Source: https://www.nlrg.com/public-law-legal-research/author/gale-burns/page/1
Timestamp: 2020-07-06 10:56:09
Document Index: 581569326

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 2000', '§ 2667', 'art, 573', '§ 1400', '§ 1400', '§ 1401', '§ 1414', '§ 1412', '§ 1415']

Public Law Legal Research - Public Law Blog | National Legal Research Group, Inc. | Gale Burns
PUBLIC LAW UPDATE: Tort Liability for Third-Party Criminal Conduct
Posted by Gale Burns on Thu, Jun 12, 2014 @ 12:06 PM
Topics: legal research, public law, John M Stone, tort liability, Virginia Tech murders, wrongful death claim, Commonwealth v. Peterson, Va. Supreme Court, reversed judgment for plaintiffs, reasonably unforeseeable that students faced risk, difficulty prevailing on negligence claim even if
TORTS: Economic Loss Doctrine as a Bar to Negligent Misrepresentation Claims
Does the economic loss doctrine preclude recovery for negligent misrepresentation? The supreme courts in Kansas and Nevada recently addressed this issue and reached opposite conclusions.
In its original form, the economic loss doctrine prohibited a commercial buyer of defective goods from suing in negligence or strict liability when the only injury consisted of damage to the goods themselves. The doctrine reflected courts' concern that the rise of implied warranties and strict liability for dangerous products would allow tort law to consume contract law. Over the years, many courts extended the doctrine's application beyond the commercial product sphere as a means of preserving distinctions between contract and tort law.
In the Kansas and Nevada Supreme Court cases, the issue was whether the doctrine applied in actions for negligent misrepresentation arising from construction contracts. In Rinehart v. Morton Buildings, Inc., 305 P.3d 622 (Kan. 2013), property owners who had contracted with a builder for a preengineered building sued the builder. They alleged claims for breach of contract and warranty, as well as a claim under the state's Consumer Protection Act. As part of their statutory claim, the owners alleged that the builder had negligently misrepresented that the building would be completed in a timely matter, accommodate the owners' need to relocate its operations, and meet or exceed all industry standards. After difficulties arose during construction over the structure's quality, the owners sued for damages to compensate for shop rent at an alternate facility, lost production, relocation costs, and interest expenses on a line of credit. The builder argued that the economic loss doctrine barred the negligent misrepresentation claim.
The Rinehart court disagreed, concluding that the scope of a negligent misrepresentation claim is narrow enough that it is unnecessary to limit recovery by applying the economic loss doctrine. The court reasoned as follows:
The elements of the negligence misrepresentation tort sets the bounds on the scope of liability by imposing the duty in the limited circumstances when a defendant supplies information to guide others in business transactions in the course of the defendant's business. The tort also limits the universe of those who may pursue such claims to those for whose benefit the defendant supplied the information and whom the defendant intends to influence or knows will be influenced in the transaction. Therefore, the doctrine's second purpose of restricting potential extensive liability to a commercial user "downstream" from the manufacturer does not apply here.
We hold negligent misrepresentation claims are not subject to the economic loss doctrine because the duty at issue arises by operation of law and the doctrine's purposes are not furthered by its application under these circumstances. We leave for another day whether the doctrine should extend elsewhere.
Id. at 632-33 (citation omitted).
Topics: legal research, Fred Shackelford, torts, construction contract, Halcrow, Inc. v. Eighth Judicial District Court, NV, Rinehart v. Morton Buildings, KS, economic loss doctrine, negligent misrepresentation
Posted by Gale Burns on Tue, Apr 2, 2013 @ 17:04 PM
Ultimately, how the court applies the doctrine of judicial estoppel is discretionary, and it is an equitable tool. The doctrine can lead to harsh results and, therefore, must be applied with caution.
CIVIL RIGHTS: The EEOC's Presuit Conciliation Obligation—When Is It Satisfied?
Posted by Gale Burns on Wed, Feb 20, 2013 @ 17:02 PM
Initially, under the civil rights laws the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC") was not itself empowered to bring suit. In 1972, the law was amended to provide for suits brought directly by the EEOC, but only after an investigation; a determination of reasonable cause; and an attempt to resolve the matter by informal methods of conference, conciliation, and persuasion. 42 U.S.C. § 2000e(5)(b). Since that time, the courts have been in agreement that a conciliation attempt is at least a condition precedent to suit by the EEOC. See, e.g., EEOC v. Radiator Specialty Co., 610 F.2d 178, 183 (4th Cir. 1979). However, as the court noted in a recent case, the circuits appear to be split as to the standard that should govern the court's inquiry into whether the conciliation obligation has been satisfied. EEOC v. St. Alexius Med. Ctr., No. 12 C 7646, 2012 WL 6590625, at *1-3 (N.D. Ill. Dec. 18, 2012).
In an early decision, the Tenth Circuit noted that the statutory language is mandatory and concluded that it was inconceivable that anything less than good-faith efforts is required. EEOC v. Zia Co., 582 F.2d 527, 532-33 (10th Cir. 1978). By the same token, it found that the court need not examine the details of offers and counteroffers between the parties. Although the court quoted language from the Conference Report on the law, which indicated that it was contemplated that the EEOC would "continue to make every effort to conciliate" and that it would file suit only "if conciliation proves to be impossible," id. at 533 (quoting 118 Cong. Rec. H1861 (Mar. 8, 1972)), the standard the court seemed to impose was simply a showing of "some effort" to conciliate and of "notice of the breakdown" of the effort. Id. at 532-33. The Sixth Circuit put forth a similar standard, adding that the EEOC is under no duty to pursue further conciliation if an employer rejects its offer. EEOC v. Keco Indus., 748 F.2d 1097, 1101-02 (6th Cir. 1984).
Both the Eleventh and Fifth Circuits have imposed a somewhat more specific and more stringent standard, requiring the EEOC to (1) outline for the employer the reasonable cause for its belief that the law has been violated; (2) offer the employer an opportunity for voluntary compliance; and (3) respond to the employer in a reasonable and flexible manner. EEOC v. Asplundh Tree Expert Co., 340 F.3d 1256, 1259 (11th Cir. 2003); EEOC v. Klingler Elec. Corp., 636 F.2d 104, 107 (5th Cir. 1981). These courts have found that the underlying question is the reasonableness and responsiveness of the EEOC, considering all the circumstances. The Fifth Circuit, in contrast to the Tenth and Sixth Circuits, specifically concluded that the court is required to make a thorough inquiry into the facts of the conciliation efforts in order to properly evaluate whether the EEOC has satisfied its duty.
Topics: Dora Vivaz, legal research, The Lawletter Vol 37 No 12, conciliation is condition precedent to suit by EEO, conciliation standard split in circuits, 11th and 5th Circuits more stringent standard, civil rights
CIVIL PROCEDURE: Recovery of Costs in Federal Court by Prevailing Party
Posted by Gale Burns on Thu, Jan 3, 2013 @ 13:01 PM
Paul Ferrer, Senior Research Attorney, National Legal Research Group
Parties who secure a favorable judgment in federal court may be happy with the outcome but should not forgo seeking their recoverable costs as well. The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure specifically provide that "[u]nless a federal statute, these rules, or a court order provides otherwise, costs—other than attorney's fees—should be allowed to the prevailing party." Fed. R. Civ. P. 54(d)(1). The threshold question for any court prior to awarding costs under Rule 54(d) involves a determination of who the "prevailing party" is in the lawsuit. In general, a party prevails for purposes of Rule 54(d) when a final judgment awards it "substantial relief." Smart v. Local 702 Int'l Bhd. of Elec. Workers, 573 F.3d 523, 525 (7th Cir. 2009). A party that gets substantial relief prevails "even if it doesn't win on every claim." Slane v. Mariah Boats, Inc., 164 F.3d 1065, 1068 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 527 U.S. 1005 (1999).
In Sommerfield v. City of Chicago, No. 06 C 3132, 2012 WL 5381255, at *2 (N.D. Ill. Oct. 31, 2012), for example, the plaintiff was determined to be the prevailing party because the jury had returned a verdict in his favor on two counts, awarding him $30,000, even though the jury had found against him on a third count and two other counts had been dismissed at the summary judgment stage. Sommerfield also exemplifies the concept that "a determination of who is the prevailing party for purposes of awarding costs should not depend on the position of the parties at each stage of the litigation but should be made when the controversy is finally decided." Repub. Tobacco Co. v. N. Atl. Trading Co., 481 F.3d 442, 446 (7th Cir. 2007) (quoting 10 Charles A. Wright et al., Federal Practice and Procedure § 2667 (3d ed. 2006)); see also Smart, 573 F.3d at 525 (a "final judgment" awarding substantial relief is "one that resolves all claims against all parties"). In Republic Tobacco, the court held that a party that had succeeded on a posttrial motion in having damages awarded against it reduced from $18.6 million to $7.44 million was not a prevailing party that could recover its costs in the district court under Rule 54(d). 481 F.3d at 446-47.
With regard to the nuts and bolts of recovering costs under Rule 54(d), the district court is generally vested with wide discretion to determine "whether and to what extent costs may be awarded to the prevailing party."
Topics: legal research, Paul Ferrer, ND Illinois, The Lawletter Vol 37 No 10, civil procedure, recovering costs by party receiving substantial re, district court has wide discretion in awarding cos, Sommerfield v. City of Chicago
SCHOOLS: The ABCs of IEPs: After-the-Fact Explanations Offered to Bolster Deficient Written Plans
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ("IDEA"), 20 U.S.C. §§ 1400-1482, is a federal law designed to ensure that children with disabilities have the same opportunity to receive a free appropriate public education ("FAPE") as nondisabled children do. See id. § 1400(d). Once a child has been identified as being disabled within the meaning of the IDEA, see id. § 1401(3), a school district must create an individualized education program ("IEP") for the child in order to provide the requisite FAPE, see id. § 1414(d). If the school district fails to supply a FAPE, the child's parents may seek tuition reimbursement for the child's placement in a private school. See id. § 1412(a)(10)(C).
An IEP is "a written statement that sets out the child's present educational performance, establishes annual and short-term objectives for improvements in that performance, and describes the specially designed instruction and services that will enable the child to meet those objectives." D.D. ex rel. V.D. v. N.Y.C. Bd. of Educ., 465 F.3d 503, 507-08 (2d Cir. 2006) (internal quotation marks omitted). If a parent does not believe that the school district's proposed IEP meets this standard, the parent may file a due process complaint with the appropriate state agency and ultimately may seek judicial review of the administrative decision. See 20 U.S.C. § 1415(b)(6).
Given the nature of the IDEA and its review process, IDEA cases tend to be quite fact-intensive. See Haw. Dep't of Educ. v. M.F. ex rel. R.F., 840 F. Supp. 2d 1214, 1225 (D. Haw. 2011). Accordingly, the evidence presented in the administrative hearings is crucial to the outcome of a disputed IDEA matter. See J.L. v. Mercer Is. Sch. Dist., 592 F.3d 938, 949 (9th Cir. 2010) (judicial review under the IDEA is less deferential than in most administrative cases).
In a recent IDEA case, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit was faced with the question of whether what it termed "retrospective testimony"—testimony that certain services not expressly listed in the IEP would have been provided to the child if he or she had attended the school district's proposed placement in the public school system—could be used to rehabilitate an allegedly deficient IEP. See R.E. v. N.Y.C. Dep't of Educ., 694 F.3d 167 (2d Cir. 2012).
Although this case was a matter of first impression in the Second Circuit, the court noted that three other circuit courts of appeals had addressed similar issues in the IDEA context and that all three had expressed a distaste for retrospective evidence. See id. at 185 (citing Adams v. Oregon, 195 F.3d 1141, 1149 (9th Cir. 1999) ("[W]e examine the adequacy of [the IEPs] at the time the plans were drafted."); Carlisle Area Sch. v. Scott P., 62 F.3d 520, 530 (3d Cir. 1995) (holding that an IEP must be judged prospectively from the time of its drafting); Roland M. v. Concord Sch. Comm., 910 F.2d 983, 992 (1st Cir. 1990) ("[A]ctions of school systems cannot . . . be judged exclusively in hindsight. An IEP is a snapshot, not a retrospective.")).
Ultimately, the Second Circuit agreed with the majority view on the issue.
[W]e hold that testimony regarding state-offered services may only explain or justify what is listed in the written IEP. Testimony may not support a modification that is materially different from the IEP, and thus a deficient IEP may not be effectively rehabilitated or amended after the fact through testimony regarding services that do not appear in the IEP.
Topics: legal research, The Lawletter Vol 37 No 9, Steve Friedman, schools, IDEA, individualized education program, tuition reimbursement for private school, 2d Circuit, R.E. v. N.Y City Dep't of Education, plan must be reviewed prospectively, retrospective evidence disfavored