Foman v. Davis

Holding that an appeal was improperly dismissed when the record as a whole — including a timely but incomplete notice of appeal and a premature but complete notice — revealed the orders petitioner sought to appeal

Eminence Capital, LLC v. Aspeon, Inc.

Holding that the district court abused its discretion because "[d]ismissal with prejudice and without leave to amend is not appropriate unless it is clear on de novo review that the complaint could not be saved by amendment"

Leadsinger, Inc. v. BMG Music Publishing

Holding that a court may deny leave to amend where amendment would be futile

DCD Programs, Ltd. v. Leighton

Holding that district court abused its discretion by denying plaintiffs' motion to file fourth amended complaint

Bowles v. Reade

Holding that a plan participant cannot settle an ERISA § 502 claim without the plan’s consent

Jackson v. Bank of Hawaii

Holding that plaintiffs are not entitled to amend to add claims that "advance different legal theories and require proof of different facts"

Miller v. Rykoff-Sexton, Inc.

Holding that amendment is futile if no set of facts can be proven under the amendment that would constitute a valid claim

Union Pacific R. Co. v. Nevada Power Co.

Holding that the court would not make rulings dependent on speculation as to what might happen between the parties in further proceedings

United States v. Pend Oreille Public Utility District No. 1

Holding that evidence of tribal dependence upon a river and the United States' awareness of that dependence is insufficient to satisfy plaintiff's burden without additional "compelling evidence" of federal intent to retain submerged lands for benefit of tribe

SANTANA ROW HOTEL PARTNERS v. ZURICH AMER. INS. CO

Section 1331 - Federal question

Finding that in order to invoke federal question jurisdiction, a plaintiff's claims must arise "under the Constitution, laws, or treaties of the United States."

Rule 15 - Amended and Supplemental Pleadings

Finding that, per N.Y. C.P.L.R. § 1024, New York law provides a more forgiving principle for relation back in the context of naming John Doe defendants described with particularity in the complaint

Section 1391 - Venue generally

Finding that venue lies where a "substantial part of the events or omissions giving rise to the claim" occurred

Section 2201 - Creation of remedy

Granting district courts the authority to create a remedy with the force of a final judgment

Section 17200 - Unfair competition defined

Prohibiting unlawful business practices

Section 1125 - False designations of origin, false descriptions, and dilution forbidden

Holding "the person who asserts trade dress protection has the burden of proving that the matter sought to be protected is not functional"

Section 112 - Specification

Requiring patent applications to include a "specification" that provides, among other information, a written description of the invention and of the manner and process of making and using it

Section 103 - Conditions for patentability; non-obvious subject matter

Holding the party seeking invalidity must prove "the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains."

Section 271 - Infringement of patent

Holding that testing is a "use"

Section 102 - Conditions for patentability; novelty

Prohibiting the grant of a patent to one who "did not himself invent the subject matter sought to be patented"