2025 Tenth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals Case Law
Date: May 21, 2025
Docket Number: 24-4052
Date: May 13, 2025
Docket Number: 23-2178
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant Xavier Zamora, then seventeen, shot and killed Jose Hernandez, a U.S. postal worker, during a domestic dispute with his mother. The United States charged Zamora as a juvenile under the Federal Juvenile…
Date: May 13, 2025
Docket Number: 24-2097
Justia Opinion Summary: The defendant was convicted of illegally reentering the United States, which under 8 U.S.C. § 1326(b) carries a maximum sentence that depends on the defendant’s criminal history. Without a prior felony, the maximum is…
Date: May 12, 2025
Docket Number: 23-2017
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2016, an anonymous user uploaded child pornography images to Chatstep, an internet chatroom service. Chatstep identified and reported the uploads to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) using…
Date: May 12, 2025
Docket Number: 24-6052
Justia Opinion Summary: Brandon Richardson was sentenced to 182 months in prison in Missouri for federal firearm and drug convictions. Subsequently, he was transported to Oklahoma to face a federal charge of illegal possession of a firearm.…
Date: May 12, 2025
Docket Number: 24-9511
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves two Utah corporations, 3484, Inc. and 3486, Inc., created by film producer David Wulf to produce Hallmark movies. The companies shared personnel, including Jennifer Ricci and Brett Miller, who were…
Date: May 9, 2025
Docket Number: 24-1187
Justia Opinion Summary: Two environmental groups, WildEarth Guardians and Western Watersheds Project, challenged a decision by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to open new domestic sheep grazing allotments, known as the Wishbone Allotments, in…
Date: May 6, 2025
Docket Number: 23-7088
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves Kevin Ray Ward, who was convicted of participating in a violent attack on three men returning from a fishing trip in Indian Country. After his arrest, Ward admitted to participating in the attack but…
Date: May 6, 2025
Docket Number: 24-2066
Justia Opinion Summary: Stefan Green, a South African citizen, applied for an R-1 visa to serve as a worship leader at Calvary Albuquerque, Inc., a non-profit church in New Mexico. His application was denied by a consular officer, leading…
Date: May 6, 2025
Docket Number: 24-7010
Justia Opinion Summary: Loretta Mauldin, an employee at the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant (MCAAP) since 1991, filed a lawsuit against the Secretary of the United States Department of the Army. Mauldin, who was born in 1958, claimed…
Date: May 5, 2025
Docket Number: 24-5070
Justia Opinion Summary: Mr. Jorge Martinez was fatally shot by Officer Cheyenne Lee while being served with an emergency protective order. The incident began when Officer Lee arrived at Mr. Martinez's home, and a family member informed him that…
Date: May 2, 2025
Docket Number: 23-5084
Justia Opinion Summary: In September 2022, the defendant used a short-term rental home in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to distribute fentanyl pills. The rental was booked by an unindicted female co-conspirator through Airbnb.com. The property manager,…
Date: May 2, 2025
Docket Number: 24-1273
Justia Opinion Summary: PorterCare Adventist Health Systems had inadequate surgical-sterilization procedures for about two years, leading to over $40 million in liability from thousands of patients' claims. PorterCare sought coverage from…
Date: April 30, 2025
Docket Number: 24-6015
Justia Opinion Summary: Alexander William Santiago was convicted of production and possession of child pornography and sentenced to 240 months and 120 months imprisonment, respectively, to run consecutively. Santiago appealed, arguing that the…
Date: April 29, 2025
Docket Number: 24-3043
Justia Opinion Summary: Kenya Watkins, a Black woman, was employed by Genesh, Inc., d/b/a Burger King, from August 2014 to August 2015. She alleged that her manager verbally, physically, and sexually harassed her, including forcing her into a…
Date: April 28, 2025
Docket Number: 23-9503
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves the Center for Biological Diversity challenging the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) approval of Colorado's revised implementation plan for ambient air quality standards. Colorado…
Date: April 28, 2025
Docket Number: 24-2035
Justia Opinion Summary: Clifton White, the plaintiff, claimed that officials from the New Mexico Corrections Department unlawfully detained him beyond his release date. White argued that his sentence for violating probation was wrongfully…
Date: April 25, 2025
Docket Number: 23-3136
Justia Opinion Summary: Larry Lawson, former CEO of Spirit AeroSystems, Inc., retired and entered into a Retirement Agreement with Spirit, which allowed him to continue vesting in long-term incentive stock awards as if he were an active…
Date: April 23, 2025
Docket Number: 23-2058
Justia Opinion Summary: Gerald Silver filed a putative class action against the City of Albuquerque, alleging that the City violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) by making pre-recorded phone calls to invite residents to virtual…
Date: April 23, 2025
Docket Number: 23-2133
Date: April 22, 2025
Docket Number: 23-1021
Justia Opinion Summary: Bruce Holder was accused of running a fentanyl distribution ring in western Colorado, distributing thousands of counterfeit pills resembling oxycodone. He was convicted of four federal drug crimes, including charges…
Date: April 22, 2025
Docket Number: 23-1108
Justia Opinion Summary: Dedric Mayfield, a felon, was convicted by a jury of possessing ammunition in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) after being recorded by a police-operated camera firing a handgun during an altercation. Mayfield had five…
Date: April 22, 2025
Docket Number: 23-1397
Justia Opinion Summary: A police officer, Mathew Grashorn, shot a dog named Herkimer after responding to a business owner's call about a truck in a parking lot after hours. Upon arrival, Officer Grashorn saw the truck and two dogs, Bubba and…
Date: April 22, 2025
Docket Number: 23-4125
Justia Opinion Summary: Patrick Harmon was stopped by Salt Lake City police officer Kris Smith for a traffic violation while riding a bicycle. Harmon provided a false name, but Officer Smith identified him and discovered an active felony…
Date: April 22, 2025
Docket Number: 23-7087
Justia Opinion Summary: George Smith was convicted of first-degree murder and causing the death of another during the commission of a firearm offense. On April 8, 2021, Smith spent the day with his great-uncle, Jimmy Arthur, and later that…
Date: April 22, 2025
Docket Number: 24-1254
Justia Opinion Summary: C.L., a twelve-year-old student, was invited by her teacher, Jenna Riep, to an after-school art club meeting, which turned out to be a Gender and Sexualities Alliance (GSA) meeting. During the meeting, a guest speaker,…
Date: April 22, 2025
Docket Number: 24-5089
Justia Opinion Summary: Michael Hooper, a former employee of Double Eagle Alloys, Inc., left the company to join competitor Ace Alloys, LLC, taking with him 2,660 digital files containing Double Eagle’s business information. Double Eagle…
Date: April 18, 2025
Docket Number: 23-7057
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves Early Willard Woodmore, III, who was convicted for his role in a methamphetamine distribution enterprise in eastern Oklahoma. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began investigating the Woodmore…
Date: April 18, 2025
Docket Number: 24-1188
Justia Opinion Summary: K.A. and C.P. were married and had three daughters. Their marriage ended in divorce, and the Arapahoe County Department of Human Services (ACDHS) initiated actions against K.A. regarding her relationships with her…
Date: April 15, 2025
Docket Number: 23-8032
Justia Opinion Summary: Federal law criminalizes the possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Jorge Enrique Barragan-Gutierrez was indicted for this crime after a firearm and drugs were found in his home. He admitted to…
Date: April 15, 2025
Docket Number: 24-4006
Justia Opinion Summary: Brandon K. Thompson was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The incident occurred when employees at an AT&T store in Sandy, Utah, noticed Thompson tampering with Apple watches. After confronting him…
Date: April 15, 2025
Docket Number: 24-6026
Justia Opinion Summary: Germaine Coulter was found guilty of child sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit child sex trafficking, resulting in a 360-month imprisonment sentence. The district court ordered Coulter to pay $386,000 in restitution…
Date: April 11, 2025
Docket Number: 23-1018
Justia Opinion Summary: David Knellinger and Robert Storey discovered that the state of Colorado had taken possession of their property under the Revised Uniform Unclaimed Property Act (RUUPA). They filed a lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983,…
Date: April 9, 2025
Docket Number: 24-6124
Justia Opinion Summary: Two elderly individuals, Ms. Penelope Lamle and Ms. Maxine Houston, applied for Medicaid but faced delays and additional questions from the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, allegedly directed by attorney Susan…
Date: April 8, 2025
Docket Number: 23-5064
Justia Opinion Summary: Derek Ray Flaming was convicted of distribution and receipt of obscene visual representations of sexual abuse of children, aggravated sexual abuse, and attempting to cause a minor to engage in a sexual act by placing her…
Date: April 4, 2025
Docket Number: 23-2076
Justia Opinion Summary: Luis Gutierrez was arrested in May 2020 after New Mexico state officers found a loaded, stolen pistol in his motel room. He was charged with both federal and state crimes. In October 2021, he pleaded guilty to two counts…
Date: April 4, 2025
Docket Number: 24-4014
Date: April 2, 2025
Docket Number: 23-3273
Justia Opinion Summary: Gary Jordan, the defendant, pled guilty to armed bank robbery and other crimes, receiving a thirty-year prison sentence. After his plea, he discovered that prosecutors had recorded his attorney-client meetings before he…
Date: March 31, 2025
Docket Number: 24-1022
Justia Opinion Summary: Stacie Culp and Stephanie Peters, both servers at Remington of Montrose Golf Club, LLC, alleged they were sexually harassed by bartender Jason DeSalvo. They filed claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964…
Date: March 26, 2025
Docket Number: 23-8056
Justia Opinion Summary: The defendant was indicted on charges of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute. He reached a plea agreement with the government to plead guilty to the…
Date: March 25, 2025
Docket Number: 23-8046
Justia Opinion Summary: HollyFrontier Cheyenne Refining, LLC transitioned a petroleum refinery into a renewable diesel production facility in 2021. During this transition, HollyFrontier reassigned work from hourly workers to salaried employees…
Date: March 19, 2025
Docket Number: 24-1257
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves Plaintiff Tyler Luethje, who filed a § 1983 complaint against Defendants Travis Kyle and Scott Kelly, both employed by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. On February 11, 2022, the deputies responded…
Date: March 18, 2025
Docket Number: 22-2092
Justia Opinion Summary: Charles Warner was convicted in federal district court in New Mexico for being a felon in possession of a firearm and dealing in firearms without a license. Warner appealed his conviction on four grounds: he argued that…
Date: March 18, 2025
Docket Number: 23-2121
Justia Opinion Summary: Mr. Martin Lopez was convicted of carjacking and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. The incident involved Mr. Lopez, his girlfriend, and her friend. The government claimed Mr. Lopez attempted to…
Date: March 18, 2025
Docket Number: 23-7084
Justia Opinion Summary: Lance Maytubby was called to the police station by Officer T.J. White to answer questions regarding accusations of sexual abuse made by his nieces, R.L. and Z.L. During the interview, Officer White informed Maytubby that…
Date: March 18, 2025
Docket Number: 23-8043
Justia Opinion Summary: Iron Bar Holdings, LLC, a private landowner in Wyoming, owns a checkerboarded ranch interspersed with federal and state public lands. The only way to access these public lands, other than by aircraft, is by…
Date: March 13, 2025
Docket Number: 24-2044
Date: March 12, 2025
Docket Number: 24-2074
Justia Opinion Summary: A Mexican citizen, Ismael Vazquez-Garcia, was sentenced to 48 months for illegal reentry after being found by Border Patrol agents in New Mexico. He had previously been removed from the U.S. following a 2018 child-abuse…
Date: March 11, 2025
Docket Number: 23-2190
Justia Opinion Summary: Manuel Lucero III, a convicted felon, pled guilty to one count of felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. At his sentencing, the district court denied his motion for continuance and sentenced him to 120 months…
Date: March 11, 2025
Docket Number: 23-9589
Justia Opinion Summary: Amarjeet Singh, a native and citizen of India, sought asylum in the United States, claiming that he faced persecution in India due to his political affiliation with the Mann party, a Sikh nationalist group. Singh…
Date: March 10, 2025
Docket Number: 22-2139
Justia Opinion Summary: Two plaintiffs created a Facebook page to discuss school-related matters in the Los Lunas School District. The Superintendent, Dana Sanders, found the page problematic and took actions including investigating the page,…
Date: March 10, 2025
Docket Number: 23-1240
Justia Opinion Summary: Joseph Gaye called 911 from his office, claiming he had been shot by a masked intruder. When officers arrived, they found no signs of forced entry or another person, but did find a bullet casing on Gaye's desk.…
Date: March 10, 2025
Docket Number: 24-3078
Justia Opinion Summary: Tegan C. Gulley served a three-year term of supervised release after being convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Five days before his supervised release term expired, a petition to revoke his supervised…
Date: March 5, 2025
Docket Number: 24-2059
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves the suppression of DNA evidence obtained through a search warrant. The warrant affidavit included a false statement made by New Mexico Highlands University Police Chief Clarence Romero to FBI Agent…
Date: March 4, 2025
Docket Number: 23-7038
Justia Opinion Summary: Anthony Brian Walker, a member of the Chickasaw Nation, was convicted of first-degree murder in Indian Country after an altercation with three teenagers in Ada, Oklahoma. On November 29, 2021, Walker was riding his…
Date: March 4, 2025
Docket Number: 23-9565
Justia Opinion Summary: The Center for Biological Diversity and 350 Colorado challenged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that partially approved Colorado’s plan to reduce ozone pollution. The Clean Air Act required Colorado to…
Date: March 4, 2025
Docket Number: 24-1047
Justia Opinion Summary: Fiorisce, LLC, a limited liability company, filed a qui tam lawsuit against Colorado Technical University (CTU) under the False Claims Act (FCA), alleging that CTU misrepresented compliance with federal credit hour…
Date: March 3, 2025
Docket Number: 22-9578
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) second attempt to regulate small, high-powered magnets that pose serious health risks to children when ingested. These magnets, used in various consumer…
Date: February 27, 2025
Docket Number: 23-2123
Date: February 27, 2025
Docket Number: 23-2189
Justia Opinion Summary: Christopher Kee was convicted of assault with a dangerous weapon in Indian country following an altercation with his then-girlfriend, Candace Chinchillas, in April 2020. The couple had a tumultuous relationship marked by…
Date: February 25, 2025
Docket Number: 23-7041
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant William Clayton Brown, while under the influence of methamphetamine, broke into a locked bathroom and fatally stabbed Damion Martin, who was embracing Brown's sister, Lacie Watson. Brown claimed he believed…
Date: February 25, 2025
Docket Number: 24-5018
Justia Opinion Summary: Coti D’Shayne Davis pled guilty to failing to register as a sex offender and was sentenced to 87 months’ imprisonment followed by 10 years of supervised release. In a prior appeal, the Tenth Circuit remanded the case to…
Date: February 25, 2025
Docket Number: 24-6034
Justia Opinion Summary: Jimmy Lee Brooks was convicted by a jury of being a felon in possession of ammunition and witness tampering. The incident involved Brooks becoming irate at a beauty supply store, threatening his girlfriend S.J. with a…
Date: February 24, 2025
Docket Number: 23-1248
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves a dispute over liability-insurance coverage between the plaintiffs, New Hampshire Insurance Company and National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, PA, and the defendants, TSG Ski & Golf, LLC,…
Date: February 24, 2025
Docket Number: 23-2159
Justia Opinion Summary: Amelia Baca, a 75-year-old woman with dementia, was fatally shot by Officer Jared Cosper in Las Cruces, New Mexico. On April 16, 2022, Baca's daughter called 911, reporting that Baca had become aggressive and threatened…
Date: February 24, 2025
Docket Number: 23-3232
Justia Opinion Summary: Ricky Koel sought emergency care at Citizens Medical Center in Colby, Kansas, after sustaining serious injuries to his right eye. He was evaluated by a triage nurse, a physician assistant, and Dr. Daniel Kuhlman, who…
Date: February 24, 2025
Docket Number: 23-9570
Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioners Jason Fabrizius and Fabrizius Livestock LLC sought review of a USDA Judicial Officer's order that denied their appeal of two USDA ALJ orders. The ALJ found Fabrizius Livestock responsible for ensuring animals…
Date: February 24, 2025
Docket Number: 24-2025
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant Ted Joseph Valdez was involved in a conspiracy to transport two undocumented immigrants within the United States. After a car accident, he moved to Mexico and later accepted an offer to drive the immigrants for…
Date: February 24, 2025
Docket Number: 24-2027
Justia Opinion Summary: A deputy sheriff from Doña Ana County, New Mexico, fatally shot Diego Eguino-Alcala during a standoff. The personal representative of Eguino-Alcala’s estate (the “Estate”) filed a lawsuit alleging excessive force and…
Date: February 21, 2025
Docket Number: 22-7051
Justia Opinion Summary: David Leroy Earls was convicted by a jury on three counts of engaging in a sex act with a person incapable of appraising the nature of the conduct, specifically the intellectually disabled daughter of his long-time…
Date: February 21, 2025
Docket Number: 24-7056
Date: February 20, 2025
Docket Number: 23-1360
Justia Opinion Summary: Jason Waterhouse, high on methamphetamine, barricaded himself in his sister's basement and started a fire when Lakewood Police Department officers arrived. After an hour of failed negotiations, seven officers entered the…
Date: February 19, 2025
Docket Number: 23-1135
Justia Opinion Summary: A transgender woman, Darlene Griffith, filed a civil rights lawsuit regarding her pretrial confinement at the El Paso County Jail in Colorado. She alleged that the jail's policies, which assigned housing based on…
Date: February 19, 2025
Docket Number: 23-1349
Justia Opinion Summary: Atlantic Richfield Company acquired a mine in Colorado, which had been leaking sulfuric acid into a nearby river. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) intervened in 2000 to stabilize the situation, but the leaks…
Date: February 19, 2025
Docket Number: 23-5008
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2017, Raymond Lee Goldesberry's daughter, K.G., who was almost 12 years old, entered her parents' bedroom after a nightmare and climbed into bed next to her father, who was asleep. During the night, K.G. awoke to find…
Date: February 19, 2025
Docket Number: 24-3134
Justia Opinion Summary: Cledale Caldwell pled guilty to failing to register as a sex offender, a federal offense that spanned 13 months. During this period, he was convicted and sentenced for two separate offenses in Oklahoma. At sentencing for…
Date: February 14, 2025
Docket Number: 22-7054
Justia Opinion Summary: Savanaha Works, a former inmate at Pushmataha County jail in Oklahoma, filed a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action against detention officer Timothy Byers, alleging that he violated her Eighth Amendment rights by sexually assaulting…
Date: February 4, 2025
Docket Number: 23-1361
Date: January 28, 2025
Docket Number: 23-7061
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant Stetson Bruce was convicted of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse in Indian country for sexually abusing his five-year-old son, R.W. The trial included testimony from R.W. and his half-sister, E.R., who…
Date: January 28, 2025
Docket Number: 24-2033
Justia Opinion Summary: A fire destroyed the Chimayo post office in New Mexico, which was leased by Thomas Workman to the United States Postal Service (USPS). Workman filed a petition under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 27 in the United…
Date: January 22, 2025
Docket Number: 23-7044
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves Calvin Woodmore, who was convicted for his role in a methamphetamine-trafficking ring in eastern Oklahoma. Woodmore was found guilty of conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, conspiracy to commit money…
Date: January 21, 2025
Docket Number: 23-1344
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves the certification process for Surgical Technologists and Surgical Assistants, who assist surgeons in the operating room. The Association of Surgical Technologists (AST) represents Technologists, and the…
Date: January 17, 2025
Docket Number: 24-3015
Justia Opinion Summary: Law enforcement identified the defendant as a supplier of methamphetamine and fentanyl in a drug-trafficking conspiracy in Kansas City. After seizing three pounds of methamphetamine from a car en route to the defendant,…
Date: January 16, 2025
Docket Number: 23-7047
Justia Opinion Summary: Wendy Johnson pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter after causing the death of Stephanie Heneha-Roubidoux in a drunk-driving accident. The government sought criminal restitution for Stephanie’s lost income,…
Date: January 16, 2025
Docket Number: 24-8015
Date: January 15, 2025
Docket Number: 24-1318
Date: January 14, 2025
Docket Number: 23-3172
Justia Opinion Summary: Pascual A. Ruiz Jr. was convicted after pleading guilty to one count of possession of ammunition by a prohibited person in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). In his plea agreement, the government promised to recommend a…
Date: January 14, 2025
Docket Number: 24-7016
Justia Opinion Summary: Marci Walkingstick Dixon, a Native American woman and member of the Cherokee Nation, worked at Northeastern State University (NSU) in the Information Technology Services Department. After being supervised by Dr. Richard…
Date: January 7, 2025
Docket Number: 23-3126
Justia Opinion Summary: Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. implemented a reduction-in-force (RIF) that resulted in the termination of 271 employees. Several of these former employees filed a collective action lawsuit against Spirit, alleging age…
Date: January 7, 2025
Docket Number: 23-5133
Justia Opinion Summary: Wayne Brown, a Tulsa police officer, was terminated after a private citizen, Marq Lewis, brought several of Brown's old Facebook posts to the attention of the City of Tulsa and the Tulsa Police Department. The posts…
Date: January 7, 2025
Docket Number: 24-6002
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs, a group of hospice service providers in Oklahoma, sued Defendant Axxess Technology Solutions, Inc. for breach of contract, alleging that Axxess failed to properly process claims, resulting in non-payment for…
Date: January 3, 2025
Docket Number: 23-1095
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