MVA Litigation

In a noteworthy endorsement of international arbitration March 30, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued what may be the second watershed decision within six months in the use of 28 U.S.C. § 1782, “Assistance to foreign and international tribunals and to litigants before such tribunals”. The Fourth Circuit panel reversed the district court to rule that section 1782(a) may be employed to obtain testimony and other evidence in aid of private arbitration held outside the United States.[i]

A defendant by any other name does not smell as sweet when it comes to removing class actions from state court to federal court, even under the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 (“CAFA”). Congress passed CAFA to address perceived abuses in class action litigation and to provide an avenue for defendants to remove class actions filed in state courts to the more neutral ground of the federal court system. But, who can avail themselves of the removal authority provided by CAFA? The U.S. Supreme Court recently held in Home Depot U.S.A. , Inc. v. Jackson, 587 U. S. ____ (2019) that only the ...

Our goal is to serve as a cutting-edge resource for companies operating in an increasingly globalized and regulated business environment. Moore & Van Allen’s MLB Litigation Brief is a complement to our Litigation Blog’s in-depth individual treatment of critical issues emerging in federal, North Carolina state, and international litigation, as well as in arbitration, regulatory enforcement, and related business practices. MLB Litigation Brief hits the highlights of recent developments, streamlining access to critical information for our readers. Subscribe to the ...

Last week, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals kicked off the holiday by giving thanks for the power to prevent parties from reaping the benefits of fraud perpetrated against the federal courts. The Fourth Circuit decided in Barlow v. Colgate Palmolive Co., et al., No. 13-1839, No. 13-1840, 2014 U.S. App. LEXIS 22324 (4th Cir. Nov. 25, 2014) that the reach of federal jurisdiction extends far enough to snatch a case back from state court if a plaintiff secured remand based on fraudulent misrepresentations to the federal court.  The court also clarified that attorneys engaging in such ...

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Family Dollar Stores, Inc.’s petition for writ of certiorari seeking review of the Fourth Circuit’s decision in Scott, et. al. v. Family Dollar Stores, Inc., No. 12-1610 (4th Cir. Oct., 16, 2013).  The Fourth Circuit had overturned the District Court’s decision to deny plaintiff’s motion to amend its employment discrimination-based class action complaint on the grounds that “as a matter of law plaintiffs cannot satisfy the Rule 23(a) commonality requirement because the alleged gender discrimination was a result of 'subjective ...

A LIBERAL SHIFT IN THE FOURTH CIRCUIT? - PART 2: In part two of this Bloomberg BNA series, MVA Litigation Associate Jason Idilbi continues analyzing whether the judges appointed during the 2010-2011 term to the historically conservative Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals have caused the court to lean towards the left.  Idilbi examines the outcomes of the Fourth Circuit’s recent en banc rehearings and whether they demonstrate that there has been an ideological shift on the court.  Idilbi Article Part 2.  If you missed Part 1, see our previous post. Posted Feb. 13, 2014

            The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals identified two principles driving the potential certification of a class in employment discrimination cases in Scott, et. al. v. Family Dollar Stores, Inc., No. 12-1610 (4th Cir. Oct., 16, 2013) that it believes are “readily derived” from Wal-Mart Stores v. Dukes, 131 S. Ct. 2541 (2011), but were misunderstood by the District Court when it denied plaintiffs an opportunity to amend their complaint to provide additional detail regarding allegations that Family Dollar exercised “centralized control of compensation for store managers at ...

            The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued a decision placing the AT&T Mobility, LLC v. Concepcion, 131 S.Ct. 1740 (2011) stamp of approval on class arbitration waivers in this Circuit.  In Muriithi v. Shuttle Express, Inc., No. 11-1445, 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 6464 (4th Cir. Apr. 1, 2013), the Fourth Circuit took on several issues surrounding class arbitration waivers that have been the source of disagreement among lower courts since Concepcion.  The Shuttle Express plaintiff was a shuttle driver for defendant Shuttle Express, a company that provides transportation for ...

   The duty to preserve evidence in the face of impending litigation is a burden that befalls litigants and potential litigants.  We recently discussed the impact of the decision in Zubulake v UBS Warburg LLC 220 FRD 212 (S.D.N.Y. 2003) on the determination of when the duty to preserve attaches with respect to the preservation of electronic documents.  See my previous blog here addressing the reasonable anticipation standard established by Zubulake and as applied in state court in VOOM HD Holdings LLC v. EchoStar Satellite L.L.C., 2012 NY Slip Op 00658 (Jan. 31, 2012).  The duty to preserve ...

   In March, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an important ruling in Shady Grove Orthopedic Associates v. Allstate Insurance Co., 130 S. Ct. 1431 (2010) that opened the federal courts to plaintiffs as a forum for class actions. However, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals recently advised putative class action plaintiffs that the door opened by Shady Grove is not as wide as they may have hoped.

   The Shady Grove plaintiff filed a class action in federal court based on diversity jurisdiction and sought state statutory penalties in spite of a New York state statute that prohibited class ...