United States First Circuit - March 2012 Opinion Summaries

Chen v. Holder

Administrative Law, Immigration Law
In removal proceedings that a Chinese national sought to reopen on the basis of changed country conditions affecting his claim for asylum, withholding...

Maine Medical Center v. US

Civil Procedure, Tax Law
In a tax refund suit brought by a medical center for reimbursement of FICA taxes paid on behalf of its medical residents in 2001, the district court's...

Rojas-Velazquez v. Figueroa-Sancha

Civil Rights, Constitutional Law, Labor & Employment Law
In a suit under 42 USC section 1983 alleging that the defendants violated the plaintiff's First and Fourteenth Amendment rights by taking adverse...

Companion Health Services, Inc. v. Kurtz

Attorney's Fees, Civil Procedure, Sanctions
In a Massachusetts state law contract dispute: 1) the district court's imposition of default as to a veil piercing count as a sanction on the...

Bader v. Wrenn

Civil Rights, Constitutional Law
In a prisoner's challenge under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) to his transfer to another prison, based on its lack...

Mulero-Abreu v. Puerto Rico Police Dep't

Civil Procedure, Sanctions
The trial court's dismissal of an action with prejudice for the plaintiffs' failure to comply with an order to answer interrogatories is affirmed,...

P. Gioioso & Sons, Inc. v. Occupational Safety and Health Review Comm'n

Administrative Law, Construction, Evidence, Labor & Employment Law, Sanctions
In a case in which an OSHA ALJ fined a construction contractor for violations of safety regulations relating to the excavation of a trench, a petition...

US v. Rodriguez

Criminal Law & Procedure
Conviction of the defendant for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition is affirmed, where: 1) the defendant's ineffective assistance...

Efron v. Mora Development Corp.

Attorney's Fees, Civil Rights, Property Law & Real Estate
In a landowner's suit under 42 USC section 1983 alleging a federal takings claim and a pendent claim, later dismissed without prejudice, under Puerto...

McCarty v. Verizon New England, Inc.

Attorney's Fees, Injury & Tort Law, Sanctions, Workers' Compensation
An award of attorney's fees to the defendants as a sanction against the plaintiff's attorney is affirmed, where: 1) the plaintiff's tort suit was...