Monday, February 19, 2018

Appellate horror story

Image result for train wreckSomething very scary happened at oral argument on Halloween in the Seventh Circuit last year. Those who like to listen to train wrecks can hear the oral argument here. How did the case come out? Well, the day after Valentine's Day, the decision issued, and it was no love-note to appellant. The decision did two things: First, for flagrant violation of court rules, the court summarily affirmed the judgment "as a sanction." Second, because the appeal was "patently frivolous," the court awarded fees and costs to appellees. The gory details can be read in Jaworski v. Master Hand Contractors, Inc. (7th Cir. Feb. 15, 2018).