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Access over workers' compensation decisions, including En Banc, Significant Panel Decisions, and writ-denied cases.

Case No. 09-cv-4229
Regular Panel Decision

Serby v. First Alert, Inc.

Plaintiff Victor M. Serby, an attorney proceeding pro se, brought this action against First Alert, Inc. and BRK Brands, Inc. for breach of a pre-existing settlement agreement. Serby alleged the Defendants failed to pay royalties for smoke detectors incorporating his '434 Patent, stemming from a prior patent infringement litigation. Defendants countered that their new SA340 model smoke alarm did not meet the 'unopenable' condition of the settlement agreement, thus absolving them of royalty payments. Serby moved for summary judgment and to strike Defendants' affirmative defenses, arguing that the doctrines of res judicata and collateral estoppel barred these defenses due to the previous litigation and settlement. The Court denied Serby's motion in its entirety, finding that genuine issues of material fact existed regarding the similarity of the smoke alarm models and that neither res judicata, collateral estoppel, nor contractual estoppel applied. Furthermore, the Court determined that the heightened pleading standards of Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly do not extend to affirmative defenses.

Patent InfringementBreach of ContractSummary JudgmentRes JudicataCollateral EstoppelContractual EstoppelPleading StandardsSmoke DetectorsRoyalties'434 Patent
References
19
Case No. MISSING
Regular Panel Decision
Dec 31, 1979

Bradford v. Air La Carte, Inc.

Plaintiff was injured at a catering facility operated by defendant Air La Carte, Inc. (Air), a subsidiary of ARA Services, Inc. (ARA). Air asserted an exclusive remedy defense under Workers' Compensation Law, arguing plaintiff was its employee. Plaintiff moved to strike this defense, and Air cross-moved for summary judgment. Special Term, relying on a Workers' Compensation Board decision naming ARA as the employer, ruled that only ARA was the employer, thus allowing the negligence action against Air. The Appellate Court modified the decision, holding that res judicata did not apply to Air because it was not a party to the prior compensation proceeding. The court also determined that whether Air was plaintiff's employer was a factual issue due to ambiguous documents, requiring further trial to explore the relationship between the parent and subsidiary corporations.

Workers' CompensationExclusive RemedyRes JudicataCollateral EstoppelEmployer-Employee RelationshipParent-Subsidiary LiabilitySummary JudgmentNegligence ActionAppellate ReviewDual Employment
References
17
Case No. 03A01-9903-CH-00110
Regular Panel Decision
Oct 15, 1999

James R. Baldwin v. The Knox County Board of Education

James R. Baldwin, a former employee of the Knox County School Board, sued for approximately $32,187 in back wages. This was Baldwin's second lawsuit concerning the same wages, with the first having been dismissed by the Trial Court and affirmed on appeal in 1995. In the current action, Baldwin alleged a violation of Tennessee Code Annotated § 49-5-203 (teacher's rights), which the Board countered with the affirmative defense of res judicata. The Trial Court granted the Board's motion for summary judgment, finding that res judicata barred Baldwin's second lawsuit as the issue could have been litigated previously. The Court of Appeals affirmed the Trial Court's judgment, concluding that the case presented a clear instance of res judicata, given that both lawsuits involved the same parties and the same claim for wages.

Res JudicataBack WagesSummary JudgmentTeacher Tenure StatuteAppellate ReviewKnox County Board of EducationEmployment LawPrior LitigationIssue PreclusionClaim Preclusion
References
3
Case No. MISSING
Regular Panel Decision

Kennedy v. General Motors Corp.

This is an employment discrimination case brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1981, where the plaintiff, who is black, alleges racial discrimination in employment termination by General Motors Corporation. Defendant moved for summary judgment, asserting the defense of res judicata based on a prior "no probable cause" determination by the New York State Division of Human Rights (SDHR). The Court concluded that the defendant did not waive the res judicata defense and that the SDHR's determination, acting in a judicial capacity with adequate opportunity for litigation, would be given preclusive effect by New York state courts. Consequently, the defendant's motion for summary judgment was granted, and the plaintiff's complaint was dismissed.

Employment DiscriminationRace DiscriminationRes JudicataCollateral EstoppelSummary Judgment42 U.S.C. Section 1981Title VII Civil Rights ActNew York State Division of Human RightsAdministrative PreclusionFederal Rules of Civil Procedure
References
15
Case No. MISSING
Regular Panel Decision

Independent Ass'n of Plastic & Fibre Workers, Local No. 1 v. Spaulding Fibre Co.

This case involves an action for reformation of a contract where the Special Term correctly dismissed the defendant's affirmative defenses of final resolution of issues and res judicata. These defenses were based on a prior arbitration award. However, the arbitrator's written decision explicitly stated that arbitration was not the appropriate forum for contract reformation, deeming it a judicial function. Consequently, the action for contract reformation could not be precluded by the arbitration award because the arbitrator did not address the specific issue. The court referenced established law that res judicata applies only to issues actually resolved by arbitration, and an award is not a bar to a subsequent action if the issue was not passed upon by the arbitrators. The appellate court unanimously affirmed the order.

Contract ReformationRes JudicataArbitration AwardScope of ArbitrationJudicial FunctionAffirmative DefensesContract InterpretationAppeal from OrderErie CountyAppellate Review
References
3
Case No. MISSING
Regular Panel Decision
May 24, 1993

Girardin v. Town of Hempstead

The plaintiffs appealed an order from the Supreme Court, Nassau County, dated May 24, 1993. This order granted the defendants' motion to amend their answers to include the affirmative defense of res judicata and subsequently dismissed the complaint. The appellate court affirmed this decision, finding that the Supreme Court did not improvidently exercise its discretion in granting leave to amend. The appellate court noted that the defense of res judicata was not available at the time of joinder of issue, as Workers’ Compensation determinations were still pending. The delay in filing the motion to amend after these determinations was not considered excessive. The plaintiffs' claim of prejudice due to the delay was rejected, as they had the opportunity to appeal the Workers’ Compensation determinations but chose not to.

Personal InjuriesRes JudicataCPLR 3025(b)Leave to AmendAffirmative DefenseDismissal of ComplaintAppellate ReviewJudicial DiscretionPrejudiceSupreme Court
References
5
Case No. 07 Civ. 4627 (LLS)
Regular Panel Decision
Oct 14, 2009

Board of Managers of the 195 Hudson Street Condominium v. Jeffrey M. Brown Associates, Inc.

Plaintiff Board of Managers of the 195 Hudson Street Condominium filed a diversity action against Jeffrey M. Brown Associates (JMB), seeking to declare JMB an alter-ego of K & J Construction Co., L.P. to recover an outstanding state court judgment against K&J. JMB moved to dismiss the complaint, asserting defenses of res judicata, collateral estoppel, and the Rooker-Feldman doctrine. The court found the Rooker-Feldman doctrine inapplicable. Reviewing two prior state court proceedings (Northeast Litigation and Conversion Litigation), the court determined that the alter-ego claim was not barred by res judicata or collateral estoppel concerning the Northeast Litigation, primarily due to lack of adversity and a full and fair opportunity to litigate for the Board. However, the court ruled that the Board's alter-ego claim was barred by res judicata concerning the Conversion Litigation, as the claim arose from the same transaction and should have been raised in that prior proceeding. Consequently, JMB's motion to dismiss the complaint was granted with prejudice.

Res JudicataCollateral EstoppelRooker-Feldman DoctrineCorporate Veil PiercingAlter-ego LiabilityMotion to DismissFederal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6)State Court JudgmentConstruction DefectBreach of Contract
References
86
Case No. 06 Civ. 12878(RLC)
Regular Panel Decision

International Securities Exchange, LLC v. S & P Dow Jones Indices, LLC

International Securities Exchange, LLC and International Exchange Holdings, Inc. (ISE) sued S & P Dow Jones, LLC (Dow Jones) for a declaration of right to list options on S&P 500 and DJIA indices without a license, claiming federal copyright preemption. The lawsuit was stayed pending resolution of an identical case in Illinois state courts. The Illinois courts ruled in favor of Dow Jones, affirming its intellectual property rights and concluding that ISE's actions constituted misappropriation, a decision affirmed by the Illinois Appellate Court and upheld by the US Supreme Court's denial of certiorari. Upon returning to the current court, ISE sought to amend its complaint, while Dow Jones moved to dismiss based on res judicata. The court granted Dow Jones' motion, ruling that the Illinois judgment was binding under the Full Faith and Credit Act and Illinois preclusion rules, thus barring ISE from relitigating the preemption issue. ISE's motion to amend its complaint was denied as futile.

Copyright PreemptionRes JudicataCollateral EstoppelFull Faith and Credit ActIntellectual Property RightsStock Market IndicesOptions TradingUnfair CompetitionTortious InterferenceIllinois State Law
References
42
Case No. MISSING
Regular Panel Decision
Oct 22, 1980

Hilowitz v. Hilowitz

In a negligence action for personal injuries, the plaintiff appealed an order from the Supreme Court, Queens County, dated October 22, 1980. The order, issued by Justice Hyman, had denied the plaintiff's motion to dismiss the defense of collateral estoppel. The appellate court affirmed the order, holding that an arbitration award, even without judicial confirmation, can serve as a basis for res judicata and collateral estoppel if there was a final determination on the merits. The court referenced Kilduff v Donna Oil Corp. and distinguished Hana Heating & Air Conditioning Co. v Sheet Metal Workers Int. Assn. All other contentions raised by the plaintiff were deemed to be without merit.

NegligencePersonal InjuryAppealCollateral EstoppelRes JudicataArbitration AwardJudicial ConfirmationFinal DeterminationAppellate DecisionSupreme Court Order
References
4
Case No. MISSING
Regular Panel Decision

Ryan v. New York Telephone Co.

Edward C. Ryan was terminated by New York Telephone Company (Telco) for alleged theft, leading to criminal charges and denial of unemployment benefits. While criminal charges were dropped and the unemployment benefits denial was upheld, Ryan sued Telco for false arrest, malicious prosecution, slander, and wrongful discharge. His wife, Darlene Ryan, also claimed related injuries. Special Term denied Telco's summary judgment motion and struck its res judicata and collateral estoppel defenses. This dissenting opinion argues that the administrative finding of Ryan's misconduct should preclude relitigation under res judicata and collateral estoppel, thus the Special Term's order should be reversed and Telco's cross-motion granted.

Res JudicataCollateral EstoppelUnemployment BenefitsWrongful DischargeFalse ArrestMalicious ProsecutionSlanderAdministrative LawAppellate ReviewSummary Judgment
References
8
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