Ashcroft v. Iqbal

Holding that a claim is plausible where a plaintiff's allegations enable the court to draw a "reasonable inference" the defendant is liable

Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly

Holding that a complaint's allegations should "contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to 'state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face' "

Fogerty v. Fantasy, Inc.

Holding that under the Copyright Act fee-shifting statute, 17 U.S.C. § 505, defendants and plaintiffs are to be treated the same, contrary to the Court's interpretation of § 1988

Vess v. Ciba-Geigy Corp. USA

Holding that the Rule 9(b) pleading standards apply to California CLRA, FAL, and UCL claims because, though fraud is not an essential element of those statutes, a plaintiff alleges a fraudulent course of conduct as the basis of those claims

Thompson v. Illinois Dept. of Prof. Regulation

Holding district court did not abuse its discretion when plaintiff failed to cure deficiencies that persisted from the first amended complaint after given multiple chances to amend after motions to dismiss were filed

Fantasy, Inc. v. Fogerty

Holding that the district court properly struck lengthy, stale and previously litigated factual allegations to streamline the action

Steckman v. Hart Brewing, Inc.

Holding that the court is “not required to accept as true conclusory allegations which are contradicted by documents referred to in the complaint”

Applied Equipment Corp. v. Litton Saudi Arabia Ltd.

Holding that there is no separate cause of action for civil conspiracy, and that to establish such an action, a plaintiff must show some other underlying tort or civil wrong

Foley v. Interactive Data Corp.

Holding that tort damages are not available for breach of an employment contract

Small v. Fritz Cos., Inc.

Holding that complaint for negligent misrepresentation in a holder action must be "pled with the same specificity required in a holder's action for fraud."

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 9 - Pleading Special Matters

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

Rule 201 - Judicial Notice of Adjudicative Facts

Holding "[n]ormally, in deciding a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, courts must limit their inquiry to the facts stated in the complaint and the documents either attached to or incorporated in the complaint. However, courts may also consider matters of which they may take judicial notice."

Section 1638 - Language governs interpretation

Governing interpretation of contracts

Section 1639 - Intention ascertained from writing

Providing in part: "When a contract is reduced to writing, the intention of the parties is to be ascertained from the writing alone, if possible"

Section 1642 - Several contracts taken together

Section 1625 - Execution of written contract supersedes negotiations or stipulations