REAL ESTATE CORNER
REAL ESTATE CORNER
Florida Real Property and Business Litigation Report
MANUEL FARACH
Dubin v . United States , Case No . 22-10 ( 2023 ). A defendant commits identify theft , i . e ., “ uses ” another person ’ s means of identification “ in relation to ” a predicate offense , when the use is at the crux of what makes the conduct criminal .
Jack Daniel ’ s Properties , Inc . v . VIP Products LLC , Case No . 22 – 148 ( 2023 ). The Rogers ( v . Grimaldi , 875 F . 2d 994 ( 2nd Cir . 1989 )) test does not apply to trademark infringement claims but using a protected mark to designate the user ’ s own goods is not protected under the Lanham Act ' s non-commercial exclusion even if the infringer employs parody , criticism or commentary .
Smith v . United States , Case No . 21 – 1576 ( 2023 ). A case tried in an improper venue can be retried , and if so , will be tried in the proper venue .
Lac Du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians v . Coughlin , Case No . 22 – 227 ( 2023 ). The Bankruptcy Code unambiguously abrogates the sovereign immunity of all governments , including federally recognized Indian tribes .
Yegiazaryan v . Smagin , Case No . 22 – 381 ( 2023 ). A R . I . C . O . plaintiff alleges a domestic injury for purposes of § 1964 ( c ) when claiming the injury arose in the United States and not extraterritorially .
Abitron Austria GMBH v . Hetronic International , Inc ., Case No . 21 – 1043 ( 2023 ). 15 U . S . C . § 1114 ( 1 )( a ) and § 1125 ( a )( 1 ) of the Lanham Act are not extraterritorial and extend only to claims where the trademark infringement “ use in commerce ” is domestic .
Mallory v . Norfolk Southern Railway Co ., Case No . 21 – 1168 ( 2023 ). A state law that requires out-of-state companies to register to do business in the state and agree to appear in the courts of the state on “ any cause of action ” against them does not violate the Due Process Clause .
United States ex rel . Polansky v . Executive Health Resources , Inc ., Case No . 21 – 1052 ( 2023 ). The government may , for good cause shown , intervene after the seal period in a qui tam suit ends , and having done so , may later dismiss the case over objection of the relator .
Coinbase , Inc . v . Bielski , Case No . 22 – 105 ( 2023 ). A district court must stay its proceedings while an interlocutory appeal determining arbitrability is ongoing .
Drazen v . Pinto , Case No . 21-10199 ( 11th Cir . 2023 ). One telephone call is sufficient to confer standing for claims of violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 , 47 U . S . C . § 227 ( b )( 1 )( A )( iii ).
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v .
Brown , Case No . 21-14468 ( 11th Cir . 2023 ). The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is not exempt from the rules of discovery , and may be sanctioned for violation of the rules .
Nuvasive , Inc . v . Absolute Medical , LLC , Case No . 22-10214 ( 11th Cir . 2023 ). The Eleventh Circuit adopts the Ninth Circuit ’ s Move , Inc . v . Citigroup Global Markets , 840 F . 3d 1152 ( 9th Cir . 2016 ), decision and holds the Federal Arbitration Act ’ s time limitations to object to award confirmation may be equitably tolled when the circumstances , e . g ., a lawyer providing answers to a witness during an evidentiary phase , warrant such an “ extraordinary remedy .”
American Builders Insurance Company v . Southern-Owners Insurance Company , Case No . 21-13496 ( 11th Cir . 2023 ). The Eleventh Circuit adopts Dupree v . Younger , 143 S . Ct . 1382 ( 2023 ), and holds that in order to be preserved for appellate review , preservation of fact-bound arguments must be made through a Rule 50 motion but purely legal issues need
PBCBA BAR BULLETIN 21 only appear in a pretrial Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56 motion .
Tsuji v . Fleet , Case No . SC2021-1255 ( Fla . 2023 ). With the exceptions of creditors who have filed claims or mortgages , Florida Statute section 733.710 ( 1 ) is a statute of repose that extinguishes all claims against a decedent unless the claim is brought within two years .
Coates v . R . J . Reynolds Tobacco Company , Case No . SC2021-0175 ( Fla . 2023 ). Florida ’ s Offer of Judgment Statute ( Florida Statue section 768.79 ) is not a prevailing party statute , and accordingly , a party need not prevail in a proceeding to be entitled to fees under the statute .
In Re : Code For Resolving Professionalism Referrals and Amendments To Rule Regulating The Florida Bar 6-10.3 ., Case No . SC2023-0884 ( Fla . 2023 ). The Florida Supreme Court adopts the Code for Resolving Professionalism Referrals , makes professionalism standards apply to all forms of communication , and reduces the number of required CLE hours .
Perry v . Turner , Case No . 2D22-119 ( Fla . 2d DCA 2023 ). A party who has titled property in the hands of a co-conspirator to evade creditors is barred by the doctrines of unclean hands and in pari delicto from recovering the property from the coconspirator , and in pari delicto applies even if the conduct was merely wrongful and not illegal .
WB ' s Septic & Sitework , Inc . v . Tucker , Case No . 1D21-3533 ( Fla . 1st DCA 2023 ). A construction lienor who obtains the signature of a person claiming to be an agent of the owner on the construction contract is not entitled to a construction lien , and since a written contract existed , is not entitled to quantum meruit .
( Continued on next page )