### INTHE UNI TED S TATESCOU RT OFAPPEALS FORTHE FIFTH CIRCU IT

N o. 08- 31065 S u m m ary C al en da r

P E G G YM . H A IR S T O N R O B IN S O N ; L E O N A R D A . R O B IN S O N ; M ETRO POLI TAN M U TUA L M OR TGAG E, I N C. ; CAPI TAL CI TY TI TLE COM PA NY; M ET ROPOL I TA N SC HO OL OFM ORTGAGE FI NANCE AN D PAR AL EG AL CA RE ER S; SAT EL LI TE RE AL TY& ASSO CI AT ES; L ENO RAM. R OB I NS ON, P la in tiffs -A p p e lla n ts ,
ve r s us S T A T E O F L O U IS IA N A , T h r o u g h O ffic e o f F in a n c ia l In s tit u tio n s /a n dT h e ir Ri s k Ma n a g e me n tI n s u r e r ; J OHN T RAVI S , I n d iv i d u a l l y ; HANC OC K B ANK andI t s I ns ur e r ; AN N LEM EN AG ER , I ndivi dua l l y; M I LLW O O D O N E and I n s u r e r ; LAR RYO’ NEA L J OHNS ON, I n d iv i d u a l l y ; MEL ANI E J OHNS ON, I n d iv i d u a l l y , DA RI N DO M AI NGUE , I n d iv i d u a l l y ; KA T HL EE N B L ANC O, Ho n o r a b l e Go v e r n o r , S t a t e o f L o u i s i a n a ; S T AT E RI S K MANA GE M ENT I N SU R E R ; E SQ

. ST E V E I R V I N G ; E SQ

. LA N E B E N N E TT , Per so nal l y; J A MES R OB I L LA R D, P e r s o n a l l y ; S T E V E WAT E R , P e r s o n a l l y ; T I MOT HY BA I N ES, Pe r s o nall y; D IAN N E H AW K I N , Pe r s o nall y; AN TH O N Y H I CK S, Pe r s o na l l y ; KATH ERYN H I CK S, Pe r s o na l l y ; KI M BER LY KN I GH T, Per s o nall y; D O U G M O RE AU , H o no r ab l e D i s t r i c tAt t o r ne y; SH ER I FF E AST B A T O N R O U G E P A R IS H , D e fen d a n ts-A p p e ll e e s.

A pp eal s f

rom t h e U n i t ed S t ates D i st ri ctC ou rt f ort he M i ddl e D i st r i c tof Loui si ana N o. 3: 07- C V

- 958 United States Court of App eals Fifth Circuit 

### F I L E D December

14, 2009 Cha rl es R. F ulb ru g e II I ClerkPursuant to 5 T H C IR . R. 47.5 , the court has determined that this opinion should not * be publishe d and is not precedent exceptunder the limited circu mstance s set forthin5 T H C IR . R. 47.5 .4. 2 B ef ore D AV IS, SM ITH , an d D E N N IS, C i rcui tJu dg es . P E R C U R IA M: *

P eggyR obi n son, t w o fam i l y m em bers, an d severalaf f i l i ated bu si n esses ap pe alt he di s m i s s alof t he i rsuitaga i ns tt he St at e of L o ui s i anaand v ar i o us o t he rp a r tie s . D e fe n d a n ts M illw o o dO n e , L L C , L a r r yO ’ N e a l J o h n s o n , a n dM e la n ie Jo hns o n (“ m o va nt s” ) seek sancti on s agai n stpl ai n t i f fs f or m ai n t ai n i n g a f

r ivo l o us ap pea l , an d p l ai n t i f

fs h ave f

i l ed a reci procalm ot i on forsan ct i on s. W e di sm i ss t he appe alas f

r ivo l o us , gr antt he m o va nt s ’m o t i o n f o rs anc t i o ns , a nd d e ny pl ai ntiffs ’m o tio n .
I

. P l ai n t i f fs s u ed H an cock B an k an d va ri ou s ot he rpa r t i e s i n st ate c ou rtaf t er th e b a n k h a df

ore cl ose do n tw o p rop erties. T h e com p l a i n t a l l eg ed a n elab ora te conspir acyto d e f

rau d. Th e t ri alcourtgran t ed su m m ary j u dg m en tan d d i sm is s e dw ith p r eju d ic e . A n a p p e a l w a s u n s u c c e s s fu l. U si n g t h e sam e fact u al al l egati on s an d r equ est s f or rel i ef, pl ai n t i f

fs s u ed i n f ederalcourt
. Af

t er en du ri n g coun t l ess repetit ive m ot i on s, t h e di st ri ctcourt di s m i s s e d f

o rl ac k of

su bj e c tm at t e rj ur i s di c t i o n. The c o ur tt he n de ni e d p l ai nt i f fs’m ot i on f

ora new t r i al , f

i ndi ng t hei rar gum ent s t o b e “r epe t i t i ous and ve xatio u s ” a n d“b a s e le s s .” P la in tiffs a p p e a l th e d is m is s a l.

II. Par t i e s b e f

o r e t hi s c o ur tm us tc o m ply w i t h t he s t and ar ds o f Rul e 28 o f t he F ederalR u l es of

A pp el l ate Procedu re. Th e app el l an t ’ s bri ef m u stcontai n an argu m en t s e tt in g forth “ap p ell a n t’ s con ten ti on s an dthe rea son s f or th em , w i thN o. 08- 31065

3 c ita tio n s t o t h e a u th o r itie s a n dp a r ts o f th e r e c o r do n w h ic h t h e a p p e lla n t r e lie s .” F ED . R . A PP
. P. 28( a) ( 9) (A)

. Pl ai nt i f fs’brief ci t es no r el evantl egalaut hor i t y,
m ak es no h el pfulref erence t o t h e rec ord, an d en t i rel y fai l s t o i den t i f y errorrel a ti n g to th e d i stri ct cou rt’ s rea son s f or d i sm i ssa l

. “ F a i l u re of an ap p ell a n t t o pr o pe r l y ar gue o rpr e s e nti s s ue s i n an appe l l at e br i e f re nde r s t ho s e i s s ue s a ba nd on ed

. ” Uni t e d St at e s v . Be aum o nt , 9 72 F. 2d5 53 , 5 63 ( 5t h Ci r . 1 99 2) (c i t at i o ns om i tted). P l a i n tiffs’ b ri ef u tterl y fail s to ad va n ce a n y p l a u sibl e lega larg u m en t,
s o th e yh a v e a b a n d o n e dth e le g a l is s u e s a d d r e s s e dth e r e in

. R u l e 3 8 of th e F ed e r a l R u le s of A p p ell a te P roce d u re a u th orizes u s to
awar d d am ag e s a nd s i ngl e o rdo ubl e c o s t s t o t he ap pe l l e e i f w e de c i de t hata n a ppe ali s f r ivo l o us . “A par t y w ho c o nt i nue s t o adv anc e l o ng- de f unc ta r gum e nt s i nvites sa n cti on s. ” T

e llo v . Co m m ’r , 410 F

. 3d 743 , 744 ( 5th C i r. 200 5) (ci t ati on o mi t t e d )

. P l a i n t i f

fs h a v e f

i l e dr e p e t i t iv e s u i t s a n dmo t i o n s o f fe r i n gt h e s a me bas el es s ar gum ent s th a t h a ve al r eady bee n rej ec t ed. App eal s and w r i t s have b ee n de n i ed , an dthe distri ct cou rt w a rn ed ag a i n st f u rth er “ve xa ti ou s f

i l i n gs . ” P l ai n t i f fs hav e bee n given pl ai n noti ce t h at t h e f ederalcourt s l ack j u ri sdi ct i o n. The o nl y r e as o nab l e c o nc l us i o n i s t hat pl ai nt i f fs do no t pr o s e c ut e t hi s a ppe ali n g o o d fait h b uti ns t e ads e e k t o ha r as s de fe nda nt s t hr o ughas e l f

- ann ou n ced pl an t o f

i l e a ser i es of

“rec u rri n g cl ai m s” u n t i lt h ey are sat i sf i ed. Su ch p ersisten ce is w a stefu lan df rivo l ou s, a n ds a n cti on s a re w a rra n ted

. B y co n trast, p la in tiffs ’m o tio n fo rs a n c tio n s is e n tir e lyw ith o u t m e r it. P l ai n t i f fs are ordered to pa y $10 , 000 i n att orney fees , pl u s dou bl e cos t s on ap pe al , a nd a r e w ar ne d t hatt he y m ayf i l e no f ur t he rac t i o ns orcivilappe al s unt i lthe san ct i on s are pa i d. T h e cl erk of this cou rta n d t h e cl erks of al lfederaldi st ri ctcourt s w i t h i n t h i s c i rcui ta re d i rect ed t o ref u se t o f i l e an y civi lcom pl ai n tor civi lapp ealby plai n t i f fs un l ess t h ey sub m i tproof of sat i sfact i on of al lsancti on s. If t h ey att em pt t o f

i l e an y f

u rt h er noti ce s of

app eali n t h i s c ou rtw i t h ou tsuch proof, t h e cl erk sha l l dock et t h em f or ad m i n i st rat ive pu rposes onl y. A n y sub m i s-N o. 08- 31065

4 sion s t hatdo nots how pr oo f t hatt he s anct i ons have bee n pai d w i l lnei t herbe
a d d r e s s e d n o r a c k n o w le d g e d

. W e w a r n p la in tiffs th a t a n yfu r th e rfr iv o lo u s fili n gs i n t h e d i st ri ctcou rtor on a pp ealw i l lsu bj ectt h em t o add i t i on alsancti on s. The ap pe ali s D I SM I SSED as f r ivo l o us , t he m o t i o n f o r s anc t i o ns a nd t he
m ot i on t o prohibi tf

u rt h er f i l i n gs are G R A N T E D , app el l an t s’m ot i on t o sup pl em e n t t h e re c o r dis D E N IE D , a n da p p e lla n ts ’m o tio n fo rre c ip r o c a l s a n c tio n s is DE NI ED

.