Opinion ID: 1404453
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: issues

Text: To cure the deficiencies in their failure to plead the necessary evidentiary facts, appellants attempt to assert issue preclusion to rely upon the factual findings in United States v. Visa U.S.A., Inc., 344 F.3d 229 (2d Cir.2003). Whether issue preclusion applies is a legal question we review de novo. See Frank v. United Airlines, Inc., 216 F.3d 845, 849-50(9th Cir.2000). Issue preclusion prevents a party from relitigating an issue decided in a previous action if four requirements are met: (1) there was a full and fair opportunity to litigate the issue in the previous action; (2) the issue was actually litigated in that action; (3) the issue was lost as a result of a final judgment in that action; and (4) the person against whom collateral estoppel is asserted in the present action was a party or in privity with a party in the previous action. United States Internal Revenue Serv. v. Palmer (In re Palmer), 207 F.3d 566, 568 (9th Cir.2000). The burden is on the party seeking to rely upon issue preclusion to prove each of the elements have been met. Here, appellants have not shown any of the elements of issue preclusion have been met. The Second Circuit's decision in Visa involved exclusivity rules which barred member banks from issuing American Express or Discover cards; any discussion of interchange fees or merchant fees in that opinion was provided as background only and was irrelevant to the issue actually decided in that litigation. See 344 F.3d at 235, 237. [6]