How to Make Clear, Quick and Effective Objections
Podcast - A Checklist of Common Objections
What were you doing back in April, 2018? I actually remember that timeframe very well for unfortunate reasons I will not discuss because I am nice Czar right now. But for Mike Greenwald– Mr. Number One– he was merrily...more
On July 25, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed a bankruptcy court’s approval of a break-up fee and expense reimbursement owed to a debtor’s prior lender, after the lender was not the winning bidder...more
Every now and then, you read a case and just scratch your head. I have been doing this for 30 years and I get how emotional the divorce process can be. I get that some people just don’t want to get divorced, while at the same...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: “Objector blackmail” occurs in the class settlement approval process when a few class members object to a proposed settlement and, after the district court has overruled their objections, pursue appeals...more
When a class action settlement is proposed for approval, the class members have three options, (1) they can remain in the settlement class, (2) opt-out of the settlement to preserve their individual claims, or (3) they can...more
Often, trial lawyers minimize the importance of a timely evidentiary objection. Trial lawyers think that appellate courts review evidentiary objections under a deferential “abuse of discretion” standard and that one single...more
You find yourself in an arbitration needing documents and testimony from a nonparty. Your arbitrator issues a nonparty summons, “conveniently” requiring the out-of-state nonparty to appear by video at a hearing and produce...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Professional class settlement objectors can be a thorn-in-the-side for employers and class counsel attempting to settle class actions. ...more
The Holding - In Fisher v. USAA Casualty Insurance Company, 2018 WL 3804114 (Ariz. App. Aug. 7, 2018), a case arising from an underinsured motorist (“UIM”) arbitration, the Arizona Court of Appeals affirmed the trial...more
In Pearson v. Target Corp., No. 17-2275, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 17337 (7th Cir. June 26, 2018), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit took aim at self-serving class settlement objectors and ordered the district...more
Sometimes it seems like the trial court is taking forever to rule on a pending motion. Most of the time, the best option – apart from friendly check-ins with the court clerk – is to wait patiently....more
Arbitration - Waymo v. Uber Technologies, 870 F.3d 1342 (Fed. Cir. 2017) - Waymo sued Uber and others for trade secret misappropriation and patent infringement. Uber contends that Waymo should be compelled to...more
Ever wonder what happens if a person challenges the timeliness of a trustee’s sale after the sale already occurred? Waiver of the argument of course! And, in the case of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Waltner, the affirmance of...more
In Byrd v. Stubbs, 190 So. 3d 26 (Miss. Ct. App. 2016), the Mississippi Court of Appeals reminded us of the need to be diligent during a charge conference by raising specific objections to a proposed jury instruction, as...more
This chart provides a quick reference regarding motions and objections that may be made immediately prior to, during, and immediately after trial to preserve issues for appellate review. ...more
While trial attorneys know they must preserve issues they wish to raise on appeal, they often overlook the basic steps required to help ensure appellate review. During more than 27 years on the bench, former Florida appellate...more
Every experienced civil trial lawyer knows that when the judge rules against you on an objection at trial, you need to build a record to show that the court’s ruling was not only wrong, but harmful. For generations, and in...more
A recent case reminds litigators to be diligent in protecting their clients’ due-process rights when narrowing a case for trial or risk forfeiting the right to trial altogether. In Nuance Communications v. ABBYY USA Software...more
W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. v. C.R. Bard, Inc., et al., C.A. No. 11-515 -LPS, November 24, 2015. Stark, C.J. The court rules on objections to Magistrate’s rulings on a Daubert motion and a Report and Recommendation on...more
The raise-or-waive rule, arguably one of the most important rules of appellate practice, also is one of the Rhode Island Supreme Court’s most frequently invoked legal doctrines. In its last term, the Rhode Island Supreme...more