United States Fifth Circuit - July 2007 Opinion Summaries

Dorsey v. Quarterman

Criminal Law & Procedure, Habeas Corpus
Denial of petition for habeas corpus is affirmed where: 1) one or more jurors' exposure to extraneous material was harmless error; 2) a Batson claim...

Cole v. Gen. Motors Corp.

Class Actions, Contracts
In a suit over defective side-impact airbags, certification of a nationwide class is reversed and remanded with instructions to deny the...

Arismendez v. Nightingale Home Health Care, Inc.

Civil Rights, Labor & Employment Law, Remedies
In a suit against an employer alleging gender discrimination in a decision to terminate plaintiff's employment, judgment as a matter of law for...

Custer vs. Murphy Oil USA Inc.

ERISA, Labor & Employment Law
In a suit under ERISA after defendant-employer terminated a totally disabled employee and withdrew his health insurance coverage, summary judgment for...

Haspel & Davis Milling & Planting Co. v. Bd. of Levee Comm'rs

Constitutional Law, Contracts, Government Law, Property Law & Real Estate
In a takings claim against the Orleans Levee District over the mineral rights for property expropriated as part of the Bohemia Spillway, summary...

Kinder Canal Co., Inc vs. Johanns

Administrative Law, Agriculture
In a suit involving farm-support payments from the Farm Service Agency, district court decision that plaintiffs must refund the payments is affirmed...

Wade vs. Hewlett-Packard Dev. Co. LP Short Term Disability Plan

ERISA, Health Law, Labor & Employment Law
In a suit over the denial of short-term disability benefits, summary judgment for defendant is affirmed where: 1) the district court properly applied...

Meadows v. Hartford Life Ins. Co.

Contracts, Injury & Tort Law, Insurance Law, Labor & Employment Law
In an action brought under Texas state law against several defendants setting forth claims of misappropriation of name and identity, knowing...

Merlo v. Comm'r of Internal Revenue

Securities Law, Tax Law
In an action brought to determine petitioner's federal income tax liability involving circumstances in which petitioner exercised an incentive stock...

US v. Pineda-Arrellano

Criminal Law & Procedure, Sentencing
A guilty plea conviction and sentence for illegal reentry is affirmed and the court of appeals indicates that James v. US, __ U.S. __, 127 S. Ct. 1586...