Opinion ID: 2677225
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Denial of Appellants’ Motion to Recuse

Text: Finally, appellants argue that the district court judge erred in not recusing himself from the case on the ground that his son was an attorney in a law firm that represented General Electric (GE), the company that partners with Sam’s Club in financing credit to certain Sam’s Club customers. Appellants contend that the judge’s failure to recuse violated 28 U.S.C. § 455(a) because an average person knowing the relevant facts surrounding the case would reasonably question the judge’s impartiality based on his son’s connection to GE. 5 Having concluded that Sam’s Club’s interpretation of 15 U.S.C. § 1681c(g)(1) is objectively reasonable, we do not consider evidence in the record put forth by appellants that allegedly shows an intentional or bad faith violation of FACTA by Sam’s Club. See Safeco, 551 U.S. at 70 n.20 (stating that evidence of subjective bad faith should not be taken into account “in determining whether a company acted knowingly or recklessly for purposes of § 1681n(a)” when the company’s reading of the statute is objectively reasonable); Levine v. World Fin. Network Nat’l Bank, 554 F.3d 1314, 1319 (11th Cir. 2009) (“Safeco makes clear that evidence of subjective bad faith cannot support ‘a willfulness finding . . . when the company’s reading of the statute is objectively reasonable.’”). -16- “The denial of a motion to recuse is reviewed for abuse of discretion.” United States v. Ruff, 472 F.3d 1044, 1046 (8th Cir. 2007). A judge must recuse himself “in any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned.” 28 U.S.C. § 455(a). Under section 455(a), this court considers “whether the judge’s impartiality might reasonably be questioned by the average person on the street who knows all the relevant facts of a case.” In re Kan. Pub. Emp. Ret. Sys., 85 F.3d 1353, 1358 (8th Cir. 1996). Because a “judge is presumed to be impartial,” a party seeking recusal “bears the substantial burden of proving otherwise.” United States v. Denton, 434 F.3d 1104, 1111 (8th Cir. 2006) (citation omitted) (internal quotation marks omitted). A “relationship between a party and a judge’s son or daughter does not per se necessitate a judge’s disqualification. Rather, the determination of whether a conflict exists in a given situation is factually bound.” See In re Kan. Pub. Emp. Ret. Sys., 85 F.3d at 1364 (citations omitted). We conclude that appellants have not satisfied their burden of showing that recusal was required under 28 U.S.C. § 455(a). While appellants allege that the judge became aware of the potential conflict with GE long before the judge disclosed it, appellants do not offer adequate support for this claim. The appellants do not point to anything in the district court’s orders or the record that convincingly shows that the judge deliberately concealed a conflict from the parties. More importantly, the nature of the alleged conflict is “simply too remote, speculative, and contingent” to give rise to a situation in which the judge’s impartiality might reasonably be questioned by a member of the public. See In re Kan. Pub. Emp. Ret. Sys., 85 F.3d at 1362. The record does not show GE as a party to this lawsuit, and, as Sam’s Club observes, there is little realistic possibility that it will become a party given that Sam’s Club is the only company alleged to have provided appellants with a questioned electronicallyprinted receipt. Furthermore, appellants do not dispute Sam’s Club’s assertion that the judge’s son is in no way involved in this case, and that no lawyer in that law firm has ever appeared in this case in any capacity. Appellants’ counsel seems to be grasping at straws blowing in the wind in order to litigate this case further. -17- We conclude that the district court acted properly in denying appellants’ motion to recuse.