Verdict . News

3w ago•4 min read

•Eleventh Circuit reissued revised opinion maintaining partial affirmance and vacation of Hassan Jones's drug and gun convictions

Eleventh Circuit Reissues Opinion Affirming Hassan Jones Convictions

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has reissued a revised opinion in *United States v. Hassan Jones*, partially affirming and partially vacating the defendant's drug and gun-related convictions. The court made clarifications regarding prosecutorial misconduct while maintaining its original holding.

•Court clarified findings on prosecutorial misconduct, distinguishing between reversible error and deliberate intent to mislead jury

3w ago•4 min read

•Eleventh Circuit denied petition challenging BIA dismissal of asylum case for Honduran mother and daughter

11th Circuit Denies Asylum Appeal for Honduran Mother and Daughter

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit denied a petition for review filed by Senia Matute-Rivera and her daughter Sofia, upholding the Board of Immigration Appeals' dismissal of their asylum application. The court found the petitioners waived their challenge to determinations about Honduran government protection.

•Court found petitioners waived challenge to determination about Honduran government's ability to provide protection

3w ago•4 min read

•Jamaican national Odain Orlando Marsh challenges his removal order after wire fraud conspiracy conviction

11th Circuit Reviews Immigration Removal of Jamaican Wire Fraud Convict

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit is reviewing a petition by Odain Orlando Marsh, a Jamaican national, challenging his removal order after being convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The case centers on whether his conviction qualifies as an aggravated felony under immigration law.

•DHS classified his conviction as an aggravated felony because losses exceeded $10,000

•Three defendants convicted in federal murder-for-hire conspiracy that killed Tywan Armstrong and Roger Ford

11th Circuit Affirms Murder-for-Hire Convictions in Florida Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has upheld the convictions of three defendants in a federal murder-for-hire conspiracy that resulted in the deaths of two men. Kermon Williams, James Higgs Jr., and Jhaphre Higgs lost their appeals after a thirteen-day trial in Florida federal court.

•Eleventh Circuit rejected defendants' challenges to interstate commerce jurisdiction and constitutional authority

•Eleventh Circuit affirmed dismissal of pro se civil rights lawsuit against Florida state court Judge Melissa Distler

11th Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Civil Rights Suit Against Florida Judge

The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a district court's dismissal of a pro se civil rights lawsuit filed by Stanley and Kevin Cichowski against Florida state court Judge Melissa Distler. The federal appeals court upheld rulings on both Younger abstention doctrine and judicial immunity grounds.

•District court applied Younger abstention doctrine to one brother's claim, ruling federal court lacked jurisdiction

•Eleventh Circuit affirmed 20-month upward variance sentence for illegal reentry conviction

11th Circuit Upholds 20-Month Sentence for Illegal Reentry Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed a 20-month upward variance sentence for Gumersindo Gonzalez-Montoya, who was convicted of unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation. The court rejected his argument that the sentence was substantively unreasonable.

•Court rejected defendant's argument that enhanced sentence was substantively unreasonable

•Eleventh Circuit affirmed life sentence for former DOD teacher convicted of child sexual abuse

11th Circuit Upholds Life Sentence for Teacher in Child Sex Abuse Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the conviction and life sentence of Stefan Eberhard Zappey, a former elementary school teacher who was found guilty of multiple federal charges involving the sexual abuse of children under 12. Zappey taught at a Department of Defense school in Germany for 20 years before his conviction.

•Zappey taught German immersion classes at U.S. military school in Germany for 20 years

•Eleventh Circuit issued published opinion in discovery dispute between Renco Group mining companies and three law firms

11th Circuit Rules in Discovery Dispute Between Mining Companies, Law Firms

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit issued a published opinion Tuesday in a complex discovery dispute involving The Renco Group Inc. and The Doe Run Resources Corporation against three law firms representing plaintiffs who claimed harm from the companies' mining operations in Peru.

•Case involved Section 1782 application for discovery related to mining operations in Peru

•Dr. Charles C. Adams and his practice Full Circle Medical Center were found liable for 4,407 false Medicare claims

11th Circuit Upholds $27.5M Medicare Fraud Judgment Against Georgia Doctor

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit upheld a $27.5 million judgment against Dr. Charles C. Adams and his medical practice for submitting over 4,400 false claims to Medicare. The appellate court's decision, filed Jan. 21, 2026, affirms one of the largest False Claims Act penalties against an individual medical provider in recent years.

•The Eleventh Circuit upheld a $27,567,729 False Claims Act judgment against Adams