2021 First Circuit US Court of Appeals Case Law

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of unlawful possession of a machine gun in violation of 18 U.S.C. 922(o), holding that there was sufficient evidence on which to convict Defendant and that the district…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's entry of a preliminary injunction against Skinner Services, Inc., and four individuals (collectively, Skinner) to prevent Skinner's acceleration of efforts to insulate…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentences that he received at hearings conducted via videoconference during the COVID-19 pandemic, holding that all but one of Defendant's challenges were waived or otherwise…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's convictions for several contraband-possession offenses, including being a felon in possession of a firearm, holding that there was no reversible error in the proceedings below.…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed in part and vacated in part the declaratory judgment and permanent injunction issued by the district court in this class action challenging the bond procedures used to detain noncitizen during…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's entry of summary judgment in favor of BB&S Acquisition Corp. in this case brought by the personal representative of the estate of George Forbes, who was killed in an…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court entering summary judgment against the political discrimination claims brought by Plaintiffs, former Automobile Accident Compensation Administration (AACA)…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, holding that the district court did not err by not…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the judgment of the district court dismissing Plaintiffs' securities fraud class action alleging that Carbonite, Inc. and certain current and former officers misled investors by touting a new…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's upwardly variant sentence imposed in connection with his conviction for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, holding that the sentence was neither…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the judgment of the district court requiring the parties to arbitrate their dispute in this case, holding that the district court erred in compelling arbitration. In 2000, Air-Con signed a…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence of eighty-four months' imprisonment imposed in connection with his plea of guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, holding that the sentence was neither…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court denying Defendant's motion for unconditional discharge, holding that there was no reversible error in the district court's decision. In 2009, Defendant was…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court dismissing Plaintiff's breach of contract lawsuit against the City of Santa Isabel, a Puerto Rico municipality, holding that the district court did not abuse…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's judgment denying Defendant's motion to suppress evidence obtained during the execution of a no-knock search warrant at the apartment where he and his girlfriend lived,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) reaffirming the issuance of an air permit to Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC for a natural gas compressor station…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied the petition filed by Petitioner, a native and citizen of Haiti, seeking review of an order of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) that affirmed the denial of Petitioner's application for…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the amended judgment of the district court amending the restitution portion of Defendant's sentence, holding that the district court was divested of jurisdiction over the restitution order once…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Defendant's motion for compassionate release, alleging "extraordinary and compelling" reasons pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 3582(c) 3582(c)(1)(A), as amended…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the order of the district court dismissing Plaintiff's federal claims seeking to hold private parties liable as state actors under 42 U.S.C. 1983, holding that the district court did not err in…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the judgment of the district court granting Defendant's motion to suppress evidence seized during a protective search of a car, holding that the actual-fear analysis set forth in United States…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction and sentence for conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, robbery, and discharging and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction for attempted illegal reentry into the United States, holding that the district court did not err in refusing Defendant's preferred jury instructions and did not abuse…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of two counts of mailing threatening communications through the United States Postal Service, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 876(c), holding that the evidence was sufficient…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court rejecting the claims of Plaintiffs John Doe and Ben Bloggs that their high school discipline was unconstitutional, holding that the district court properly…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the judgment of the district court granting Defendant's motion to dismiss this action seeking damages for injuries received in a boating accident, holding that this case was allowed to proceed…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed on a limited basis the district court's ruling that Plaintiffs suit must be dismissed for lack of personal jurisdiction, holding that dismissal was required. Plaintiff, a New York resident,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Petitioner's petition for a writ of habeas corpus seeking to overturn his 2010 New Hampshire conviction for aggravated felonious sexual assault,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the judgment of the judgment of the district court granting a motion to compel arbitration filed by the personal representative of the estate of a famous American artist (Estate), dismissing an…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this vaccination dispute, the First Circuit denied the motion brought by Appellants seeking an injunction pending appeal, holding that Appellants were not entitled to the injunction. Appellants, eight employees of…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of one count of knowingly distributing child pornography, holding that the district court did not err in excluding the testimony of Dr. Robert Weiss, a therapist and…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court entering three separate judgment opinions and orders against Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company (PRIDCO) in this action brought by the United States…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting two summary judgment motions in favor of Defendants in this class action lawsuit, holding that Defendants' actions in this case could not support a…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit granted in part and denied in part Petitioner's petition for review of the decisions of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) determining that Petitioner's previous conviction constituted a…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Appellant's motion to suppress evidence recovered during a traffic stop, holding that the district court did not err when it denied the motion to…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this dispute between the Maine lobster industry and the National Marine Fisheries Service (the Agency) over a rule barring frequently employed methods of lobstering the First Circuit granted the Agency's motion for a…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Defendants' joint motion to dismiss the charges against them on retrial, holding that the district court did not err. Defendants - Raymond Garraway…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the entry of summary judgment in this case brought by Plaintiff seeking relief from the termination of her benefits under the civil enforcement provision of the Employee Retirement Income…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of intentionally causing damage to a protected computer and conspiring to do the same, holding that there was no error, plain or otherwise, in the proceedings…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the order of the district court denying Lyft Inc.'s request to compel arbitration in this purported class action but affirmed the denials of preliminary injunctive relief, holding that the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of one count of possession of child pornography, holding that none of Defendant's claims on appeal had merit. Defendant, an employee of U.S. Customs and Border…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court sentencing Defendant to seventy-two months of incarceration in connection with his plea of guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the ruling of the district court rejecting Defendant's request for a Franks hearing before Defendant entered a conditional guilty plea to one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court ordering that Plaintiff's breach of contract claim be dismissed for failure to state a plausible claim and granting summary judgment for Defendants on all…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit dismissed one of the claims in Petitioner's petition for review of the decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) dismissing Petitioner's challenges to the denial of his asylum and withholding…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the federal convictions challenged on appeal by the two defendants in this case - Noel de Leon-De la Rosa and Juan Batista Johnson-Debel - holding that vacatur was required of Defendants'…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied the petition for judicial review sought by Petitioner in this case and upheld the order of removal against him, holding that the Agency's denial of asylum and other relief was supported by…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the judgment of the district court denying Defendant's motion to vacate her federal conviction and sentence on the grounds that her appellate counsel was constitutionally ineffective under…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the outcome relating to litigation concerning a loan agreement in the District of Puerto Rico in which the district court granted summary judgment to Plaintiff on its Puerto Rico law claims and…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Appellant's motion to dismiss the criminal proceedings against him, holding that Appellant was statutorily barred under 8 U.S.C. 1326(d) from bringing…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Defendant's motion for a mental competency examination and motion to withdraw his plea and then sentencing him for his offenses, holding that there…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Retirement System administers a pension plan for more than 12,000 retired Puerto Rican Electric Power Authority (PREPA) employees. Under the System's Bylaws, three trustees are selected by PREPA employees, three…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court approving an amended settlement agreement in this landmark Title IX case brought by a group of women student-athletes against Brown University claiming gender…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the ruling of the district court that there was no per se constitutional entitlement to a bond hearing after six months of detention and otherwise vacated the district court's declaratory and…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the rulings of the district court denying the Commission of the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services' motion to dismiss Plaintiffs' complaints against her, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the judgment of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) dismissing Appellant's appeal from a decision of an immigration judge (IJ) ordering him removed from the United States, holding that the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Defendant's motion under the First Step Act (codified as amended in scattered sections of 18 U.S.C., 21 U.S.C., and 34 U.S.C.) to reduce his sentence…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the district court's damages award and certain of its other rulings in this dispute between sophisticated parties concerning intellectual property rights, holding that the district court erred…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court convicting Defendant of three drug trafficking offenses after law enforcement officers discovered cocaine and heroin inside of his vehicle, holding that the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Appellants' request for a preliminary injunction to prevent enforcement of a regulation promulgated by Maine's Center for Disease Control requiring…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the rulings of the district court dismissing Plaintiff's claims alleging that his termination violated 42 U.S.C. 1983 and Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, holding that there…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the order of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) that affirmed the denial of Appellant's application for withholding of removal and protection under the Convention Against Torture (CAT),…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing this action for want of subject matter jurisdiction, holding that the district court did not err. AMTAX Holdings 227 LLC, joined by Tax Credit…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence imposed in connection with his conviction of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, holding that the sentencing outcome was defensible. Defendant…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendants' convictions of multiple counts of introducing through their work at the New England Compounding Center (NECC) "misbranded" drugs into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court awarding to the Commonwealth a letter written by Alexander Hamilton to the Marquis de Lafayette on July 21, 1780 that was the subject of a civil forfeiture…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court ruling against defendant Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and against Plaintiff's class action claims in this insurance dispute,…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this appeal arising out of an adversary action filed in a Chapter 11 proceeding in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts the First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the bankruptcy court allowing the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's consecutive upwardly variant sentences imposed in two criminal cases, holding that both sentences were procedurally and substantively reasonable. While on bail pending trial for…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's entry of summary judgment on Count I of Plaintiff's complaint seeking damages under 42 U.S.C. 1983 but reversed the entry of summary judgment on Count IX, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit dismissed this appeal from the district court's denial of Plaintiff's request for injunctive relief, holding that Plaintiff's claims were moot. During the initial stages of COVID-19 vaccine…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of Francis Lang's petition seeking a writ of habeas corpus to vacate his Massachusetts conviction for murder in the first degree, holding that the district court did…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this eviction action that was removed from a Massachusetts state court the First Circuit reversed the order of the district court ordering a remand in this case and directed the district court to retrieve the removed…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting Defendants' motion for summary judgment and dismissing Plaintiff's action against a police officer, police chief, and town alleging a violation of…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court entering summary judgment for Appellees and dismissing Appellant's complaint invoking 42 U.S.C. 1983 and claiming false arrest, malicious prosecution, civil…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the decision of the district court granting Appellants' motions brought under Fed. R. Crim. P. 29 for a post-verdict judgment of acquittal on the charge of conspiring to defraud the United…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's twelve-year sentence imposed in connection with his conviction for bank robbery, holding that none of Defendant's contentions on appeal had merit. A jury found Defendant guilty of…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendants' convictions connected with the murder of Steven DiSarro, holding that Defendants were not entitled to relief on their allegations of error. Defendants, Francis Salemme and Paul…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting summary judgment to Defendant and dismissing Plaintiff's action brought under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), 29 U.S.C. 1001 et…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court convicting Defendant of making false statements on certain government forms, theft of government property, and failing to disclose an event that affected…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the decision of the district court refusing to quash subpoenas seeking discovery from Rhode Island public officials and a state consultant, holding that Petitioners were entitled to a writ of…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Defendant's motion to suppress his federal New Hampshire prosecution on double jeopardy grounds, holding that Defendant's double jeopardy rights did…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court entering a final approval order approving a class settlement, holding that there was no error or abuse of discretion. James Robinson brought this class…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit dismissed Appellant's appeal of an order issued by the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the First Circuit (BAP) that found Appellant, a Chapter 7 debtor, had no standing to appeal a bankruptcy court order…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendants' convictions of one count each of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute one hundred grams or more of heroin and one count each of possession with intent…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the entry of an amended judgment entered in this medical malpractice case, holding that the district court erred in granting judgment as a matter of law. Plaintiffs, a couple and their minor…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the district court's grant of summary judgment in this action alleging disability discrimination under the Maine Human Rights Act and retaliation under the Maine Whistleblower Protection Act…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of possession of child pornography involving a minor who had not yet attained twelve years of age and sentence of twenty-eight months' imprisonment followed by a…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendants' cross-motions for summary judgment in this action challenging the denial of Plaintiff's application for a "permit to purchase" a firearm, holding that Defendant provided no basis on…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the ruling of the district court suppressing blood alcohol content evidence from a warrantless blood draw because no exigent circumstances were present, holding that the district court…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court rejecting Appellants' facial challenge to the Rhode Island comprehensive statutory scheme designed to increase transparency in regard to election-related…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying, without a hearing, Defendant's motion seeking a reduction of his sentence per the terms of the Fair Sentencing Act, Pub. L. No. 111-220, 2, 124 Stat.…

Justia Opinion Summary: In these cross-appeals, the First Circuit vacated the district court's opinion and order entered on September 30, 2017 and part of the amended judgment entered on September 19, 2019 and directed the entry of an amended…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated Defendant's conviction of attempted enticement of a minor for unlawful sexual activity, holding that the district court committed plain error in failing to give a jury instruction on the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's upwardly variant sixty-month sentence that followed his conviction on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a machine gun and the twenty-four-month…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the judgment of the district court against Bais Yaakov of Spring Valley, a small private high school on its action seeking injunctive relief and statutory damages against ACT, Inc., a non-profit…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed in part and vacated and remanded in part the decision of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of Defendants and dismissing Plaintiffs' complaint alleging that Defendants had…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court granting Appellee's petition for a writ of habeas corpus and ordering the immigration judge (IJ) to conduct a new bond hearing, holding that the district…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this appeal concerning the validity of a Transfer of Death Agreement (TOD agreement) executed by Alton L. Flanders, III, the First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court concluding that no reasonable jury…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of this suit challenging Massachusetts Governor Charles Baker's COVID-19 Order No. 43 as unconstitutional, holding that the case was moot. Bit Bar, which owned…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed in full the verdicts of the jury convicting the five defendants in this case on charges brought under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), 18 U.S.C. 1962(d) but…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the sentence imposed upon Defendant in connection with his conviction for aggravated Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO) conspiracy based on Massachusetts second-degree…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed in part and reversed in part the order of the district court granting Petitioner's petition for a writ of habeas corpus and ordering the immigration judge (IJ) to conduct a second bond hearing,…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this action brought by a group of twenty-five acute-care hospitals in Puerto Rico that received disproportionate share hospital payments (DHS payments) from the government, the First Circuit affirmed the decision of…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court refusing to exercise its discretion to provide compassionate release to Defendant under 18 U.S.C. 3582(c)(1)(A), as recently amended by the First Step Act…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated Defendant's sentence imposed after he entered a guilty plea to one count of machine-gun possession, holding that the district court failed to offer an adequate explanation for its upward…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated Defendant's forty-eight-month prison sentence that the district court imposed after Defendant entered a guilty plea to one count of firearm possession, holding that resentencing was required in…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated Defendant's sentence imposed in connection with her conviction for maintaining a drug-involved premises, holding that the lack of evidence on the critical issue in this case required that the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the sentence imposed in connection with Defendant's conviction for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiring to possess with intent to distribute the same, holding that there…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the First Circuit (BAP) dismissing this appeal as moot, holding that this appeal was moot. In 2019, Appellant refiled for chapter 13…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the PROMESA Title III court granting the motion of the Financial Oversight and Management Board to assume certain long-term power supply contracts on behalf of the Puerto Rico…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) Title III court allowing certain expenses incurred by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court summarily affirming an arbitration award dismissing Union Interacional UAW, Local 2415's wage grievance claim against Bacardi Corporation, holding that the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court judge confirming an arbitration award, holding that none of Appellant's legal theories for reversal were meritorious. KPJ Associates, LLC ran a daycare in…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated Defendant's eight-month sentence for unlawful reentry in violation of 8 U.S.C. 1326(a), holding that the bare criminal complaint did not provide reliable evidence to support the district court's…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district judge ordering a joint retrial of Roger Boncy and Joseph Baptiste in the interest of justice because neither defendant got a fair first trial, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit certified a question to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court pursuant to Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rule 1:03, holding that the outcome of this appeal depended upon a question of…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's final judgment against Plaintiffs on their claims that Uber Technologies competed unlawfully in the on-demand, ride-hail ground transportation in and around Boston,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the First Circuit (BAP) affirming the summary judgment entered by the bankruptcy court against the bankruptcy trustee (the Trustee) for an…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying the Internet and Television Association's (NCTA) request for declaratory and permanent injunctive relief from certain provisions of a Maine state law,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit confirmed the convictions of Carlos Velazquez-Fontanez and Jose D. Resto-Figueroa for various criminal offenses related to La Rompe ONU, a drug trafficking organization that operated in San Juan, Puerto…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court convicting three defendants of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO) conspiracy with a special finding that defendant Noe Salvador…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this action brought by EdgePoint Capital Holdings, LLC (EPCH) arising out of the sale of Apothecare Pharmacy, LLC, the First Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment in Apothecare's favor,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the judgment of the district court denying Defendant's motion to withdraw his plea of guilty to a variety of drug and firearm offenses and sentencing him to 160 months' imprisonment, holding…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction and sentence imposed after he pled guilty to drug and firearm conspiracy counts, holding that the district court did not err in concluding that Defendant was a manager or…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the sentence Defendant received upon resentencing after he was convicted on two drug-related charges, holding that there was no error in the proceedings. This Court previously vacated…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing Appellant's claims for mandamus and relief under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), vacated the dismissal of Appellant's equal protection and…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court sentencing Defendant to a 130-month term of immurement and refusing to grant him an offense-level reduction for acceptance of responsibility, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the order of the district court dismissing Plaintiff's suit brought against Defendant, his employer, asserting claims of age-based discrimination under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court in favor of Defendants, denying Plaintiff's motion for class certification, and denying Plaintiff's motion to file a third amended complaint, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting a preliminary injunction to the American Institute for Foreign Study, Inc. to enjoin class arbitration in this dispute with an au pair, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this en banc decision involving a real property dispute, the First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court holding that the "Penobscot Indian Reservation" (the Reservation) does not include the waters and…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the federal convictions and sentences of Defendants - Herzzon Sandoval, Edwin Guzman, Erick Argueta Larios, and Cesar Martinez - stemming from a federal criminal investigation into La Mara…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed in part and affirmed in part the judgment of the district court dismissing Plaintiff's complaint filed in connection with mother's estate, holding that the district court erred in granting the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the judgment of the district court dismissing this action against the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) under the citizen enforcement provision of the federal Clean Water Act…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this complaint alleging violations of the Clean Water Act (CWA), 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq., and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCA), 42 U.S.C. 6901 et seq., the First Circuit vacated the order of the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the drug conspiracy and distribution convictions of five members of a drug trafficking organization, holding that none of the issues raised by the five defendants translated into reversible…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Petitioner's petition for a writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. 2254, as amended by the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA),…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamines, holding that Defendant's challenges on appeal were unavailing. During a probation…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit dismissed this appeal arising in connection with a lawsuit alleging that the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is now part of the United States Constitution, holding that none of the plaintiffs met their…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied one of Petitioner's petitions for review of two decisions by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) but granted the other petition, holding that the government failed to prove that the BIA, in…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court concluding that no refund was due to Plaintiff after Defendant, Plaintiff's study abroad provider, cancelled the abroad portion of her program in response to…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction and sentence for one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and eight counts of aiding or assisting in the filing of a false tax return, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute entered after Defendant pled…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of four counts of wire fraud and one count of obstruction of justice and his 156-month incarcerate sentence, holding that Defendant was fairly tried before a competent…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court concluding that the board game "The Game of Life" qualified as a "work for hire" under the Copyright Act of 1909. This case stemmed from a dispute between…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's prison sentence for possessing with intent to distribute cocaine base, in violation of 21 U.S.C. 841(a), holding that Defendant invited any error in regards to his challenge to the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit rejected the efforts of the two defendants in this consolidated appeal to retroactively vacate the forfeiture judgment against them, holding that neither defendant was entitled to relief on their claims…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting Defendant's motion for judgment on the pleadings holding that this case came within the jurisdictional reach of the Labor Management Relations Act,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court holding that the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) were not subject to Appellants' Fifth…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's convictions and sentence for one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute heroin and one count of distribution of heroin, holding that Defendant…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit dismissed Plaintiffs' appeal for want of jurisdiction, holding that the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure (the bankruptcy rules), and not the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (the civil rules),…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the judgment of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of Defendant in this case alleging a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's convictions for possessing and aiding and abetting the possession of drugs with intent to distribute them and possessing and aiding and abetting the possession of a gun in…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the judgment of the district court imposing a five-year prison sentence upon Defendant for committing a federal firearms offense, holding that the district court erred in resolving what…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the order of the district court excluding two documents from the summary judgment record and granting summary judgment for Defendant on all of Plaintiff's claims, holding that the district…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Petitioners' petition for review from the decision of the Benefits Review Board affirming an administrative law judge's denial of Petitioners' claims for compensation under the Defense Base Act,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the Title III court holding that Claimants, who invested in mutual funds that owned bonds issued by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and filed proofs of claim in the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the judgment of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of Bautista Cayman Asset Company in its action for collection of monies and foreclosure of collateral against Fountainebleu…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence for several drug-related offenses, including violations of the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA), 46 U.S.C. 70503 and 70506, holding that the MDLEA offenses were…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit granted the application of the National Labor Relations Board for enforcement of one of its orders and struck those portions of the order requiring Maine Coast Regional Health Facilities, d/b/a Maine…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court granting summary judgment to Defendants - various prison officials, the Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC), and Plaintiff's prison physician - and…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing Plaintiff's suit against the United States under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), 28 U.S.C. 1346(b), 2671-2680, holding that the district court…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied in part and dismissed Petitioner's petition for judicial review challenging the decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) reversing an immigration judge's (IJ) grant of Petitioner's…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit resolved a portion of Appellant's appeal in this opinion addressing the district court's grant of summary judgment in favor of the Town of Brookline, Massachusetts, the Brookline Board of Selectmen, the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court convicting Defendants - James Stewart-Carrasquillo and Harold Esquilin-Montanez - of various narcotics offenses, holding that the evidence was sufficient to…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's convictions and sentence for three counts of perjury and two counts of fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents, holding that there was no reversible error in the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of one count of making a materially false statement to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1001(a)(2), holding that Defendant's arguments…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this admiralty proceeding arising out of the grounding and constructive total loss of a newly purchased yacht, the First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing certain third-party complaints…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying a preliminary injunction barring construction of Segment 1 of a planned five-segment electric transmission power corridor in Maine, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit summarily affirmed Appellant's sentence for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, holding that the forty-eight-month sentence represented a defensible result. On appeal, Defendant argued that the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court ruling that Appellant, a state prisoner, had not satisfied the good cause requirement for his failure to have exhausted his claim in state court, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing a subcontractor's suit against a construction contractor, holding that the district court did not err in relying on a forum selection clause in an…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing Plaintiff's lawsuit brought against Defendant, the local district attorney, after Plaintiff was terminated from his employment with a police…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit held that the district court correctly denied the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico's motions for reconsideration at issue in this appeal insofar as they might be construed as motions to apply an automatic…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the order of the district court requiring immediate payment of a $10,000 settlement sum by Defendant, the Secretary of Corrections to Puerto Rico, and remanded with instructions to stay…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting, in part, summary judgment in favor of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on its allegation that Appellants Jonathan Morrone…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court confirming an arbitration award denying the claims brought by Asociacion de Empleados del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico (AEELA), holding that the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit resolved a portion of Appellant's appeal in this opinion addressing the district court's grant of summary judgment in favor of the Town of Brookline, Massachusetts, the Brookeline Board of Selectmen,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of Hobbs Act robbery, murdering a person through the use of firearm during a crime of violence, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and being a…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the the district court's denial of Petitioner's petition filed pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 2255 to vacate, set aside, or correct his sentence, holding that the district court did not err in denying…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the sentences imposed on Defendant after he pleaded guilty to one count of illegally possessing a firearm in violation of 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1), holding that the sentences were substantively and…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting summary judgment to Defendant on Plaintiff's challenge to an arbitration award in favor of Defendant, holding that the district court did not…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of conspiracy to commit various financial crimes, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and converting government property, holding that Defendant was not entitled to…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the First Circuit (BAP) affirming the judgment of the bankruptcy court finding that Debtor defaulted on his obligation and refusing to grant…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Plaintiff's motion for an injunction preventing the implementation of a plan promulgated by the Boston Public Schools for admitting students to Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy, and John…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of Defendants and dismissing Blackstone Headwaters Coalition, Inc.'s complaint alleging that…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case arising from what the Social Security Administration (SAA) did to Appellants, Marie Pagan-Lisboa and Daniel Justiniano-Ramirez, after Jose Hernandez-Gonzalez and Samuel Torres-Crespo admitted to fraudulently…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this property dispute leading to a bankruptcy filing, the First Circuit held that a probate court's contempt proceedings and resultant penalties were excepted from an automatic stay and that the bankruptcy court did…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the judgment of the district court dismissing and this medical malpractice claim, holding that the lawsuit was timely filed and not outside the statute of limitations. The district court set…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court sentencing Defendant in connection with his plea of guilty to the federal crime of carjacking, 18 U.S.C. 2119, holding that the sentence was…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence of 135 months' imprisonment imposed in connection with his plea of guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine on board a…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing the claims brought by two unions, which represented public employees in Puerto Rico, and one of their members against the United States, the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment in favor of Defendants - the City of Framingham and Chief of the Framingham Police Department - in this Garcetti speech-retaliation and…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court revoking Defendant's supervised release on the underlying conviction of failing to register as a sex offender, in violation of federal law, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the order of the district court dismissing this appeal, holding that the district court erred both in refusing to enforce the contested agreement and in dismissing the case after effectively…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court sentencing Defendant to eighty-seven months for engaging in firearms trafficking without a license and conspiring to commit an offense against the United…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence of sixty months imprisonment for being a felon in possession of a firearm, holding that the district court did not abuse its discretion in sentencing…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of Marvic d/b/a Brady-Built Sunrooms (Marvic) and dismissing Cynthia Foss's state law claims, holding that the district…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of unlawful reentry into the United States, in violation of 8 U.S.C. 1326(a), holding that Defendant's claims of error were without merit. On appeal, Defendant…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this appeal arising from a contract action, the First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Appellants' post-trial request for a declaratory judgment, holding that the district court did not…

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 Appellant was not entitled to relief. Appellant was convicted in Massachusetts of…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the ruling of the district court denying Plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction in this case, holding that record lacked necessary findings and that remand was required. This case…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction for conspiring to commit drug trafficking offenses but remanded the case for resentencing, holding that the district court erred in imposing a two-level enhancement to…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated Defendant's convictions on six counts relating to public corruption in the Commonwealth, holding that the district court's refusal to sever Defendant's trial from that of one of her codefendants…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied the petition filed by Petitioner, a Salvadoran national, seeking judicial review of a decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) upholding an adverse decision by an immigration judge (IJ)…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Petitioner's petition for review of an order of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) denying Petitioner's motion to reopen the BIA's decision denying Petitioner's application for cancellation…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the order of the district court imposing a sanction against Appellant under Fed. R. Civ. P. 11, holding that the district court did not abuse its discretion. Appellant was a Massachusetts…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of one count of possession with intent to distribute various controlled substance and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of CVS Pharmacy, Inc. and dismissing this complaint involving a pharmacist's dispensation of a prescription that triggered…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the sentence imposed on Defendant after he pled guilty to unlawfully possessing a machine-gun, 18 U.S.C. 922(o), and being a felon in possession of a firearm, 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1), holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the decision of the district court refusing to enforce arbitration clauses in the employment agreement between New York Life Insurance Company and Ketler Bosse, which expressly required that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the order of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of Novo Nordisk Inc. and dismissing Plaintiffs' age discrimination claims, holding that the district court did not…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing the claims in Plaintiffs' complaint against WM Capital Management, Inc. and granting summary judgment in favor of WM Capital on its counterclaim,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. and dismissing Plaintiff's lawsuit claiming a violation of the Massachusetts Wage…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit dismissed this appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts denying Appellant's first preliminary injunction motion, holding that this Court had no appellate…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court granting summary judgment to Insurer and dismissing Insureds' suit seeking to force Insurer to pay for damages Hurricane Maria inflicted on their property,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting Handy Technologies, Inc.'s motion to dismiss this putative class action and to compel individual arbitration, holding that the district court did not…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's 2019 sentence in the District of Maine for one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent with distribute forty grams or more of fentanyl, holding that the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Petitioner's petition for relief from removal on the grounds of asylum, withholding of removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act, and protection under the United Nations Convention…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this civil forfeiture action against a 2008 33' Contender Model Tournament Vessel, the First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district judge striking Appellants' answer and claims and granted the government's…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district judge imposing three special conditions of supervised release after the revocation of Defendant's supervised release, holding that the special conditions were not…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Petitioners' petition for a writ of mandamus claiming that the district court erred in denying their bail application despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, holding that the petition was without…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's order denying Defendant's motion for resentencing, holding that the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying the motion. In 2008, Defendant pleaded guilty to…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the judgment of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) affirming the denial of Petitioner's application for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying the Municipality of Canovanas's Fed. R. Civ. P. 60(b) motion to overturn the default judgment entered for Plaintiffs on Plaintiffs' claims brought…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit dismissed this appeal of the district court's order sentencing Defendant to a seventy-eight-month term of immurement to be followed by five years of supervised release, holding that the court did not…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's eighteen-month sentence imposed for violating the conditions of his supervised release by committing a new crime, holding that Defendant had not suffered any prejudice from the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Defendant's appeal of his conviction for unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person in violation of 18 U.S.C. 922(g) and 924(a)(2), holding that the district court did not commit…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the trial court convicting Defendants - Rolando Millan-Machuca, Roberto Casado-Berrios, Miguel Rivera-Calcano, and Giordano Santana-Meledez - of racketeering and drug…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Defendant's motion to strike the federal government's notice of intent to seek the death penalty (Death Notice) that was untimely filed, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) denying Petitioner's request to reopen removal proceedings based on changed country circumstances, holding that the BIA's failure to…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court convicting Defendant of conspiracy to commit bank robbery, armed bank robbery, conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, and other offenses, holding that there…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing this putative class action complaint brought under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), 29 U.S.C. 1001 et seq., holding that the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit held that a conviction under 21 U.S.C. 846 for conspiring to commit a controlled substance offense qualifies as a conviction for a controlled substance offense under U.S.S.G. 4B1.2(b), even though…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Defendant's petition for habeas corpus relief under 28 U.S.C. 2255(a), holding that Defendant was not actually prejudiced by instructions given to the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the district court granting judgment in favor of Plaintiff in this discrimination and retaliation action, holding that Defendant was entitled to…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed in part and vacated in part the judgment of the judgment of the district court granting summary judgment to Defendants - police officers and their employer - on the basis of qualified immunity…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court granting Defendants' motion to dismiss this action brought under the civil portion of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), 18 U.S.C.…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the order of the Title III court denying relief from an automatic stay under 11 U.S.C. 362(d), holding that the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) Title III…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing Casco, Inc.'s claim for dolus under Article 1902 of the Puerto Rico Civil Code, P.R. Laws Ann. tit. 31, 3408, awarding relief to Casco on its…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit dismissed this appeal arising out of the Title III debt-restructuring proceedings commenced by the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico on behalf of the Puerto Rico Sales Tax…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting summary judgment to Gold Medal Bakery, Inc. and dismissing Robert Thompson's claims brought after he was fired, holding that the district court did…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the order of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of Lincare, Inc. and rejecting Jeffrey Joseph's racial discrimination challenge to the termination of his employment, holding…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case involving litigation over milk price regulation in Puerto Rico the First Circuit vacated the judgment of the district court granting ORIL's motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim and remanded to the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the convictions received by Defendants, three former employees of the New England Compounding Center (NECC), for a number of federal offenses related to aspects of NECC's operation that were…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the order of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) affirming the order of the immigration judge (IJ) denying Petitioner's application for withholding of removal, holding that the IJ and BIA…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this litigation surrounding the development of a gaming facility on the trust lands of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head, the Wampanoag Tribal Council of Gay Head, Inc., and the Aquinnah Wampanoag Gaming Corporation…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Appellant's petition to vacate his conviction and sentence stemming from a 2003 plea agreement for being a felon in possession of a firearm, holding…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction in the United States District Court for the District of Maine for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, holding that the district court did not err in…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the district court taxing Appellant with costs related to expert witnesses used at a jury trial that Appellant lost in his medical malpractice suit…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of unlawful possession of a firearm, holding that there was no error in the proceedings below. Law enforcement officers stopped Defendant as he drove by in a vehicle…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction for possession of child pornography, holding that the Government's evidence was sufficient to convict Defendant. The district court denied Defendant's motions for…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting a preliminary injunction against enforcement against a State of Maine law requiring cable operators to offer their subscribers the option of buying…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of Defendants, the City of Framingham and Brian Simoneau, in this lawsuit raising Massachusetts Whistleblower Act claims…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the bankruptcy court declaring a foreclosure void and awarding Appellant damages but denying relief on her remaining claims, holding that Appellant's challenges on appeal were…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated the order of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) affirming the determination of an immigration judge (IJ) that Petitioners, a husband and wife who were natives and citizens of Brazil, were…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit reversed the decision of the district court granting Defendant's motion to suppress the evidence discovered during an inventory search of a vehicle that a Massachusetts State Police trooper stopped on a…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court revoking Defendant's supervised release and sentencing him to six months of imprisonment and an additional eight years of supervised release, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this civil rights action alleging violations of 42 U.S.C. 1981, 1983, and 1985, the First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing with prejudice Plaintiff's claims against Stanley Spiegel and…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, holding that the district court did not err in sentencing Defendant but should have provided a sealed copy of the written…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated Defendant's sentence and remanded this case for resentencing, holding that the district court must recalculate the Guidelines sentencing range. Defendant pleaded guilty to charges of…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Appellants' motion to intervene in the underlying suit involving a challenge to the U.S. Department of Education's recent promulgation of a challenged…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this appeal arising from a lawsuit brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Puerto Rico Civil Rights Act the First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court denying Plaintiffs'…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, holding that the district court did not err in concluding that the police officers had reasonable…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the ruling of the district court approving a consent decree to which Appellants, three companies, were not parties but that had been entered into by certain federal agencies, Emhart Industries,…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this contract dispute under Massachusetts law between Dahua Technology USA Inc. and Feng Zhang, Dahua's former employee, the First Circuit vacated the district court's grant of summary judgment in favor of Dahua,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction and sentence imposed after he pled guilty to six counts stemming from a robbery of a federal confidential informant during a guns-for-cash deal, holding that Defendant…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court revoking Defendant's supervised release after he was acquitted of a criminal assault charge arising from the same incident leading to his revocation, holding…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this action brought under the Railway Labor Act (RLA), 45 U.S.C. 151 et seq., the First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing Plaintiff's claim against American Airlines, Inc. and later…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this appeal and cross-appeal stemming from litigation that followed the termination of an almost forty-year business relationship between a company that manufactured and supplied soup base products (Manufacturer) and…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this appeal concerning the scope and reach of 28 U.S.C. 1963 - a statute permitting the registration of certain judgment in a federal district court - the First Circuit affirmed the district court's judgment…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of Employer and dismissing Employee's claims for retaliation in violation of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), 29…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this civil action brought by plaintiffs seeking to enjoin policies governing searches of electronic devices at the United States' borders, the First Circuit found no violations of either the Fourth Amendment or the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit denied Petitioner's petition for judicial review seeking to set aside the decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) affirming the denial of his application for asylum, withholding of removal,…

Justia Opinion Summary: In these three consolidated appeals arising out of the Title III debt-restructuring proceedings brought by the Financial Oversight and Management Board (Board) for Puerto Rico on behalf of the Puerto Rico Sales Tax…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court upholding the jury verdict awarding Plaintiff compensatory on his claims of failure to accommodate his disability at work but remitting the jury's punitive…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit granted Petitioner's petition for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals' (BIA) denial of his motion to reopen his removal proceedings and to remand to the immigration judge (IJ) for further…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court convicting Defendant of committing, or aiding and abetting others in committing, the crimes of RICO conspiracy, drug conspiracy, and other crimes, holding…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the order of the district court granting summary judgment to the government on all of Plaintiff's claims, holding that summary judgment was properly granted on Plaintiff's sex discrimination…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction for two counts of drug trafficking in international waters while aboard a stateless vessel in violation of the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA), 46 U.S.C.…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of Defendant's motion for judgment as a matter of law and for a new trial in this civil enforcement action brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission, holding…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the order of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of the City of Boston and the Commissioner of Boston's Property Management Department (collectively, the City) as to…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit held that the Wire Act's prohibitions are limited to interstate wire communications related to bets or wagers on sporting events or contests, thus affirming the district court's grant of Plaintiffs'…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of Petitioner's petition under 28 U.S.C. 2255 to vacate his sentence on the basis that he received ineffective assistance of counsel regarding his rejection of a…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgments of the lower courts dismissing Plaintiff's wrongful death and civil rights claims against the Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police Colonel Timothy Alben for failure to…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this dispute between a boat owner and his insurance company, the First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court in favor of the insurer, holding that the district court properly applied the doctrine of…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court refusing to enter Plaintiffs' requested preliminary injunction, holding that the district court correctly held that Plaintiffs failed to demonstrate a…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentences imposed in connection with his guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm, holding that the sentences were procedurally and substantively…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this appeal arising out of a lawsuit for damages that Plaintiff brought against three defendants in connection with the drowning deaths of her husband and son, the First Circuit reversed the judgment of the district…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the district court's order granting the government's request to garnish Appellant's husband's 401(k) account and apply the proceeds to his nearly four million dollar criminal restitution…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decisions of the district court in these appeals challenging the court's discretionary rulings in connection with a request under 28 U.S.C. 1782 to conduct court-ordered discovery for use…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this appeal from the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) Title III court in Puerto Rico the First Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Petitioner's mandamus petition for failure to…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this consolidated appeal brought by Appellant to contest the sentences he received in two separate cases, the First Circuit affirmed the sentences, holding that there was no error or abuse of discretion. In the first…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute drugs and one count of possessing a firearm as an alien unlawfully present in the United…

Justia Opinion Summary: In these consolidated appeals the First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence imposed following his conviction on the charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and Defendant's sentence imposed following the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's sentence imposed in connection with his plea of guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a felon, holding that the sentence was reasonable. After Defendant pleaded guilty,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court granting the government's motion in limine to admit a recording of a 911 call placed by Defendant's girlfriend, holding that the Confrontation Clause was not…

Justia Opinion Summary: In these consolidated cases, the First Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court rejecting Plaintiffs' suits seeking to enjoin the enforcement of Section 12616 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, which…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the order of the district court granting summary judgment against Matthew White and for Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HP), White's former employer, on White's claims based on Maine employment…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of possession of child pornography and sentence of ninety-six months' imprisonment followed by lifetime supervised release, holding that Defendant's arguments on appeal…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the order of the district court granting summary judgment against Plaintiff, acting as the personal representative of the estate of Ambrosia Fagre (Amber), on claims related to Amber's death,…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this insurance dispute, the First Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment to Ameriprise Auto & Home Insurance, holding that the arguments on appeal brought by Government Employees Insurance…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit vacated and remanded the ruling of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) denying Petitioner's claims for asylum and withholding of removal, holding that substantial evidence did not support the BIA's…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Mother's petition under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction for return of her son (Child) to Venezuela from the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court granting Petitioner's habeas corpus petition after the Dominican Republic requested Petitioner for extradition, holding that the United States failed to file…

Justia Opinion Summary: The First Circuit affirmed Defendant's conviction of two counts of making false statements during the purchase of a firearm and one count of making a false statement in a record required to be kept by federal law,…