Sarah Roe v. Linda Howard
Sarah Roe v. Linda Howard
Opinion
Defendant Linda Howard appeals from a judgment entered against her in the Eastern District of Virginia after a jury found her civilly liable to plaintiff Sarah Roe under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (the "TVPA").
1
Roe had sued Howard for her role in sexual abuse that Roe suffered at the hands of Russell Howard, Linda's husband, when Roe worked in 2007 as the Howards' housekeeper in housing provided by the Embassy of the United States in Yemen.
2
The jury found that Linda's conduct in Yemen contravened criminal provisions of the TVPA and thus awarded Roe $3 million in damages pursuant to the TVPA's civil remedy provision.
See
I.
A.
On July 31, 2017, following a four-day trial, a jury in the Eastern District of Virginia found Linda Howard civilly liable for contravening criminal provisions of the TVPA. More specifically, the jury found that Linda had engaged in forced labor in violation of
When we review an appeal following a jury verdict, we view the trial evidence in the light most favorable to the prevailing party.
See
Randall v. Prince George's Cty.
,
1.
Linda is an American citizen. She began working for the Department of State in 1991 as a Communications Officer in Paris, France. In Paris, Linda met and married Russell, an Australian citizen who then worked for the Australian Embassy in France. Over the next decade, Linda and Russell held similar postings around the world, usually arranging their assignments so that they could pursue their careers in the same country. In 2001, Russell retired from his position with the Australian government, and he thereafter followed Linda as she continued her career with the State Department.
In 2005, the State Department assigned Linda to our Embassy in Sana'a, Yemen. Russell accompanied Linda to Sana'a and also found work at the Embassy. Among other jobs, Russell performed administrative work for the Embassy Commissary. In Sana'a, Linda and Russell lived in housing provided by the State Department, and they were protected by U.S. government security. Linda and Russell remained in Sana'a for approximately three years. Around December 2008, Linda and Russell moved to Japan, where Linda received her next State Department posting. By 2012, Linda and Russell had relocated to Melbourne, Australia, where Russell died of pancreatic cancer that September. Linda continues to reside in Melbourne.
2.
Sarah Roe first met the Howards in September 2005, soon after their arrival in Yemen. At that time, Roe was twenty years old. Born into an impoverished family in Ethiopia, Roe had moved to Yemen to seek work, and she initially secured various housekeeping and cleaning jobs. In September 2005, Roe was employed there as a waitress at a restaurant on U.S. Embassy grounds called Uncle Sam's. It was at Uncle Sam's that the Howards first encountered Roe and sought to befriend her.
As one of his odd jobs around the U.S. Embassy, Russell worked in a shop next door to Uncle Sam's. He first introduced himself to Roe, and then introduced Roe to Linda. Both Howards paid special attention to Roe: they complimented her appearance, initiated friendly conversations, and encouraged her to work for them as their live-in housekeeper. At first Roe declined the job offer, and Russell asked her to help "find a beautiful woman like [her]self to work in [the Howards'] home." See J.A. 232. Linda would stop by Uncle Sam's three or four times a week, where she would "greet" and "hug" Roe. Id . at 231. Linda even gave Roe her personal phone number. Id . at 234.
Around 2006, Roe returned to Ethiopia from Yemen for several months to care for her mother. As a result, she lost her job at Uncle Sam's. When Roe returned to Sana'a, a young Ethiopian woman named Sabha was then employed as the Howards' live-in housekeeper, but Linda helped Roe obtain a data-entry job at the U.S. Embassy. Linda gave Roe an application for the data-entry position and taught her how to use a basic data-entry program on Linda's home computer. After Roe got the job, Linda continued to befriend her, meeting Roe to talk about her hair stylist and other non-work matters. Linda presented herself to Roe "as a friend, someone very easy to talk to, someone with a very good heart." See J.A. 239. Linda also promised to help Roe find another job after the data-entry position ended. Roe believed Linda offered such help because Linda "really liked" her. Id . at 241.
Some months later, in the spring of 2007, the Howards' then live-in housekeeper (another young Ethiopian woman named Brhan) left them. At the time, Roe was looking for a new job and the Howards renewed their offer to Roe to fill the housekeeping position. Roe was uncertain about accepting the Howards' offer. She made more money when she had jobs that allowed her to accept tips, like waitressing. Roe also had her own apartment and did not want to move in with the Howards, which was a requirement of the position. But the Howards offered to help Roe get medical treatment for an eye ailment, renew her work visa, and aid her family in Ethiopia. Linda also "knew that [Roe] had a desire to improve [her] language skills," and promised that Russell could help her with her English. See J.A. 247. As part of their discussions about the live-in position, Linda explained to Roe "that Russell is usually at home, he needs a friend." Id . Linda told Roe that "the main part of this job is to make Russell happy." Id . at 250. Roe understood this to mean that "doing my job, cleaning, doing everything else was what was going to make him happy." Id . Roe accepted the position and agreed to move in with the Howards. She began working for the Howards in June 2007.
Once Roe moved into the Howards' apartment, she discovered that, although she had her own room and bathroom, the door to her room could not be locked without a key. The Howards told Roe they did not have the key. The Howards then presented Roe with a uniform consisting of a "very short" skirt and a blouse that "looked like something you would wear ... when you go out." See J.A. 253. Linda had made the outfit herself.
When Roe refused to wear the uniform, Russell took Roe to the mall to go shopping. At the mall, he purchased a "very revealing" "one-piece" that "open[ed] in the front," and "underwear ... with one tiny string" and "many holes." See J.A. 253. Back at the apartment, Russell asked Roe to put on the new purchases "and show him what it looks like." Id . at 254. Roe refused again and went to the kitchen to prepare Russell's lunch. She then retired to her room. Suddenly, Russell entered the room, naked. Roe tried to escape but Russell cornered her, pinned her down on the bed, and raped her. Russell continually raped and sexually assaulted Roe for the duration of her time with the Howards. He repeatedly threatened Roe to maintain her silence: he verbally abused her, he warned Roe that he could have her thrown in jail, he threatened to tell her religiously conservative family about the assaults, and he retained possession of her passport.
As the district court succinctly put it in its post-trial opinion, "Linda Howard was aware of these assaults." See J.A. 145-46. Linda often watched as Russell touched Roe's rear end and breasts. Roe overheard Russell talking to Linda on the phone about the assaults, including complaining that Roe "wasn't like Brhan." Id . at 258, 334. Roe knew it was Linda on the other end of the line based on the nature and content of those conversations. On one occasion, Russell related events to Linda over the phone as he took Roe to a hospital to have an intrauterine contraceptive device implanted. Russell also told Roe that he talked to Linda about the rapes.
Eventually, Roe's continued resistance to Russell's repeated assaults and open, abject misery so enraged Russell that he fired her in December 2007. Linda then helped Roe obtain another restaurant job near the Howards' apartment and wrote a letter of recommendation for her. Even then, Russell would often stop by the restaurant to threaten Roe to maintain her silence about the rapes he had perpetrated.
B.
Congress enacted the TVPA in the year 2000 "to combat trafficking in persons, a contemporary manifestation of slavery whose victims are predominantly women and children, to ensure just and effective
punishment of traffickers, and to protect their victims." TVPA, Pub. L. No. 106-386, § 102(a),
By way of the TVPA, Congress created several new federal criminal offenses intended to more comprehensively and effectively combat human trafficking. Among other provisions, the TVPA criminalized: "Forced labor," "[t]rafficking with respect to peonage, slavery, involuntary servitude, or forced labor," and "[s]ex trafficking of children or by force, fraud or coercion."
See
TVPA, § 112(a)(2), 114 Stat. at 1486-88. Those provisions are respectively codified at
In 2003, Congress reauthorized and amended the TVPA.
See
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003, Pub. L. No. 108-193,
(a) An individual who is a victim of a violation of [chapter 77] may bring a civil action against the perpetrator ... in an appropriate district court of the United States and may recover damages ....
The 2003 TVPRA also amended § 1591, which prohibits "[s]ex trafficking of children or by force, fraud, or coercion." That amendment altered § 1591 to expressly apply to acts committed "within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States."
See
2003 TVPRA, § 5(a)(2), 117 Stat. at 2879. The phrase "special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States" is a term of art defined elsewhere in the U.S. Code. That term encompasses a variety of locations under varying degrees of control by the United States and includes, with respect to offenses committed by U.S. nationals, the grounds of U.S. diplomatic installations and related premises.
See
(A) the premises of United States diplomatic, consular, military or other United States Government missions or entities in foreign States, including the buildings, parts of buildings, and land appurtenant or ancillary thereto or used for purposes of those missions or entities, irrespective of ownership; and
(B) residences in foreign States and the land appurtenant or ancillary thereto, irrespective of ownership, used for purposes of those missions or entities or used by United States personnel assigned to those missions or entities.
See id .
In 2006, Congress again reauthorized the TVPA.
See
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005, Pub. L. No. 109-164,
Whoever, while employed by ... the Federal Government outside the United States, engages in conduct outside the United States that would constitute an offense under chapter 77 ... of this title if the conduct had been engaged in within the United States or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States shall be punished as provided for that offense.
See id
., § 103, 119 Stat. at 3562 (codified at
In 2008, after Roe had left the Howards, Congress further amended and reauthorized the TVPA.
See
William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, Pub. L. No. 110-457,
In addition to any domestic or extra-territorial jurisdiction otherwise provided by law, the courts of the United States have extra-territorial jurisdiction over any offense (or any attempt or conspiracy to commit an offense) under section ... 1589, 1590, or 1591 if-
(1) an alleged offender is a national of the United States ....
See id
., § 223, 122 Stat. at 5071 (codified at
C.
In May 2016, Roe sued Linda in the Eastern District of Virginia pursuant to the TVPA civil remedy provision codified at
Before trial, Linda sought summary judgment on the grounds that the TVPA did not apply extraterritorially to reach her conduct in 2007, and that the 2008 amendments expanding its extraterritorial application did not apply retroactively. The district court denied that request without prejudice after argument.
Linda also filed a motion in limine to exclude the testimony of Jane Doe, a live-in housekeeper who worked for the Howards after Roe was fired. 5 The district court denied that motion and ruled that Doe's testimony was admissible under either Rule 404(b) or Rule 415 of the Federal Rules of Evidence. Roe's claims proceeded to trial in Alexandria on July 26, 2017.
In accordance with the district court's ruling, Jane Doe took the stand at trial. Like Roe, Doe was a young Ethiopian woman who came to Yemen in search of work. Doe testified, inter alia, that she began working for the Howards in Sana'a as a live-in housekeeper in 2008. Doe followed the Howards to Tokyo when they relocated at the end of that year, based in part on the Howards' promises that they would increase her pay and help her obtain health insurance. Such insurance was a benefit of particular value to Doe, who had "kidney issues." See J.A. 162-63. Doe knew no one in Japan other than the Howards and did not speak Japanese.
Shortly after Doe and the Howards arrived in Tokyo, Russell's behavior toward Doe changed. Doe testified, over objection, that Russell told her about "some of the ways he abused his former employees." See J.A. 165. She described how Russell began to touch her inappropriately, on her butt and thigh. Doe then testified that Russell cornered her in her bedroom in the Howards' home and raped her. Russell raped Doe repeatedly during her employment with the Howards. Doe testified, over objection, that Russell told her that Linda knew "everything that is happening." Id . at 174. Doe also related that, after they had arrived in Tokyo, Linda told Doe "to make sure that I please [Russell], and that's my primary job, that she didn't want him to be mad." Id . at 175. Some months later, while Doe and the Howards were still in Tokyo, Russell fired Doe and threatened to have her deported.
On July 31, 2017, after additional testimony and stipulated submissions consistent with the preceding recitation of facts, the jury returned its verdict. The jury found Linda liable for each of the four alleged violations of the TVPA. The jury calculated Roe's compensatory damages at $1 million for each violation. The jury found, however, that those compensatory damages were duplicative, and thus awarded Roe $1 million in total compensatory damages. The jury also awarded Roe $2 million in punitive damages. See J.A. 115-17.
In September 2017, Linda filed multiple post-trial motions seeking to overturn the jury's verdict. As relevant to this appeal, Linda sought a new trial pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 59(a), contending that the district court had erred in admitting Doe's testimony. Linda also renewed her Rule 50 motion for judgment as a matter of law on the grounds that the TVPA did not apply to her extraterritorial conduct in 2007, and that the 2008 TVPRA amendments did not apply retroactively. In October 2017, the court denied Linda's post-trial motions. The court then entered judgment in favor of Roe in accordance with the verdict.
In January 2018, the district court issued a post-trial opinion that addressed, inter alia, Linda's contention that the TVPA's civil remedy provision did not apply extraterritorially to reach her conduct in Yemen in 2007.
See
Roe v. Howard
, No. 16-cv-562 (E.D. Va. Jan. 3, 2018), ECF No. 125. The court ruled that, under the version of the TVPA in effect in 2007, the presumption against extraterritoriality was rebutted with respect to Linda's relevant conduct. Specifically, the court applied the Supreme Court's decision in
Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co.
,
Linda has timely appealed the judgment of the district court, and we possess appellate jurisdiction pursuant to
II.
We review de novo a district court's denial of a Rule 50 motion for judgment as a matter of law, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party.
See
Fontenot v. Taser Int'l, Inc.
,
By contrast, we review a district court's denial of a Rule 59 motion for a new trial for abuse of discretion, and we will reverse only "in the most exceptional circumstances."
Minter v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
,
III.
Linda seeks to overturn the jury verdict against her by challenging two of the district court's rulings in the proceedings below. First, Linda maintains that the court erred in concluding that the TVPA's civil remedy provision applied to her extraterritorial conduct in 2007, and thus erred in denying her motion for judgment as a matter of law. By her second contention, Linda argues that the court erred in admitting Jane Doe's trial testimony regarding her abuse by the Howards in 2008. We address each contention in turn.
A.
Linda seeks to vacate the judgment against her on the ground that the TVPA's civil remedy provision, codified at
As explained below, we affirm the district court and conclude that the TVPA's civil remedy provision applied to Linda's conduct in Yemen in 2007. We reach this conclusion, however, based on a somewhat different analysis than that employed by the district court.
See
United States v. Smith
,
1.
Congress has the undisputed authority to apply its laws beyond "the territorial boundaries of the United States."
See
United States v. Ayesh
,
In its 2016 ruling in
RJR Nabisco
, the Supreme Court drew on its precedent to describe a "two-step framework for analyzing extraterritoriality issues."
See
id
. at 2101 (citing
Kiobel
,
If the first step reveals that a statute - or a specific statutory provision - has extraterritorial effect, our analysis is complete. See id . at 2101. If, on the other hand, the first step shows that a statute does not apply extraterritorially, a court must proceed to the second step identified in RJR Nabisco . Specifically, the court must then "determine whether the case involves a domestic application of the statute" by considering the challenged conduct in light of the statute's "focus." Id . at 2101. If "the conduct relevant to the statute's focus" occurred "in U.S. Territory," then the application of the statute is not truly extraterritorial. See id . 6 That is, such conduct would represent a "permissible domestic application" of the statute at issue. See id . at 2100.
2.
The first step of the
RJR Nabisco
framework requires us to assess the specific statutory provisions at issue to determine whether those provisions demonstrate "clearly expressed congressional intent" that they will apply extraterritorially.
See
Applying the first step of the
RJR Nabisco
inquiry, we are satisfied that § 1595 of the TVPA evinces a "clear indication of extraterritorial effect," at least with respect to the conduct at issue here.
See
We begin our analysis by looking to the Supreme Court's application of the first
RJR Nabisco
step to the circumstances of that case. In
RJR Nabisco
, the Court addressed whether the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act ("RICO") applied extraterritorially.
See
The Court explained that "[t]he most obvious textual clue" that § 1962 applied extraterritorially was that RICO defined "racketeering activity" to include "a number of predicates that plainly apply to at least some foreign conduct." See id . at 2101. The Court reasoned that "Congress's incorporation of [such] extraterritorial predicates into RICO gives a clear, affirmative indication that § 1962 applies to foreign racketeering activity - but only to the extent that the predicates alleged in a particular case themselves apply extraterritorially." See id . at 2102. Thus, although Congress had not included "an express statement of extraterritoriality" in RICO's text, the context and structure of § 1962 - specifically, its incorporation of "predicate statutes that do apply extraterritorially" - nonetheless provided the necessary "clear, affirmative indication" that § 1962 applied extraterritorially. See id . at 2101, 2102-03.
Put simply,
RJR Nabisco
teaches that, even absent an express statement of extraterritoriality, a statute may apply to foreign conduct insofar as it clearly and directly incorporates a predicate statutory provision that applies extraterritorially.
See
Like § 1962, the TVPA's civil remedy provision directly incorporates a set of predicate offenses "that plainly apply to at least some foreign conduct."
See
RJR Nabisco
,
Reinforcing that conclusion, the purpose, structure, history, and context of the TVPA all support the extraterritorial application of § 1595 for an appropriate predicate offense. The TVPA's stated purpose and accompanying congressional findings demonstrate that Congress enacted it to address the problem of human trafficking "throughout the world."
See
Pub. L. 106-386 §§ 101 -102,
This is, in short, a situation in which Congress was clearly concerned with international rather than purely domestic matters. In these circumstances, unduly limiting the TVPA's scope risks frustrating its animating purpose.
See
Ayesh
,
Although we are satisfied that
RJR Nabisco
compels the extraterritorial application of § 1595 with respect to its extraterritorial predicates, we recognize that Part IV of that decision declined to apply RICO's civil cause of action to foreign conduct.
See
None of the foregoing considerations apply to § 1595 of the TVPA. As explained above, § 1595 expressly and directly incorporates the TVPA's criminal predicates, many of which manifestly apply to foreign conduct.
See
RJR Nabisco
,
In short, § 1595 evinces the same relationship to its extraterritorial predicate offenses that RICO's substantive criminal provision does to its predicates, and is not subject to textual limitations like those found in RICO's private cause of action. Section 1595 therefore provides a civil remedy for conduct that comes within the extraterritorial predicates of the TVPA. Accordingly, we now turn to the question of whether the predicate offenses underlying Roe's civil suit applied to Linda's extraterritorial conduct in 2007.
3.
The jury awarded Roe damages based on their findings that Linda had violated
a.
Section 1591 - prohibiting sex trafficking - presents the simplest analysis. Since 2003, § 1591 has applied to conduct committed "within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States."
See
b.
Sections 1589 and 1590 of Title 18 - prohibiting forced labor and forced labor trafficking - do not directly refer to foreign conduct. But since 2006, those sections have applied to extraterritorial acts committed by United States employees like Linda. The 2005 TVPRA amended the TVPA by enacting
Whoever, while employed by ... the Federal Government outside the United States, engages in conduct outside the United States that would constitute an offense under chapter 77 [of Title 18] if the conduct had been engaged in within the United States or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States shall be punished as provided for that offense.
See
c.
Turning to § 1594, however, our analysis differs. Regardless of § 1594 's extraterritoriality, the conspiracy provision for which the jury found Linda liable had not been enacted by 2007. Rather, the conspiracy prohibitions contained in § 1594(b) and (c) were added as part of the 2008 TVPRA amendments.
See
2008 TVPRA, § 222, 122 Stat. at 5070. That said, we need not resolve whether § 1594 applies retroactively in order to affirm the award of damages to Roe. If this Court is "reasonably certain" that the jury would have awarded the same amount of damages regardless of the "issues erroneously submitted to it," we are entitled to affirm the award.
See
Tire Eng'g & Distribution, LLC v. Shandong Linglong Rubber Co.
,
In sum, the facts established at trial show that Linda committed at least three predicate offenses that applied to her extraterritorial conduct toward Roe in 2007. Pursuant to the Supreme Court's decision in RJR Nabisco , § 1595 authorizes Linda's civil liability based on her commission of those offenses. 7 We are entitled to affirm the jury's award of damages because they were properly awarded pursuant to § 1595, and because any error with regard to the applicability of § 1594 did not affect that result.
Because step one of the
RJR Nabisco
framework demonstrates that § 1595 applied extraterritorially to Linda's conduct, we need not proceed to step two, which guides our analysis only where the pertinent statute does not apply extraterritorially.
See
RJR Nabisco
,
B.
Turning to Linda's second and final appellate contention, we must resolve whether the district court properly admitted Jane Doe's evidence concerning the sexual abuse she suffered while working as the Howards' housekeeper in 2008. Linda raises various objections to Doe's testimony: that it was impermissible character evidence barred by Federal Rule of Evidence 404(a) ; that it could not be admitted under Rule 415, which permits testimony of "similar acts" in sexual assault lawsuits; that it was unfairly prejudicial and thus barred by Rule 403; and that the portion of Doe's testimony relating to Russell's statements constituted inadmissible hearsay. Each assertion is without merit.
First, Doe's testimony was plainly admissible under Rule 404(b) 's exception to Rule 404(a) 's general prohibition of character evidence to prove an action in conformity therewith. Doe's testimony described Linda's efforts to recruit Doe to work as the Howards' housekeeper, and her knowledge and facilitation of Russell's repeated sexual assaults on Doe. Consistent with the permissible uses of character evidence under Rule 404(b), Doe's testimony constituted highly probative evidence regarding Linda's intentions in her interactions with Roe; the existence of a plan or pattern of behavior by the Howards toward their live-in housekeepers; and Linda's knowledge of Russell's abuse of their staff. Doe's testimony was therefore admissible under Rule 404(b)(2), which permits the introduction of evidence of "a crime, wrong, or other act" to show, inter alia, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, or absence of mistake. Indeed, the similarity between Doe and Roe's accounts of their abuse enhances the probative value and relevance of Doe's evidence.
See
United States v. Queen
,
Nor was Doe's testimony barred by Rule 403. Pursuant to Rule 403, a court may exclude evidence if its "probative value" is "substantially outweighed" by, inter alia, the risk of "unfair prejudice." As noted above, Doe's testimony provided highly probative evidence of a pattern of abusive behavior by Russell, knowingly facilitated by Linda. Moreover, because the assaults Roe suffered occurred in Yemen nearly a decade prior to Linda's trial, Doe's evidence was particularly important given the lack of available physical evidence to corroborate Roe's claims. Finally, the district court limited the scope of Doe's testimony to avoid revealing the upsetting details of Russell's past assaults, and thus reduced the risk of unfair prejudice.
See
United States v. Mark
,
Lastly, Doe's testimony concerning Russell's past statements was not inadmissible hearsay. Rule 804(b)(3) authorizes the admission of hearsay statements by an unavailable declarant that are manifestly against the declarant's interest. Specifically, the statement must be one that "a reasonable person in the declarant's position would have made only if the person believed it to be true because, when made, it ... had so great a tendency ... to expose the declarant to civil or criminal liability." Fed. R. Evid. 804(b)(3). Russell's
statements to Doe - admitting to his past assaults of his former employees - more than qualify as statements against interest as so defined, and his death in 2012 establishes his unavailability to testify. Thus, the trial court did not abuse its discretion by relying on that exception to admit Doe's testimony regarding Russell's incriminating statements.
See, e.g.
,
United States v. Udeozor
,
In short, the district court did not abuse its discretion in admitting Doe's testimony, and we are satisfied to affirm the court's rulings in that regard.
IV.
Pursuant to the foregoing, we affirm the district court's judgment in favor of Roe and against Linda Howard.
AFFIRMED
The TVPA is generally codified at
To avoid confusion, we generally refer to Linda Howard and Russell Howard by their first names, that is, simply as Linda and Russell. We refer to the plaintiff by her pseudonym "Sarah Roe," pursuant to the district court's ruling in that regard. See Roe v. Howard , No. 16-cv-562 (E.D. Va. May 27, 2016), ECF No. 11.
Citations herein to "J.A. ----" refer to the contents of the Joint Appendix filed by the parties in this appeal.
Roe originally sued Russell's estate in addition to Linda, but later dismissed the estate as a defendant in these proceedings. See Roe v. Howard , No. 16-cv-562 (E.D. Va. July 26, 2017), ECF No. 78.
The district court permitted Jane Doe to testify using this pseudonym. See J.A. 156.
In delineating the two-step framework in
RJR Nabisco
, the Supreme Court drew on two of its key precedents addressing extraterritoriality:
Morrison
and
Kiobel
. The second step described in
RJR Nabisco
, however, appears to privilege consideration of a statute's "focus" - the approach set out in
Morrison
- over the inquiry articulated in
Kiobel
, which asked whether the claims at issue "touch and concern the territory of the United States."
See
RJR Nabisco
,
Linda's argument against the extraterritorial application of § 1595 relies almost entirely on the Fifth Circuit's ruling in
Adhikari v. Kellogg Brown & Root, Inc.
, where that court determined that § 1595 failed to provide a remedy for the plaintiffs' extraterritorial TVPA claims.
See
Linda argues that the standard for admitting evidence under Rule 404(b) changes when that evidence concerns "subsequent" (rather than prior) acts. Br. of Appellant 26. No such rule exists in this Circuit. Put simply, Rule 404(b) does not function differently merely because Doe's experience occurred after Roe's.
See
United States v. Mohr
,
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Sarah ROE, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. Linda HOWARD, Defendant - Appellant, and Estate of Russell Howard, Defendant.
- Cited By
- 21 cases
- Status
- Published