Robert E. Lewis
How Judge Lewis rules, drawn from 15 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Lewis no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Lewis decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
When one contracting party repudiates or disables performance, the other may treat the contract as abandoned and seek the reasonable value of services already rendered.
“The breach of one party may, in such case, be treated by the other as an abandonment of the contract, authorizing him, if he chooses to do so, to disaffirm it”
Procedural preferences
A prior judgment does not bind someone whose interest attached before that litigation unless the person was made a party.
“no one is privy to a judgment -whose succession to the rights of property thereby affected occurred previously to the institution of the suit.”
Cautions
A request to place disputed money in the court registry needs a concrete basis to believe the holder cannot preserve or later produce the funds.
“there is no allegation in the bill that the defendant or defendants who now hold the funds is or are insolvent, or that there is any other cause to suspect that the fund will not be forthcoming”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“The motion for a new trial ought to be overruled. It is so ordered.”
“The findings and order of the Referee are therefore overruled.”
“The motion to vacate the order substituting the new company as defendant for the old must be sustained. It is so ordered.”
“The complainant is entitled to the writ. On filing bond with surety in the sum of $5,000, to be approved by the clerk, it will issue.”
“It is therefore ordered that the demurrer be overruled, ancl the defendant may have twenty days to answer.”
“It results that the motion to strike must be sustained.”
“The demurrers will therefore be overruled.”
“The demurrer is directed to each and all of the counts. It is not good as to any of them, and will therefore be overruled.”
After hearing the merits, the government obtained cancellation of a coal patent because the entry was fraudulent and the purchaser did not prove value or lack of notice.
The power company received sixty days to comply with reasonable federal permit charges before a removal decree would issue.
On the stipulated issue, the canal owner could not add the value of water it did not own to the regulated carrying rate, so the bill was dismissed.
“It follows that section 10 of the state act is void, and as it is the sole basis on which the demurrer is rested, the demurrer will be overruled.”
After an oral merits determination, the frozen and deteriorating fruit was condemned as adulterated under the governing statute.
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Lewis handled Colorado's federal trial docket in the early twentieth century, including railroad, mining, bankruptcy, interstate-commerce, insurance, tax, and federal enforcement disputes. No electronic records are available to quantify his caseload.
A historical record
Judge Lewis no longer hears cases. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.