Civ Pro Flashcards
Requests for admission
allow a party to ask another party to admit the truth about matters within the scope of discovery relatingt to facts, the appliction of law to facts, opinions about either, or the genuineness of documents.
a party that fails to admit a matter later proven true must generally pay the reasonable expenses incurred in making that proof unless four conds apply (court sustained prior objection, admission sought was of no substanital importance, responsind party rasonably believed that it would prevail on the matter, another good reason existed)
Claim preclusion
a valid final judgment on the merits precludes a party from litigating an indentiical claim against the same party in a second action.
claims are indentical if they
1) arise from the same transaction, occurrence, or series thereof, and
2) could’ve been raised in the first action
if a valid final judgment on the merits was entered in fed court, then the court presiding over a subequent action involving the same claim and parties must apply…
federal law
if a valid final judgment on the merits was entered in state court, then the court presiding over a subequent action involving the same claim and parties must apply…
that state’s claim preclusion law to the second action
when considering a motion for judgment as a matter of law (JMOL), a court must
1) view the evidence and draw all reasonable inferences in favor of non-movant
2) disregard evidence favorable to movant that jury isnt required to believe,
3) not consider the credibility of the witness/eval the weight of the evid
FRCP 11(b)(2) Sanctions on a client
a court cannot impose monetary sanctions on a party represented by an atty for a violation unless there is evidence that the client lied to atty
a court may order measures no greater than necessary to cure prejudice caused by a party’s failure to preserve ESI that
1) shouldve been preserved in the anticipation or conduct of litigation,
2) is lost bc the party failed to take reasonable steps to preserve it, and
3) cannot be replaced or restored
tag jurisidiction
a fed court obtains personal juris over a D served w/ process while voluntarily present in forum state unless D was
(1) fraud/forcefully brought into the state to be served, or
(2) present in state to attend unrelated judicial proceedings
Court polling jurors
a court must on party’s request or on its own, poll jurors invidivudally after a verdict is returned but before jury is discharged. if poll reveals verdict is not unanimous, court can (1) direct jury to delierate further, or (2) order new trial
FRCP 4(e)(2) - delivery of service
Service of process can be made by:
- delivering notice and copy of summons to indvidual personally,
- leaving a copy of each at the individual’s dwelling with someone of suitable age and discretion who resides there,
- delivering a copy of each to an agent authorized by appointment or by law to recieve service of process
a p may ask a d to waive formal service process by
sending the complaint, two copies of waiver form, and prepaid means of returning the form
if D waives formal service then D has 60 days to answer the complaint and if it doesnt have to pay formal service of process
Process must be served within…
90 days of filing a complaint.
court must extend service time if P shows good cause that service was delayed due to matters outside of P’s control
collateral order doctrine
Exception to final judgment rule
allows an interlocutory appeal when a district court
*conclusively resolves an important issue,
*that issue is seperate from the merits of the underlying claim and
*that order is effectively un-revivable on appeal from final judgment
when no internationally agreed method of service or applicable federal law exists, an indivdual D in a foreign country can be served…
(1) following foregin country’s rules for service,
(2) as the foreign country arects in response to letter rogatory, or
3) by delivering process to D personally or by mail - if permitted by foreign country
omnibus motion rule
requires that all FRCP 12 defenses (lack of PJ, improper venue, or insufficient service) be consolidated in a single pre-answer motion.
defenses are considered waived if omitted
Service by publication is only permitted when
D or D’s address is unknown or unobtainable
FRCP 24(a) - intervention of right
court must permit intervention if movant
1) has an interest related to the property or transaction that’s the subject of the action,
2) dispostion without hte movant may impair or impede the movant’s ability to protect its interest, and
3) its interest is not adequately represented by exisiting parties
FRCP 24 - permissive intervention
court may permit intervention when either:
1) nonparty’s claim/defense shares common question of law or fact w/ main action, or
2) fed statute gives conditional right to interevene
court must consider whether intervention will unduly delay or prejudice adjudication of original parties’ rights
Who can remove a case to federal court?
Only Ds listed in P’s complaint have the power to remove a case from state to fed court.
a party joined to the action through a counterlcaim is not considered a D for removal purposes
Amended pleading
used to set forht a transsaction, occurrence, or event that arose before the pleading to be amended was filed
can be amended within 21 days after service
Supplemental pleading
is used to set forth a transaction, occurence or event that arose after the pleading to be supplemental was filed
Initial conference for discovery
parties must hold an intial conference to plan for discovery.
conference must be held ASAP and at least 21 days before a scheduling conference w/ the judge is held/judge’s scheduling order is due
Requirements for complaint
must contain a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the P is entitled to relief.
when a complaint alleges mistake, fraud, or a mental condition, (1) D’s intent or other mental condition may be alleged generally but (2) the circumstnaces giving rise to the claim msut be stated with particularity
SCOTUS has no jurisdiction to review a state court decision based on…
adequate state law ground that completely resolves the case independent of federal law