2021 Sixth Circuit US Court of Appeals Case Law
Opinions 501 - 1000 of 1159
Date: July 28, 2021
Docket Number: 21-3514
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs are three Ohioans who tried to get initiatives to decriminalize marijuana on local ballots. Soon after they filed their proposed initiatives for November 2020 ballots, Ohio declared a state of emergency…
Date: July 26, 2021
Docket Number: 20-3330
Justia Opinion Summary: Hollins-Johnson pleaded guilty to student loan fraud and theft of government funds, conspiracy to commit those crimes, making false statements to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and witness…
Date: July 26, 2021
Docket Number: 20-4165
Justia Opinion Summary: The plaintiffs, captains in Cleveland’s Emergency Medical Service division, belong to the same union; all are black. Each fall, captains bid on their schedules for the upcoming year. The city uses a seniority-based…
Date: July 22, 2021
Docket Number: 19-4146
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2008, another inmate, Macari, assaulted Himmelreich, who had pleaded guilty to producing child pornography, Himmelreich alleges that Macari was placed in the general population despite making comments about targeting…
Date: July 21, 2021
Docket Number: 20-5944
Justia Opinion Summary: Rowland brought claims arising from injuries she sustained while incarcerated. The district court entered partial summary judgment in favor of the defendants on Rowland’s 42 U.S.C. 1983 and punitive damages claims. After…
Date: July 20, 2021
Docket Number: 21-1083
Justia Opinion Summary: Kensu, a resident of the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC), was sentenced to life imprisonment for first-degree murder. He has filed several actions under 42 U.S.C. 1983 during his sentence; he won $325,002…
Date: July 19, 2021
Docket Number: 19-3919
Justia Opinion Summary: Pioch and co-defendants were convicted based on their scheme to defraud the multimillion-dollar estate of an elderly widower. Pioch was sentenced to 111 months’ imprisonment with a special assessment of $3,700 and…
Date: July 16, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1652
Justia Opinion Summary: Sands pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. The PSR recommended a four-level sentencing enhancement because the firearm had an altered or obliterated serial number, U.S.S.G. 2K2.1(b)(4)(B).. The…
Date: July 16, 2021
Docket Number: 20-3938
Justia Opinion Summary: Sanchez immigrated from Honduras in 1994 and became a lawful permanent resident when he married a U.S. citizen. In 1999, Sanchez pleaded guilty to sexual battery in Ohio. He was ordered removed because sexual battery is…
Date: July 15, 2021
Docket Number: 20-2002
Justia Opinion Summary: Michigan attorneys, like those in most other states, must join an integrated bar association in order to practice law. Taylor, a Michigan attorney, argued that requiring her to join the State Bar of Michigan violates…
Date: July 13, 2021
Docket Number: 20-6375
Justia Opinion Summary: RLR owns land on the Little Pigeon River. Tract 1 had a private resort and parking spaces. Tract 2 had a duplex building. The city decided to build a pedestrian walkway along the River, going through both tracts, and…
Date: July 12, 2021
Docket Number: 20-5396
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1998, Old Ben Coal Company conveyed its rights to the methane gas in various coal reserves to Illinois Methane. A “Delay Rental Obligation” required the owner of the coal estate to pay Methane rent while it mined coal…
Date: July 7, 2021
Docket Number: 19-6411
Justia Opinion Summary: Christina and Dustin lived with Dustin’s parents, Richard and Evalee. Christina filed for divorce. After a physical altercation with her in-laws, Christina left. Christina requested a law-enforcement escort to retrieve…
Date: July 7, 2021
Docket Number: 20-4108
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2016, a Madison student fired a gun and injured four students. Approximately two years later, the School Board enacted a resolution allowing staff to carry concealed weapons. Around the same time, Madison students…
Date: July 6, 2021
Docket Number: 20-3136
Justia Opinion Summary: Paul was driving his daughter Kelly’s vehicle when it was struck by a United States Postal Service (USPS) vehicle. Kelly was a passenger. Days later, Kelly filed her SF 95, for a claim under Federal Tort Claims Act…
Date: July 6, 2021
Docket Number: 21-2655
Justia Opinion Summary: Objectors to a class action settlement in the Flint Water Cases sought to compel the district court to cease holding off-the-record substantive ex parte meetings that exclude objectors’ counsel; to order the participants…
Date: July 2, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1163
Justia Opinion Summary: Adamo filed several tort claims, alleging that it requested the Union to provide 47 operators for a demolition job, indicating that the project was time-sensitive and that the Union willfully refused to provide Adamo…
Date: July 1, 2021
Docket Number: 19-5647
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2018, Brenner pled guilty without a plea agreement to being a felon in possession of a firearm and in possession of ammunition, 18 U.S.C. 922(g). Brenner had three Tennessee felony convictions: aggravated assault in…
Date: July 1, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1153
Justia Opinion Summary: Boykin, a 73-year-old African-American veteran, worked in managerial roles for Family Dollar Stores. On July 8, 2018, Boykin had a dispute with a customer. Family Dollar fired Boykin weeks later. Boykin sued, alleging…
Date: July 1, 2021
Docket Number: 20-4161
Justia Opinion Summary: Huelsman, age 64, had symptoms of paranoia and bipolar disorder. In the midst of a crisis during which he expressed delusional thoughts and a desire to commit suicide, his wife, Cheryl, a nurse, called their daughter and…
Date: June 30, 2021
Docket Number: 20-2029
Justia Opinion Summary: Doe is transgender and began presenting publicly as a woman while working for the city, which was supportive of her plans to transition and need for time off. During her transition, an unknown city employee left Doe…
Date: June 29, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1063
Justia Opinion Summary: Rite Aid’s “Rx Savings Program” provides generic prescription drugs at reduced prices. The program is free and widely available but excludes customers whose prescriptions are paid by publicly funded healthcare programs…
Date: June 28, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1804
Justia Opinion Summary: Hughey, speeding, passed Michigan State Trooper Easlick, who flipped on his dashcam and stopped Hughey. Hughey’s car was uninsured and unregistered and there was an outstanding warrant for Hughey’s failure to appear.…
Date: June 28, 2021
Docket Number: 20-5514
Justia Opinion Summary: Zen-Noh purchased grain shipments. Sellers were required to prepay barge freight and deliver the product to Zen-Noh’s terminal but were not required to use any specific delivery company. Ingram, a carrier, issued the…
Date: June 25, 2021
Docket Number: 19-3852
Justia Opinion Summary: Local 2, representing carpenters and workers in related industries, is a local affiliate of IKORCC, which is an affiliated regional union of UBC. Barger has been a Local 2 member of Local 2. In 2007-2015, he worked…
Date: June 25, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1076
Justia Opinion Summary: When Perez (now 23) was nine, he emigrated from Mexico and started school in the Sturgis. Perez is deaf; the school assigned him a classroom aide who was not trained to work with deaf students and did not know sign…
Date: June 25, 2021
Docket Number: 20-3707
Justia Opinion Summary: In the Lucas County Corrections Center, prisoners are prohibited from having certain items, including cell phones and tobacco. The FBI organized a sting operation, enlisting an inmate and his girlfriend to approach a…
Date: June 25, 2021
Docket Number: 20-5833
Justia Opinion Summary: SmileDirect sells orthodontic implements online as an alternative to traditional orthodontists. Plaintiffs sued SmileDirect, alleging false advertising. SmileDirect and its customers had an arbitration agreement that…
Date: June 21, 2021
Docket Number: 18-3955
Justia Opinion Summary: On May 13, 1987, William and Juanita Leeman were killed in their Hamilton County home. There was no trace evidence nor fingerprints. In 1997, the defendant’s brother and his father informed police that Hughbanks had…
Date: June 17, 2021
Docket Number: 18-3761
Justia Opinion Summary: The Sixth Circuit reversed the district court's denial of petitioner's second Amended Petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus filed under 28 U.S.C. 2254. The district court granted petitioner a certificate of appealability…
Date: June 16, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1077
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2001, Flores-Perez was detained on the belief that he was in the country illegally. Flores-Perez produced two forms of state-issued identification, each containing his address. Officials served Flores-Perez with a…
Date: June 15, 2021
Docket Numbers: 20-3461, 20-3462
Justia Opinion Summary: Leggett Elementary School principal Vincente called a child’s mother to pick him up. The mother stated that her “boyfriend who is a policeman” (Hendon) would come. Because of another emergency situation, police were at…
Date: June 14, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1802
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1994, Ahmed and Wahasi allegedly were married. Ahmed lives in the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident. Wahasi and their sons, all Yemeni citizens, live in Malaysia. In 2008, Ahmed filed an I-130 petition on behalf of…
Date: June 14, 2021
Docket Number: 20-6121
Justia Opinion Summary: Pruitt pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a felon, 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1). His PSR recommended a six-level enhancement, U.S.S.G. 3A1.2(c)(1), for “assault[ing]” a police officer “in a manner creating a substantial…
Date: June 11, 2021
Docket Number: 20-3957
Justia Opinion Summary: Garcia, a citizen of Mexico, entered the U.S. without inspection in 2000 and was placed in removal proceedings in 2011. Garcia sought Cancellation of Removal or voluntary departure in the alternative. In 2018, Garcia…
Date: June 10, 2021
Docket Numbers: 20-4044, 20-3995
Justia Opinion Summary: The Benalcazars purchased 43 acres in Genoa Township in 2001. The property sits at the northern end of the Township’s more developed areas and abuts the Hoover Reservoir. The parcel was zoned as Rural Residential;…
Date: June 9, 2021
Docket Number: 20-3150
Justia Opinion Summary: On three separate occasions, Smith filed a Chapter 13 bankruptcy petition shortly before a scheduled foreclosure sale of his home, thereby preventing the sale, then moved for the dismissal of his bankruptcy case shortly…
Date: June 8, 2021
Docket Number: 20-4020
Justia Opinion Summary: Tobias-Chaves and her daughter traveled from Honduras and entered the U.S. in 2014, to escape from Tobias-Chaves’s abusive husband. DHS filed charges against them in Houston, where they were then living. That Immigration…
Date: June 8, 2021
Docket Number: 20-5773
Date: June 8, 2021
Docket Numbers: 20-5778, 20-5773
Justia Opinion Summary: The plaintiffs retired from the Louisville Metropolitan police department and received free health insurance, administered by Kentucky Retirement Systems. Kentucky initially paid all of their healthcare costs. After the…
Date: June 7, 2021
Docket Number: 20-4029
Justia Opinion Summary: Officer Dickens submitted an affidavit, seeking a search warrant for 10318 Dove Avenue, a single-family Cleveland residence. Dickens averred that earlier that month a confidential informant disclosed to him that a…
Date: June 3, 2021
Docket Number: 19-6278
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2013, Hack pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, mortgage fraud, and wire fraud. The plea agreement contained an appeal waiver. In addition to terms of imprisonment and supervised release, the court…
Date: June 3, 2021
Docket Number: 20-3912
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1994, Jarvis was convicted of four counts of armed bank robbery, conspiracy, and five counts of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, 18 U.S.C. 2113, 371, 924(c). The court determined that his first…
Date: May 28, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1527
Justia Opinion Summary: The Orlans law firm, sent a letter on law-firm letterhead, stating that Wells Fargo had referred the Garland loan to Orlans for foreclosure but that “[w]hile the foreclosure process ha[d] begun,” “foreclosure prevention…
Date: May 28, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1946
Justia Opinion Summary: The Labor Management Relations Act forbids employers from directly giving money to unions, 29 U.S.C. 186(a); an exception allows an employer and a union to operate a trust fund for the benefit of employees. Section…
Date: May 28, 2021
Docket Number: 20-5021
Justia Opinion Summary: Wyatt began working as a Nissan project manager in 2013. For two years she received positive annual performance reviews. During those years, Wyatt twice had medical leave. Nissan restored Wyatt to her position and…
Date: May 28, 2021
Docket Number: 20-5071
Justia Opinion Summary: A man wearing a cap, sunglasses, and a jacket entered a bank with an opaque bag across his body. Approaching a teller, he displayed a note, stating that if he got money, “I’ll let Everyone live.” The man placed his right…
Date: May 27, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1334
Justia Opinion Summary: Jackson, an African American woman, was GCRC's Human Resources Director. Daly, GCRC’s chief administrative officer, was Jackson’s supervisor. There were pending internal discrimination complaints when Jackson started,…
Date: May 27, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1734
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court declared the issue of partisan gerrymandering a nonjusticiable political question in “Rucho,” in 2019. Michigan had already established its Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission by ballot…
Date: May 27, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1826
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2009, Carhartt contracted with Innovative to create a flame-resistant fleece fabric for use in its line of flame-resistant garments. The fabric that Innovative developed for Carhartt, “Style 2015," contained a…
Date: May 27, 2021
Docket Numbers: 21-5517, 21-5528
Justia Opinion Summary: The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 allocated $29 billion for grants to help restaurant owners. The Small Business Administration (SBA) processed applications and distributed funds on a first-come, first-served basis.…
Date: May 26, 2021
Docket Numbers: 18-6343, 19-5745, 19-5764
Justia Opinion Summary: Bradley and Falkowski pressed thousands of pills containing a mixture of alprazolam, acetaminophen, and fentanyl, which were marked “A333” and looked like Percocet pills. On July 5, 2016, a large quantity of those…
Date: May 26, 2021
Docket Numbers: 19-4183, 19-4161, 19-4162, 19-4163, 19-4164, 19-4165, 19-4166
Justia Opinion Summary: The FCC's orders, together with Title VI of the Communications Act, 47 U.S.C. 521, establish rules by which state and local governments may regulate cable providers. A cable operator may provide cable services only if a…
Date: May 25, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1607
Justia Opinion Summary: In September-October 2019, Benton Harbor Detective Kovac, undercover, initiated six controlled purchases of methamphetamine, calling the same telephone number each time. The first two transactions involved Davis. The…
Date: May 24, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1201
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2007, Montgomery was convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine or cocaine base, distribution of cocaine base, and witness tampering. The conspiracy conviction required a mandatory life sentence; he received a…
Date: May 20, 2021
Docket Number: 20-3807
Justia Opinion Summary: In April 2017, a tax foreclosure action was commenced against the then-owner of the Cincinnati property, Davis. The city was named as a defendant. Notice of a May 2018 order for a sheriff’s sale was served on the city on…
Date: May 19, 2021
Docket Number: 20-5928
Justia Opinion Summary: Jacob and Genetta Clark, fundamentalist Christians, believe that their religion requires them to use corporal punishment with their children, ages 16, 14, and 12. Their son went to school with marks from being hit with a…
Date: May 18, 2021
Docket Numbers: 19-2070, 19-2107
Justia Opinion Summary: For centuries, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians inhabited what is now northern Michigan. The federal government took tribal land for settlers. The Band was determined to stay in their territory. The Treaty…
Date: May 18, 2021
Docket Number: 19-2107
Date: May 18, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1726
Justia Opinion Summary: Atlas Movers federally registered the “Atlas” mark for “transportation of household goods of others,” first using “Atlas” in 1948 when it formed Atlas Van Lines, providing transportation and logistics services, primarily…
Date: May 14, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1599
Justia Opinion Summary: A class of end-payor purchasers sued (Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. 26; Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C. 1) manufacturers and suppliers, alleging that they conspired to fix prices of automotive anti-vibration rubber parts. The district…
Date: May 14, 2021
Docket Number: 20-3063
Date: May 14, 2021
Docket Number: 20-3238
Justia Opinion Summary: The FBI began monitoring Pitts after he made social media posts encouraging Muslims to pursue military training. Pitts expressed a desire to meet with an al-Qaeda operative; the FBI deployed an undercover agent to play…
Date: May 13, 2021
Docket Number: 20-4113
Justia Opinion Summary: After a car accident, Wilkerson filed a claim with her insurer, American Family. Her policy will pay for “loss of or damage to your insured car and its equipment, less the deductible[.]” A“Limits of Liability” section…
Date: May 12, 2021
Docket Number: 20-3879
Justia Opinion Summary: Cuyahoga County planned for CCCC to house detainees and prisoners from nearby communities in exchange for significant payments. CCCC was already severely overcrowded and understaffed. In March 2018, Cleveland…
Date: May 11, 2021
Docket Number: 20-3977
Justia Opinion Summary: After receiving a credit card receipt printed with the first six and last four digits of her credit card, Thomas sued TOMS for violating the “truncation requirement” of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of…
Date: May 11, 2021
Docket Number: 20-4051
Justia Opinion Summary: When an Ohio county forecloses on a tax-delinquent, occupied property, it ordinarily sells the property at an auction, keeps proceeds to cover the outstanding taxes, and returns leftover funds to the owner. Ohio…
Date: May 6, 2021
Docket Number: 20-2139
Justia Opinion Summary: Owens was convicted of five counts of possessing or aiding and abetting the possession of a firearm during a crime of violence (18 U.S.C. 924(c)), one carjacking, four counts of bank robbery by force or violence, and…
Date: May 4, 2021
Docket Number: 20-3024
Date: May 3, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1406
Justia Opinion Summary: The Prison Litigation Reform Act’s “three-strikes rule,” 28 U.S.C. 1915(g), provides that a prisoner accrues a strike when he brings a frivolous lawsuit. After three strikes, the Act prohibits inmates from filing those…
Date: May 3, 2021
Docket Number: 20-3460
Date: May 3, 2021
Docket Number: 20-5119
Justia Opinion Summary: Frei, age 48, used Facebook to contact teenage girls until the Metro Nashville Police Department became aware of his activities. Convicted of eight counts of child-exploitation-related crimes, including four counts of…
Date: April 30, 2021
Docket Number: 20-5096
Justia Opinion Summary: The government uncovered substantial evidence that Sheckles was a Louisville distributor for a large drug trafficking ring. Sheckles pleaded guilty but reserved the right to appeal the district court’s refusal to…
Date: April 30, 2021
Docket Number: 20-6118
Justia Opinion Summary: Memphis previously maintained an email Media Advisory List to alert members of the media about newsworthy events and activities. The List included Thomas, the founder, editor, and publisher of MLK50: Justice Through…
Date: April 29, 2021
Docket Number: 20-5723
Justia Opinion Summary: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kentucky’s Attorney General opened civil price-gouging investigations into Kentucky-based merchants, including at least one member of the Guild that was selling goods to Kentuckians through…
Date: April 28, 2021
Docket Number: 19-2056
Justia Opinion Summary: An agency within the Department of Agriculture summarily approved a proposed plan for dry-bean crop insurance in Michigan based upon the mistaken belief that the terms of the proposed endorsement for the Michigan policy…
Date: April 28, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1944
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2016, Harvey pleaded guilty to distributing a controlled substance. He was sentenced to 156 months’ imprisonment. Harvey filed an unsuccessful section 2255 motion for habeas corpus relief claiming ineffective…
Date: April 22, 2021
Docket Number: 18-6003
Justia Opinion Summary: Jackson and Combs pleaded guilty to participating in a cocaine distribution ring. Jackson was sentenced to 192 months’ imprisonment due to his role as a leader in the drug-distribution conspiracy, U.S.S.G. 3B1.1(a)..…
Date: April 22, 2021
Docket Number: 19-2373
Justia Opinion Summary: Strickland, an African-American Detroit Police Officer since 2008, claims that he has been subjected to race-based harassment throughout his tenure. He cited several incidents, social media posts, and Department reports…
Date: April 22, 2021
Docket Numbers: 19-3711, 19-3623
Justia Opinion Summary: In May 2017, Jackson was convicted of three counts of carjacking and three counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence under 18 U.S.C. 924(c). While Jackson’s appeal was pending, Congress enacted the First…
Date: April 22, 2021
Docket Number: 20-5492
Justia Opinion Summary: Torres started working for Precision in 2011. He was not then legally authorized to work in the U.S. but obtained work authorization about five months later. Torres listed a fake Social Security number on a tax form when…
Date: April 20, 2021
Docket Number: 19-6293
Justia Opinion Summary: Stampe and Loden were charged with conspiring to distribute at least 500 grams of methamphetamine. Stampe pled guilty and agreed to cooperate with the government in its case against Loden. Before Stampe’s sentencing, the…
Date: April 20, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1174
Date: April 19, 2021
Docket Number: 18-3938
Justia Opinion Summary: Nian worked as a home healthcare mentor for a family with a special-needs child, “SG.” After one visit, SG’s sister, JCG, claimed that Nian entered her room, tried to kiss her, put his hands on her private areas, and…
Date: April 19, 2021
Docket Number: 19-6214
Justia Opinion Summary: When the state called Blackwell to testify at Miller's trial for the 1995 murder of Rice, she claimed that she could not remember anything about the day in question. Out of the jury’s presence, the judge sent Blackwell…
Date: April 19, 2021
Docket Number: 20-5375
Justia Opinion Summary: The Shelby County Sheriff’s Department dispatcher alerted three deputies that a 911 caller, Nancy Lewellyn, had told the dispatcher that she was suicidal, that she had a gun (possibly a .45 caliber pistol), and that she…
Date: April 14, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1047
Justia Opinion Summary: On several occasions, an undercover officer purchased methamphetamine from Walker. Booker accompanied Walker to one of these sales, handed the officer Walker’s drugs, told the officer that he could offer methamphetamine…
Date: April 13, 2021
Docket Number: 18-3329
Justia Opinion Summary: Ohio H.B. 214, signed into law in 2017, prohibits any person from purposefully performing or inducing or attempting to perform or induce an abortion if the person has knowledge that the pregnant woman is seeking the…
Date: April 12, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1619
Date: April 9, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1902
Justia Opinion Summary: The IRS began a criminal investigation of Gaetano, who owns Michigan cannabis dispensaries. Portal 42, a software company that provides the cannabis industry with point-of-sale systems, confirmed that Gaetano was a…
Date: April 6, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1960
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2005, Pouncy opted to represent himself and was convicted of four counts of carjacking, four counts of armed robbery, and three firearm counts. He was sentenced to 586-824 months' imprisonment. The Michigan Court of…
Date: April 6, 2021
Docket Number: 20-5056
Justia Opinion Summary: At 1:20 a.m., Harden, an African-American, went to buy beer at a Thornton store, where a uniformed Heritage Creek police officer, Hillman, provided security. The clerk told Harden, “I think you’ve had too much to drink…
Date: April 1, 2021
Docket Number: 20-5631
Justia Opinion Summary: Memphis Officers suspected Reed of distributing marijuana. Reed had prior drug convictions. Detective Evans filed affidavits seeking search warrants for OK Tire, Orchi Road, and Bond Road. At OK Tire, owned by Reed's…
Date: March 31, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1002
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2010, Felten filed a qui tam complaint alleging that his then-employer, Beaumont Hospital, was violating the False Claims Act (FCA), 31 U.S.C. 3730(h), and the Michigan Medicaid False Claims Act by paying kickbacks to…
Date: March 31, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1536
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2008, State Bank, a Fentura subsidiary, hired Wollschlager to deal with “problem loans.” Wollschlager’s contract provided a golden parachute worth $175,000 if the Bank fired him early. In 2009, the FDIC deemed the…
Date: March 30, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1761
Justia Opinion Summary: Massey began working as a security guard in 2004. Massey alleges that her supervisors and co-workers commented on “her weight, the size of her breast, her looks and body [odor]”; and referred to her as the “Queen of…
Date: March 29, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1337
Justia Opinion Summary: Michigan allows independent candidates for statewide office to be placed on the general election ballot if the candidate submits a “qualifying petition,” with at least 30,000 valid signatures, submitted no later than…
Date: March 29, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1420
Justia Opinion Summary: In March 2012, Edington and his father agreed Edington would apply for a Farm Services Agency (FSA) farm operating loan and list assets belonging to his father as collateral. Edington listed as collateral many assets he…
Date: March 29, 2021
Docket Number: 21-5256
Justia Opinion Summary: The March 2020 “CARES Act,” 134 Stat. 281, included a 120-day moratorium on eviction filings based on nonpayment of rent for tenants residing in certain federally financed rental properties, which expired in July 2020.…
Date: March 26, 2021
Docket Number: 20-3289
Justia Opinion Summary: Meriwether, a Shawnee State University professor, is a devout Christian. In 2016, Shawnee told faculty to refer to students by their preferred pronouns. Meriwether’s department chair was dismissive of Meriwether’s…
Date: March 25, 2021
Docket Number: 19-1298
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2018, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) promulgated a rule that classified bump stocks as machine guns, reversing its previous position. Bump stocks are devices designed to assist the…
Date: March 24, 2021
Docket Numbers: 20-1243, 20-1199, 20-1200
Justia Opinion Summary: Curaden AG, a Swiss entity, manufactures toothbrushes. Curaden USA, an Ohio corporation headquartered in Arizona, is a Curaden AG subsidiary and promotes Curaden AG products throughout the U.S. The two companies had not…
Date: March 23, 2021
Docket Number: 19-1867
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2002, Nolan’s employer, DTE, created a cash balance pension plan and invited its existing employees to transfer from their traditional defined benefit plan to the new plan. Nolan accepted. When she retired in 2017,…
Date: March 23, 2021
Docket Number: 20-2102
Justia Opinion Summary: Wright, a member of a motorcycle gang, distributed cocaine. When Wright’s co-conspirator, Moore, fought with other members of the conspiracy, Wright agreed to kill him for $50,000, drove to Ohio, and shot Moore in the…
Date: March 22, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1665
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2012, Manso-Zamora was convicted of conspiring to commit Hobbs Act robbery, three Hobbs Act robberies, and three counts of possessing and brandishing or discharging a firearm in furtherance of those robberies, and was…
Date: March 19, 2021
Docket Number: 20-5755
Justia Opinion Summary: Maxwell was convicted of conspiring to distribute crack cocaine and heroin. The crack-cocaine offense then generated a sentencing range of 20 years to life and the heroin offense generated a range of 10 years to life, 21…
Date: March 19, 2021
Docket Number: 20-6142
Justia Opinion Summary: Wills was indicted for various methamphetamine-trafficking offenses. The government gave notice under 21 U.S.C. 851(a)(1) of its intent to seek an enhanced sentence based on Wills’s prior felony drug conviction. Wills…
Date: March 12, 2021
Docket Number: 19-3749
Justia Opinion Summary: Duran transported drugs from California to Ohio on a bus. Duran carried 10 packages of methamphetamine, a total of 4,427 grams. The DEA intercepted Duran, who agreed to cooperate and allowed the government to copy calls,…
Date: March 12, 2021
Docket Number: 20-3762
Justia Opinion Summary: Lopez, a citizen of Guatemala, entered the U.S. in the 1990s without admission or parole. In 2003, the government charged her with removability under 8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(6)(A)(i) and sent Lopez a Notice to Appear that…
Date: March 9, 2021
Docket Number: 20-5648
Justia Opinion Summary: Taylor robbed a bank at gunpoint. He led the police on a high-speed chase, killed an innocent driver, shot another driver, and abducted a woman and her child. Taylor was convicted of killing a person while avoiding an…
Date: March 9, 2021
Docket Number: 20-6056
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2018, Tomes pleaded guilty to drug, firearm, and money laundering charges and was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment. In 2020, Tomes sought compassionate release, 18 U.S.C. 3582(c)(1)(A), arguing that COVID-19,…
Date: March 8, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1633
Justia Opinion Summary: Muskegon Detective Schmidt, an undercover agent, asked a suspected drug dealer, Conkle, to buy some cocaine. The two drove to a house that belonged to White. Schmidt watched Conkle walk into White’s house and reemerge,…
Date: March 5, 2021
Docket Number: 19-2305
Justia Opinion Summary: A neighbor called 911, telling the dispatcher that Gissantaner, a convicted felon, had a gun. Responding officers found a pistol in Gissantaner’s house, inside a chest belonging to Gissantaner’s roommate. When the…
Date: March 5, 2021
Docket Number: 20-3754
Justia Opinion Summary: Stewart, a co-owner of RRL and president of its subsidiary, IHT, formed a potential competitor. She was removed from the presidency, then launched a smear campaign against her replacement. RRL's other members voted to…
Date: March 5, 2021
Docket Number: 20-5174
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1989, the Plaintiffs opened Money Market Investment Accounts (MMIAs) with FNB. FNB guaranteed that the MMIAs’ annual rate of interest would “never fall below 6.5%.” The original contract did not limit an account…
Date: March 4, 2021
Docket Number: 19-2470
Justia Opinion Summary: Swiger accepted a $1200 loan from online lender Plain Green, an entity owned by and organized under the laws of the Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy’s Reservation, Montana. She describes Rees as the “mastermind”…
Date: March 3, 2021
Docket Number: 19-4232
Justia Opinion Summary: Riccardi, a postal employee, pleaded guilty to stealing 1,505 gift cards from the mail. The cards had an average value of about $35, a total value of about $47,000. The Sentencing Guidelines directed an increase in…
Date: March 3, 2021
Docket Number: 20-5749
Justia Opinion Summary: Kentucky Governor Beshear’s COVID-19 response included a “Mass Gathering Order” that prevented groups of more than 10 people from assembling for purposes including community, civic, public, leisure, faith-based, or…
Date: March 2, 2021
Docket Number: 19-6226
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1994, Kendrick fatally shot his wife outside a Chattanooga gas station. He insisted that his rifle had malfunctioned and fired without Kendrick pulling the trigger. Before trial, officer Miller accidentally shot…
Date: March 2, 2021
Docket Number: 20-5898
Justia Opinion Summary: Braden and Strong used the Tennessee state courts to resolve the dissolution of their business partnership. During that process, Strong believed she was the victim of legal malpractice. She hired the Parrish Law Firm to…
Date: March 1, 2021
Docket Number: 19-2449
Date: February 25, 2021
Docket Number: 19-3388
Justia Opinion Summary: Redbubble operates a global online marketplace. Around 600,000 independent artists, not employed by Redbubble, upload images onto Redbubble’s interface. Consumers scroll through those images and order customized items.…
Date: February 25, 2021
Docket Number: 19-3392
Justia Opinion Summary: Bethel is serving a capital sentence at CCI. Following Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections Policy, CCI officials implemented a policy prohibiting “orders for printed material placed by third parties through…
Date: February 25, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1043
Justia Opinion Summary: John Doe was expelled from the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine (CHM) for allegedly sexually assaulting two women, Roe 1 and Roe 2, on the night of the school’s formal dance. An outside consultant had…
Date: February 25, 2021
Docket Number: 20-5682
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2004, Kimball was convicted of multiple drug-trafficking, weapons, money-laundering offenses, soliciting murder, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice. He was sentenced to two consecutive terms of life…
Date: February 24, 2021
Docket Number: 19-5340
Justia Opinion Summary: In March 2005, Miles was indicted for murder, wanton endangerment, tampering with physical evidence, and being a persistent felony offender. Eight months later, law enforcement sent a hat recovered at the crime scene to…
Date: February 24, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1367
Justia Opinion Summary: Reedy, a Michigan prisoner, was a 47-year-old African American, serving a DUI sentence. His cellmate, Hensley was a 53-year-old much larger Caucasian, convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a child.…
Date: February 23, 2021
Docket Numbers: 20-5852, 20-5850
Justia Opinion Summary: High school students from Kentucky received widespread attention for their conduct at the Lincoln Memorial during the 2019 March for Life rally. An incident occurred after the march between Covington Catholic students,…
Date: February 22, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1344
Date: February 19, 2021
Docket Number: 20-3259
Justia Opinion Summary: The Moore family, individually or in trust, has owned and maintained the 108-acre Hiram, Ohio property since 1813. They have operated a small airport on the Property since 1948. Around 1951, the Township enacted a zoning…
Date: February 19, 2021
Docket Number: 20-6267
Justia Opinion Summary: Tennessee Code 39-15- 202(a)–(h) requires the woman be informed, orally and in-person by the attending physician or by the referring physician that she is pregnant; of the probable gestational age of the fetus; whether…
Date: February 18, 2021
Docket Number: 19-1614
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2005-2006, GM changed the dashboard used for GMT900 model cars from a multi-piece design to a single-piece design, which made the dashboard prone to cracking in two places. Plaintiffs, from 25 states, alleged that…
Date: February 18, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1343
Justia Opinion Summary: At a Michigan gun show, Turaani attempted to buy a gun. When the dealer ran Turaani’s name through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, he received a “delay” response, requiring the dealer to wait three…
Date: February 17, 2021
Docket Number: 19-4225
Justia Opinion Summary: The companies (Louisville) own and operate electric generation, transmission, and distribution facilities in Kentucky and Virginia; about 20 years ago, they joined MISO, which operates across 15 states (including…
Date: February 17, 2021
Docket Number: 20-3575
Justia Opinion Summary: Schwamberger, a former deputy director of the Marion County Board of Elections sued the Board and its former director, Meyer, asserting, under 42 U.S.C. 1983, that the defendants’ actions constituted First Amendment…
Date: February 17, 2021
Docket Number: 20-5669
Justia Opinion Summary: Cretacci, a Coffee County Jail detainee, claims he was injured during a 2015 inmate protest, that the jail failed to distribute essential supplies after that protest, and that he was injured again in 2017 when he did not…
Date: February 16, 2021
Docket Number: 20-5547
Justia Opinion Summary: To advertise its nearby adult bookstore, Lion’s Den displays a billboard, affixed to a tractor-trailer, on a neighbor’s property. Kentucky’s Billboard Act prohibits such off-site billboards if the advertisement is not…
Date: February 12, 2021
Docket Number: 19-4172
Justia Opinion Summary: Reels operated a Cleveland drug-trafficking ring and regularly purchased large amounts of heroin, reselling the drug in smaller quantities. Reels and Wheat were social acquaintances. By phone, Wheat told Reels that he…
Date: February 11, 2021
Docket Numbers: 16-6655, 16-6657
Justia Opinion Summary: The Laniers were charged with a scheme to fraudulently obtain government contracts. During deliberations, a juror contacted assistant district attorney Nelson—a social acquaintance, not involved with the Laniers's case.…
Date: February 11, 2021
Docket Number: 19-3881
Justia Opinion Summary: Hanna was convicted of aggravated murder and sentenced to death. He exhausted state remedies, then filed a federal habeas corpus petition, which the district court denied in 2009. The Sixth Circuit rejected Hanna’s claim…
Date: February 10, 2021
Docket Number: 20-1671
Justia Opinion Summary: Through several corporations, members of the Boersen family have farmed in Michigan for several generations. After 2016's poor crop, their corporate entities could not cover their debts. One creditor, Helena, obtained a…
Date: February 10, 2021
Docket Number: 20-3585
Justia Opinion Summary: Ohio law mandates that the Ohio Elections Commission (OEC) be composed of three members from each of the top two political parties in the state, and an additional seventh member who cannot have any political affiliation,…
Date: February 10, 2021
Docket Numbers: 20-5117, 20-5120
Justia Opinion Summary: Small and Johnson were indicted for aiding and abetting and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, 18 U.S.C. 1201(a)(1), (c). Spoon, age 73, testified that she was alone when she noticed a black Chevrolet Malibu pull into her…
Date: February 9, 2021
Docket Number: 19-2283
Justia Opinion Summary: Police officers pulled over the vehicle in which Brooks was riding for a seatbelt violation. The officers approached, smelled marijuana, and saw Brooks making a “stuffing motion” under his seat. The police found a gun…
Date: February 8, 2021
Docket Number: 19-1693
Date: February 5, 2021
Docket Number: 20-3432
Justia Opinion Summary: OverDrive, a digital reading platform, belonged to International Digital Publishing Forum, a trade association dedicated to the development of electronic publishing standards. International’s members developed EPUB, the…
Date: February 4, 2021
Docket Numbers: 20-3329, 20-3331, 20-3332
Justia Opinion Summary: The Sixth Circuit denied the consolidated petition for review brought by three coal mine operators challenging the Benefits Review Board's adverse black lung benefits determination. Honoring the Board's customary…
Date: February 4, 2021
Docket Number: 20-6057
Justia Opinion Summary: After plaintiffs filed suit against Ocwen Loan Servicing and Deutsche Bank to prevent the lenders from foreclosing on their home, the district court granted summary judgment to Ocwen and Deutsche Bank. The lenders filed…
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