Conley v. Gibson

Holding that "a complaint should not be dismissed for failure to state a claim unless it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of his claim which would entitle him to relief"

Colorado River Water Cons. Dist. v. U.S.

Holding that, in limited circumstances, federal courts should abstain from deciding a case when there are related proceedings pending in state court

Christianson v. Colt Indus. Operating Corp.

Holding that the appeal belonged before the regional circuit because the claims did not arise under patent law

Parks School of Business, Inc. v. Symington

Holding that a corporation had standing to sue under § 1981 alleging that defendants discriminated against it because it contracts with racial minorities

Lucas v. Department of Corrections

Holding that dismissal of a pro se complaint without leave to amend is proper only if it is clear that the deficiencies cannot be cured by amendment or after the pro se litigant is given an opportunity to amend

Lazar v. Superior Court

Holding that justifiable reliance is a required element of a fraud claim

Burnett v. N.Y. Cent. R. Co.

Holding that an action filed in an improper venue tolled the FELA statute of limitations, and noting that "venue objections may be waived by the defendant"

Gilligan v. Jamco Development Corp.

Setting forth elements of a FHA claim

Silberg v. Anderson

Holding that the litigation privilege applied, even after the finality of a marriage dissolution decree, to an attorney who made statements during a marriage dissolution proceeding

Lear, Inc. v. Adkins

Holding that the licensee is "permitted to avoid the payment of all royalties" if it can prove patent invalidity

Rule 12 - Defenses and Objections: When and How Presented; Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings; Consolidating Motions; Waiving Defenses; Pretrial Hearing

Granting the court discretion to exclude matters outside the pleadings presented to the court in defense of a motion to dismiss

Rule 8 - General Rules of Pleading

Holding that "[e]very defense to a claim for relief in any pleading must be asserted in the responsive pleading. . . ."

Rule 9 - Pleading Special Matters

Permitting "[m]alice, intent, knowledge, and other conditions of a person's mind [to] be alleged generally"

Section 1338 - Patents, plant variety protection, copyrights, mask works, designs, trademarks, and unfair competition

Granting exclusive jurisdiction to the district courts "of any civil action arising under any Act of Congress relating to patents, . . . copyrights and trademarks"

Section 338 - Liability created by statute; trespass or injury to real property; taking, detaining or injuring goods or chattels; fraud or mistake; bond of public official; notary's bond; slander of title; section 17536, Business and Professions Code; Water Quality Control Act; Section 19, Article 1, California Constitution; division 26, Health and Safety Code; sections 1603.1, 1615, 5650.1, Fish and Game Code; validity of special tax levy; violation of FPA or Forestry and Fire Protection rules and regulations

Setting three-year statute of limitations for a liability based on statute like the CSA

Section 1710 - Deceit defined

Defining "deceit"

Section 340.6 - Attorney's wrongful act or omission in performance of professional services

Holding that limitations period on plaintiff's legal malpractice action did not begin until plaintiff had suffered "appreciable harm" and "mere breach of . . . duty, causing only nominal damages, speculative harm, or the threat of future harm— not yet realized—does not suffice to create a cause of action for negligence"

Section 2 - Effective date

Governing vexatious litigants

Section 623 - Contradiction of deliberate statement or conduct

Section 356 - Commencement stayed by injunction or statutory prohibition

Tolling applies whenever commencement of an action is statutorily prohibited