James Tyne Moody
How Judge Moody rules, drawn from 21 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
How Judge Moody decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
He denies qualified-immunity motions to dismiss at the pleading stage where prolonged detention beyond lawful authority (holding a detainee past the 48-hour ICE-detainer window after bond) states a clearly-established Fourteenth Amendment due-process violation.
“For the foregoing reasons, defendants motion to dismiss (DE # 16) is DENIED.”
At prisoner screening, he allows retaliation and excessive-force claims to proceed where the complaint plausibly connects a protected complaint to targeted property removal and a threat of violence, and alleges mace was used although the prisoner posed no threat.
“GRANTS Tyrone Powers-Ivey leave to proceed against Officer R. Harris in his individual capacity for compensatory and punitive damages for retaliating against him”
On the reviewed exhaustion motion, Moody denied summary judgment where prison staff improperly rejected a grievance that the undisputed evidence showed had been submitted within the policy deadline, making the administrative remedy unavailable.
“The state defendants’ motion for summary judgment (DE # 64) is therefore DENIED.”
Where a prisoner's grievance copies and attestation conflicted with the institution's missing records, Moody denied summary judgment and sent the submission dispute to an evidentiary hearing rather than resolving credibility on the papers.
“GRANTS the request for an evidentiary hearing (DE # 74)”
Cautions
On a Title VII summary-judgment motion he grants judgment for the employer where the plaintiff cannot connect critical or unpleasant workplace comments to the protected characteristic; isolated remarks untethered to gender are not evidence of discriminatory motive.
“there is nothing that links these comments to gender discrimination.”
In Indiana product-liability crashworthiness cases he grants summary judgment for the manufacturer where the plaintiff lacks the expert testimony the Indiana Products Liability Act requires and offers only circumstantial evidence of a defect.
“Ford's motion for summary judgment (DE # 20) is GRANTED; its alternative motion for sanctions is denied as moot.”
In the reviewed employment summary-judgment ruling, Moody required evidence that the employer's stated reason was a lie rather than merely mistaken, harsh, or unfair; unsupported comparator evidence, coworker remarks not tied to the decision, and temporal sequence alone did not establish discrimination or retaliation.
“Whether USS’s decision to fire plaintiff was illogical, harsh, or unfair is not the question; the question is whether the decision was based on race.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“For the reasons explained below, the court grants the motion for summary judgment.”
“For the reasons explained below, the motion will be granted.”
“For the foregoing reasons, defendants motion to dismiss (DE # 16) is DENIED.”
“State Farm's motion for summary judgment (DE # 14) is GRANTED. ... The clerk is directed to enter FINAL JUDGMENT in favor of State Farm Fire & Casualty Company.”
“defendant State Farm Fire & Casualty Company's motion to strike (DE # 24) is DENIED.”
“Plaintiffs third motion to amend (DE # 34) is GRANTED. However, State Farm Fire & Casualty Company is DISMISSED from the complaint.”
“defendants' motion to dismiss (DE # 6) will be denied.”
“Ford's motion for summary judgment (DE # 20) is GRANTED; its alternative motion for sanctions is denied as moot.”
“Defendants Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (DE # 27) and Safeguard Properties, LLC (DE # 18) have both moved to dismiss Counts A, B, D, E, and F of plaintiffs Gerald Gordon and Tahara Brown's complaint. For the following reasons, those motions are granted in part and denied in part.”
“those motions are granted in part and denied in part.”
“Defendant Cintas Corporate Services #2 d/b/a Cintas Corporation (‘Cintas’) has moved for summary judgment on Counts I, II, and III of plaintiffs' complaint. (DE # 105.) For the following reasons, that motion is granted in part and denied in part.”
“This matter is before the court on defendants' motion for summary judgment. (DE # 38.) For the reasons set forth below, defendants' motion is granted in part and denied in part.”
“the motion to amend the complaint will be DENIED and the motion to modify the deposition deadline will be GRANTED.”
“Defendant Park Center, Inc. (‘Park Center’) has moved for summary judgment on all of plaintiffs' claims. ... For the reasons explained below, the motion will be granted.”
“the court GRANTS defendants' motion for summary judgment (DE # 23) as to all of plaintiffs claims except his claim against defendant Huley for intentional infliction of emotional distress.”
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