," Conagra…

Borras-Borrero v. Corp del Fondo del Seguro del
Date: May 5, 2020
Docket Number: 17-1769
US v. Alexander
Date: May 5, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1896
Imamura v. General Electric Company
Date: May 5, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1457
Coffey v. NH Judicial Ret. Plan
Date: May 5, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1908
Shea v. Ditech Financial LLC
Date: May 4, 2020
Docket Number: 17-1699
Rosie D. v. Baker  
Date: May 4, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1262

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit issued this narrow opinion in response to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts's appeal from the district court's denial of its "Motion Regarding Substantial Compliance and To Terminate Monitoring and…

Borras-Borrero v. Corporacion del Fondo del Seguro del Estado  
Date: May 1, 2020
Docket Number: 17-1769

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing Plaintiff's complaint alleging that Defendants, his former employer along with its administrators, conspired to deprive him of his First, Fourth,…

Sutarsim v. Barr  
Date: May 1, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1937

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Petitioner's petition seeking review of the Board of Immigration Appeals' (BIA) denial of her untimely motion to reopen her family's removal proceedings, holding that the BIA's denial of…

Dantzler, Inc. v. S2 Services Puerto Rico, LLC  
Date: May 1, 2020
Docket Numbers: 18-2087, 18-2089

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the district court's order denying in part Defendants' motions to dismiss this suit brought Plaintiffs, a putative class of shippers who use the services of ocean freight carriers to import…

Brandt v. Fitzpatrick
Date: May 1, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1174
Gomes v. Silva  
Date: May 1, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1656

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Appellant's petition for a writ of habeas corpus, holding that, under the highly deferential standard prescribed by the Antiterrorism and Effective…

United States v. Lopez  
Date: April 30, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1418

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the imposition of a role-in-the-offense enhancement in connection with Defendant's conviction for racketeering conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), 18…

United States v. Alexander  
Date: April 30, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1896

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Appellant's motion to dismiss the indictment and affirmed the sentence imposed, holding that the district court correctly denied the motion to dismiss…

United States v. Rosario-Perez  
Date: April 29, 2020
Docket Numbers: 14-1692, 14-2098, 14-1870, 14-1919

Justia Opinion Summary: In these cases against four defendants - Manuel De Jesus Rosario-Perez (Rosario), Jorge Gomez-Gonzalez (Gomez), Bryant Setiawan-Ramos (Setiawan), and Santiago Hernandez-Rosa (Hernandez) - the First Circuit affirmed the…

De Pena-Paniagua v. Barr  
Date: April 24, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2100

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit held that the requirements for establishing membership in a particular social group in support of a request for asylum or withholding of removal do not categorically preclude applicants from…

Imamura v. General Electric Co.  
Date: April 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1457

Justia Opinion Summary: In this class action lawsuit stemming from the 2011 nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) in Japan, the First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the United States District Court for the…

In re Pimentel-Soto  
Date: April 23, 2020
Docket Number: 17-1967

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the district court's order sanctioning Attorney for failing to appear at a status conference, holding that where Attorney was fined without first being given a chance to show cause or explain…

Brandt v. Fitzpatrick  
Date: April 22, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1174

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment against Appellant and dismissing his race discrimination and retaliation claims against the Maine Department of Corrections (MDOC), holding that…

Hourihan v. Bitinas
Date: April 22, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1708
Coffey v. New Hampshire Judicial Retirement Plan  
Date: April 21, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1908

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit held that the New Hampshire Judicial Retirement Plan (Plan) does not allow a former judge who resigned with sufficient years of creditable service, but before reaching the minimum retirement age, to…

Trahan v. Wayfair Maine LLC  
Date: April 21, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1961

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of Employer in this disability discrimination case brought by Plaintiff, a former employee, holding that the district court…

Suero-Algarin v. HIMA San Pablo Caguas  
Date: April 20, 2020
Docket Number: 17-1851

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of HIMA San Pablo Caguas's motion for judgment as a matter of law as well as its remitted verdict after a jury found HIMA responsible for ten percent of Plaintiff's…

Zell v. Ricci  
Date: April 20, 2020
Docket Numbers: 18-1372, 18-1608

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed in part and vacated in part the judgment of the district court dismissing Plaintiff's case against various defendants, holding that the district court did not err in dismissing Plaintiff's…

United States v. Diaz-Rivera  
Date: April 20, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1461

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's upwardly variant sentence for one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and one count of using a firearm during and in relation to a drug-trafficking crime, holding…

Dyer v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.  
Date: April 17, 2020
Docket Number: 15-2421

Justia Opinion Summary: In this lawsuit arising out of a foreclosure sale the First Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of Edythe Dyer's claims arguing that U.S. Bank was not a proper party to utilize the statutory power of sale,…

Hayden v. HSBC Bank USA, N.A.  
Date: April 17, 2020
Docket Number: 16-2274

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit summarily affirmed the district court’s dismissal of Plaintiffs’ claims that HSBC Bank USA, N.A. could not foreclose on their property under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 244, 14 and that the mortgage encumbering…

US v. Garcia-Mojica
Date: April 15, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1265
Chen v. United States Sports Academy, Inc.  
Date: April 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1382

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of the complaint in this case for want of jurisdiction, holding that personal jurisdiction could not constitutionally be exercised over Defendant in…

Boudreau v. Shaw's Supermarkets Inc.
Date: April 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1754
Cortes-Ramos v. Martin-Morales  
Date: April 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1358

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed in part and vacated in part the decision of the district court dismissing Plaintiff's claims alleging violations of federal copyright law and various Puerto Rico laws, holding that the district…

United States v. Vaello-Madero  
Date: April 10, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1390

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit declared that exclusion of otherwise eligible residents of Puerto Rico from receiving the disability benefits that are granted to persons residing in the fifty States, the District of Columbia, and the…

Castagna v. Jean  
Date: April 10, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1677

Justia Opinion Summary: In this lawsuit brought against three Boston police officers who were involved in breaking up a party and arresting Plaintiffs, the First Circuit reversed the judgment for Plaintiffs, holding that the officers were…

Boudreau v. Shaw's Supermarkets Inc.  
Date: April 10, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1754

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's entry of summary judgment in favor of the Saco, Maine Shaw's Supermarket on Plaintiff's claim that Shaw's owed a duty to protect its patrons from foreseeable harm and that…

Newton Covenant Church v. Great American Insurance Co.  
Date: April 10, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1826

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing Plaintiffs' breach of contract action against Defendant, their insurer, holding that the district court properly dismissed for failure to state a…

United States v. Garcia-Mojica  
Date: April 9, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1265

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence of 100 months of imprisonment imposed for his convictions of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and illegal possession of a machine gun, holding that the…

In re Ocular Therapeutix Inc.  
Date: April 9, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1557

Justia Opinion Summary: In this complaint alleging that Defendants intentionally or recklessly misled investors about Ocular Therapeutix, Inc.'s manufacturing problems the First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing…

Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway Co. v. Keach  
Date: April 9, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1894

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case, a byproduct of litigation stemming from the derailment of a Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway, Ltd. (MMA) freight train carrying crude oil in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, the First Circuit affirmed the district…

US v. Frey, Penobscot Nation v. Frey, Penobscott Nation v. Frey, Penobscot Nation v. Howland, Me
Date: April 8, 2020
Docket Numbers: 16-1424, 16-1435, 16-1474, 16-1482
NuVasive, Inc. v. Day  
Date: April 8, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1611

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting a preliminary junction to Defendant's former employer (Plaintiff), a healthcare company incorporated in Delaware, that enforced a nonsolicitation…

United States v. Smith  
Date: April 8, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1615

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the order of the district court denying Defendant's request for a sentence reduction under Section 404 of the First Step Act of 2018, holding that the district court erred in finding that…

Norton v. Rodrigues  
Date: April 7, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1784

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit dismissed this interlocutory appeal for lack of appellate jurisdiction and remanded the matter to the district court, holding that Appellant's challenge to the district court's denial of summary…

Perrier-Bilbo v. United States  
Date: April 3, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2085

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the order of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of the United States and the Director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (collectively, the Government)…

US v. Silvia
Date: April 2, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1412
US v. Melo
Date: April 2, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2147
Saccoccia v. United States  
Date: April 2, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1361

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing Plaintiff's 2018 complaint seeking vacated of a forfeiture order and return of his forfeited property, holding that Honeycutt v. United States, 137…

United States v. Arce-Calderon  
Date: April 1, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1193

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence imposed in connection with his plea of guilty of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, holding that the sentence was both procedurally and…

United States v. Fuentes-Moreno  
Date: April 1, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1907

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court giving Defendant a consecutive 144-month sentence for two robbery convictions rather than making the sentence concurrent with another sentence he was already…

Clarendon National Insurance Co. v. Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Co.  
Date: April 1, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1212

Justia Opinion Summary: In this diversity case, the First Circuit affirmed the district court's entry of summary judgment against Clarendon National Insurance Company's claim that Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Company breached its contract…

Lyman v. Baker  
Date: March 31, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2235

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing Appellants' complaint challenging the constitutionality of the winner-take-all method for selecting presidential electors that the Commonwealth of…

United States v. Gordon  
Date: March 27, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1277

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's convictions for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering, holding…

United States v. Melo  
Date: March 27, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2147

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's convictions for one count of conspiracy and one count of structuring the export of monetary transactions, holding that there was no error in the proceedings below. Defendant's…

Amrhein v. eClinical Works, LLC  
Date: March 27, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1429

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court finding that Plaintiffs, patients whose healthcare providers used eClinicalWorks, LLC (ECW) software to record and store their medical records, lacked…

United States v. Altvater  
Date: March 25, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1101

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's convictions of three counts of securities fraud for insider trading, holding that Defendant was not entitled to relief on any of his claims. Specifically, the First Circuit held…

Squeri v. Mount Ida College  
Date: March 25, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1624

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting Defendants' motion to dismiss Plaintiffs' complaint alleging that Defendants knew that Mount Ida College was on the brink of insolvency but concealed…

Lanza v. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority  
Date: March 24, 2020
Docket Numbers: 18-2057, 18-2181

Justia Opinion Summary: In this dispute over the handling of brokerage accounts the First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the federal district court dismissing Plaintiffs' complaint against the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)…

Melo v. City of Somerville  
Date: March 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1337

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the district court's decision granting summary judgment to the City of Somerville, Massachusetts and dismissing Plaintiff's claim that the City unlawfully forced him to retire as a police…

City of Providence v. United States Department of Justice  
Date: March 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1802

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court ruling in favor of the Rhode Island municipalities on their suit seeking to invalidate the conditions that the United States Department of Justice (DOJ)…

Ebbe v. Concorde Investment Services, LLC  
Date: March 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1819

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court confirming a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitral award denying certain claims against Concorde Investment Services, LLC, holding that the…

Corporacion de Servicios v. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico  
Date: March 23, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1202

Justia Opinion Summary: Given the fundamental change in the facts of this case since the appeal was first filed and briefed the First Circuit remanded this action to the district court for reconsideration of its ruling dismissing the claims as…

Union of Concerned Scientists v. United States Environmental Protection Agency  
Date: March 23, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1383

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case arising from a directive issued by the EPA that prohibits EPA grant recipients from sitting on the EPA's twenty-two scientific advisory committees the First Circuit reversed in part the judgment of the…

Capitol Specialty Ins. Corp. v. Higgins
Date: March 23, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1496
United States v. Silvia  
Date: March 20, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1412

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Defendant's motion for a new trial, in which Defendant sought to vacate seventeen convictions that he received and that resulted from two separate…

Jalbert v. Zurich Services Corp.  
Date: March 20, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2244

Justia Opinion Summary: In this insurance dispute, the First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of Defendants and dismissing Plaintiff's suit to recover unreimbursed defense costs that a…

Photographic Illustrators Corp. v. Orgill, Inc.  
Date: March 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1452

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment in favor of Orgill, Inc. in this case alleging copyright infringement claims, holding that a copyright licensee given the unrestricted right to…

Johnson v. Johnson  
Date: March 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1719

Justia Opinion Summary: In this appeal concerning whether a settlement contract under Rhode Island law was formed after a personal injury lawsuit was filed the First Circuit certified to the Rhode Island Supreme Court the question of what is…

Caniglia v. Strom  
Date: March 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1764

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit held that the special measure of constitutional protection to which police officers, in the motor vehicle context, performing community care taking functions are entitled extends to police officers…

da Silva v. de Aredes  
Date: March 13, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-2100, 19-2217

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decisions of the district court ordering the return of A.C.A., the child that Mother "wrongfully removed" from Brazil, holding that the district court did not err in finding that the two…

Capitol Specialty Insurance Corp. v. Higgins  
Date: March 11, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1496

Justia Opinion Summary: In this insurance dispute, the First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court ruling for Plaintiff on her action brought under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 93A and ch. 176D and awarding trebled damages in the amount of…

Keach v. New Brunswick Southern Railway Co. Ltd.  
Date: March 10, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1161

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case arising out of a petition for bankruptcy filed by the Montreal Maine & Atlantic Railway (MMA) the First Circuit affirmed the decision of the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel (BAP) upholding the judgment of the…

Molina v. Barr  
Date: March 9, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1965

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Petitioner's petition for review of the order of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) denying Petitioner's motion to reopen his immigration case, holding that the BIA did not abuse its…

United States v. Colon-Maldonado  
Date: March 6, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1388

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated Defendant's sentence of thirty months in federal prison for violating the terms of his supervised release, holding that the district judge misapplied the Guidelines in concluding that…

United States v. Garcia-Cartagena  
Date: March 6, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1629

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence of more than three years in prison imposed in connection with his violation of supervised release, holding that the district court did not commit reversible error when she…

CVS Pharmacy, Inc. v. Lavin
Date: March 3, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1638
ML-CFC 2007-6 Puerto Rico v. BPP Retail Properties, LLC  
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1405

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the judgment of the district court designating a magistrate judge to "hear and determine" under 28 U.S.C.(b)(1)(A) a motion to appoint a receiver over certain commercial properties that were the…

United States v. Gomera-Rodriguez  
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1605

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence entered upon Defendant's guilty plea to one count of possessing child pornography, holding that the district court's decision not to impose a below-guidelines sentence was…

United States v. Larson  
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Numbers: 18-1924, 18-1985

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of possession of child pornography, holding that the district court did not err in denying Defendant's motions to suppress and for a hearing pursuant to Franks v.…

CVS Pharmacy, Inc. v. Lavin  
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1638

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the entry of a preliminary injunction enforcing a covenant not to compete included in a restrictive covenant agreement (RCA) that Appellant signed in 2017, holding that the district court did…

Littlefield v. Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribe  
Date: February 27, 2020
Docket Number: 16-2484

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the order of the district court finding that the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) incorrectly approved the taking of two areas of land into trust for…

ITyX Solutions AG v. Kodak Alaris, Inc.  
Date: February 27, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1658

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court against Kodak Alaris, Inc. based on the jury finding that Kodak was in breach of its contractual obligation to ITyX Solutions AG except as to the calculation…

Nolasco-Yok v. Barr
Date: February 26, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1402
Arruda v. Zurich American Insurance Co.  
Date: February 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1247

Justia Opinion Summary: In this insurance dispute, the First Circuit directed entry of summary judgment for Zurich American Insurance Company, holding that Zurich's decision to deny the insured's claim was supported by substantial…

United States v. Aboshady  
Date: February 20, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1232

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's convictions for one count of conspiracy to make false statements and to conceal in connection with healthcare benefit programs and two counts of false statements in connection with…

US v. James
Date: February 20, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1244
Gao v. Barr  
Date: February 20, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1694

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Petitioner's petition for review of an order of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) affirming the denial by an immigration judge (IJ) of his applications for asylum, withholding of removal,…

United States, ex rel. Banigan & Templin v. Pharmerica, Inc.  
Date: February 19, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1487

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the judgment of the district court dismissing this qui tam action under the False Claims Act (FCA) against PharMerica, Inc. under the public disclosure bar, holding that relator James Banigan…

US v. Gonzalez
Date: February 18, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1597
Arevalo v. Barr  
Date: February 14, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1834

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied two petitions for judicial review challenging the orders of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) first finding that Petitioner was not entitled to asylum, withholding of removal, or CAT…

Robinson v. Town of Marshfield  
Date: February 14, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1155

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment on Appellant's federal law claims under the Age Discrimination and Employment Act, and on the state-law claims for discrimination, retaliation…

In re Lantus Direct Purchaser Antitrust Litigation  
Date: February 13, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2086

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit held that Sanofi-Aventis U.S., LLC improperly submitted a patent for listing in "the Orange Book" and that Sanofi was potentially liable under the antitrust laws to drug purchasers who were allegedly…

US v. Vega-Martinez
Date: February 11, 2020
Docket Numbers: 18-1189, 18-1395, 18-1258
United States v. Baez-Martinez  
Date: February 11, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1289

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA) sentence, holding that the district court did not err in determining that Defendant's prior conviction for second-degree murder and two prior…

Furtado v. Oberg  
Date: February 5, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1245

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court entering summary judgment against Plaintiff Jay Furtado and in favor of Defendants, attorney Amy Page Oberg and the law firm DarrowEverett LLP, and dismissing…

Dewitt v. Stewart  
Date: February 3, 2020
Docket Number: 18-9007

Justia Opinion Summary: In this bankruptcy case, the First Circuit vacated the decision of the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel (BAP) and remanded with instructions that the case be returned to the bankruptcy court, holding that the bankruptcy court…

United States v. Vega-Martinez  
Date: January 31, 2020
Docket Numbers: 18-1189, 18-1395, 18-1258

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court convicting Defendants of mail fraud and violations of section one of the Sherman Act, holding that Defendants were not entitled to reversal of their…

Theidon v. Harvard University  
Date: January 31, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1279

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Plaintiff's claims of sex discrimination and retaliation on summary judgment and declining Plaintiff's request to alter or amend that ruling under…

United States v. Gonzalez  
Date: January 31, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1597

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's federal drug-trafficking conviction and his twenty-year mandatory minimum recidivist sentence, holding that Defendant's claims on appeal lacked merit. A federal grand jury sitting…

Employees Retirement System v. Andalusian Global Designated, Employees Retirement System  
Date: January 30, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1699, 19-1700

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the Title III court granting summary judgment against Bondholders, who owned bonds issued in 2008 by the Employees Retirement System of the Government of the Commonwealth of…

US v. Veloz
Date: January 28, 2020
Docket Number: 17-2136
PC Puerto Rico, LLC v. Empresas Martinez Valentin Corp.  
Date: January 28, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2103

Justia Opinion Summary: In this appeal of a bankruptcy court's decision on the merits of all the claims before it the First Circuit dismissed in part Appellant's appeal from the district court's decision affirming the bankruptcy court rulings…

Daoud v. Barr  
Date: January 28, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1283

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit dismissed Petitioner's petition for review of a decision of the Bureau of Immigration Appeals (BIA) rejecting reopening and reconsideration of denial of relief from removal, holding that the limitations…

US v. Granados-Ortiz
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1354
Santana-Vargas v. Banco Santander Puerto Rico  
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1990

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court granting summary judgment to Defendants on Plaintiff's Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), 29 U.S.C. 621, and relinquishing supplemental jurisdiction…

Chum v. Coyne-Fague  
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2028

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court decision denying Appellant's petition for habeas corpus relief, holding that the state court's evaluation of Appellant's constitutional claim was not contrary to, nor…

Martinez v. Sun Life Assurance Co. of Canada  
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2127

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court in favor of Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada finding that Sun Life properly permitted an offset of Appellant's benefits under tis employer-sponsored…

United States v. Veloz  
Date: January 24, 2020
Docket Number: 17-2136

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction for conspiracy to commit kidnapping in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1201(c), for which Defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment, holding that Defendant's challenges to his…

United States v. Bregu  
Date: January 24, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1643

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute oxycodone, holding that the district court did not err in denying Defendant's motion to…

Paul v. Murphy  
Date: January 24, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2115

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court granting summary judgment to the Administrator of the United States General Services Administration (GSA) and dismissing the discrimination and retaliation…

Lambert v. Fiorentini  
Date: January 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1406

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed in part and vacated in part the judgment of the district court entered judgment for the pleadings on all of Plaintiff's claims, holding that Plaintiff's state certiorari claim did not fail to…

US v. Aybar-Ulloa
Date: January 21, 2020
Docket Number: 15-2377
United States v. Carpentino  
Date: January 17, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1969

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of interstate transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, holding that the district court did not err in denying Defendant's motion to…

O'Brien v. Deutsche Bank National Trust Co.  
Date: January 17, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1143

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of Plaintiff's claims alleging that Defendants violated the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 93A, and the Massachusetts Fair Debt…

APB Realty, Inc. v. Georgia-Pacific LLC  
Date: January 17, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1311

Justia Opinion Summary: In this breach of contract action the First Circuit affirmed as not clearly erroneous the district court's judgment in favor of Defendant after a bench trial finding no binding contract between the parties, holding that…

Hoolahan v. IBC Advanced Alloys Corp.  
Date: January 17, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1444

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court denying Appellant's motion to vacate an arbitrator's award, holding that Appellant's attack on the merits of the arbitral award was unavailing. IBC Advanced…

United States v. Rodriguez-Pacheco  
Date: January 15, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1391

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed Defendant's conviction, holding that the district court erred in denying Defendant's motion to suppress seized evidence because law enforcement officers' warrantless entry into the house where…

Garick v. Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
Date: January 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1431
Portland Pipe Line Corp. v. City of South Portland  
Date: January 10, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2118

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case involving a dispute between Portland Pipe Line Corporation (PPLC) and the City of South Portland (the City) the First Circuit certified three questions to the Maine Law Court because this clash raised…

United States v. Hercules  
Date: January 9, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1965

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence imposed in connection with his plea of guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to…

United States v. Santiago  
Date: January 3, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1802

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the sentence imposed in connection with Defendant's plea of guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, holding that Defendant's appeal waiver barred this…

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