NYLJ Eastern District Roundup

  • Posted: January 16, 2024 / NYLJ Eastern District Roundup Written by: Samuel L. Butt, John MooreJudicial Immunity, Denial of Sanctions and Disqualification of Counsel
    This column reports on several significant representative decisions from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Judge Gary R. Brown dismissed a complaint against United States Bankruptcy Court Chief Judge Alan S. Trust and others based on judicial immunity. Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon denied a motion for sanctions and adverse inferences. Magistrate Judge James M. Wicks granted a motion to disqualify counsel. Read More
  • Posted: December 11, 2023 / NYLJ Eastern District Roundup Written by: Samuel L. Butt, Thomas A. KissanePreliminary Injunction Denied, Collateral Challenge Rights Waived and Denial of Frozen Funds
    This column reports on several significant representative decisions from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Judge Eric R. Komitee denied a preliminary injunction to a defamation plaintiff, Judge Gary R. Brown denied a prisoner’s pro se petition to have his sentence vacated under 28 U.S.C. §2255 and Judge Frederic Block denied a motion by defendants to access frozen funds in an action brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Read More
  • Posted: November 10, 2023 / NYLJ Eastern District Roundup Written by: Thomas A. Kissane, John MooreFirst Amendment Challenge, Section 1983 Claims, Failure To Show Irreparable Injury
    This column reports on several significant representative decisions from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Judge Rachel P. Kovner dismissed a First Amendment challenge to a school district’s policy of restricting comment at school board meetings to local residents. Judge Eric N. Vitaliano granted defendants’ motion to dismiss plaintiffs’ claims under 42 U.S.C. §1983 concerning the Mitchell-Lama housing program. Judge Gary R. Brown found that plaintiffs challenging New York state gun control legislation had not made a sufficient showing of irreparable injury to support preliminary injunctive relief. Read More
  • Posted: October 13, 2023 / NYLJ Eastern District Roundup Written by: Samuel L. Butt, Thomas A. KissaneLack of Jurisdiction, Inmate’s Trust and Claims Stemming From Capitol Attack
    This column reports on several significant representative decisions from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Judge Eric R. Komitee dismissed a complaint to compel arbitration for lack of jurisdiction. Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis granted the government’s motion to garnish funds from an inmate trust account. Judge Frederic Block granted in part and denied in part defendants’ motion to dismiss claims under §1983 and the New York Labor Law. Read More
  • Posted: August 21, 2023 / NYLJ Eastern District Roundup Written by: John MooreHow to Appeal Unappealable Orders
    New York law grants expansive rights to appeal to the Appellate Division from Supreme Court rulings, but those generous rights have limits. Litigators must be able to identify when an appeal cannot be taken. Effective and creative appellate litigators know how to appeal an adverse ruling anyway. To start, CPLR 5512(a) defines an “appealable paper” as one “taken from the judgment or order of the court of original instance.” In contrast to a “judgment or order,” a mere “decision” from the motion court does not give rise to an appeal. Enter “no appeal lies from a decision” into your favorite legal search engine for a wealth of Appellate Division cases dismissing attempts to appeal from a decision. The exact line between a decision and an order can be a little hard to pin down. But if the paper you’re looking at is labeled an order, refers to the docket entries reviewed in reaching the order, and contains decretal paragraphs ordering (or refusing to order) certain relief, you probably don’t have anything to worry about. Read More
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