William Jerrol Crain
How Judge Crain rules, drawn from 6 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
How Judge Crain decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In a detention-medical-care case, contemporaneous records showing screening, monitoring, medication, and a good-faith effort to obtain prior records can defeat a pleaded deliberate-indifference theory when the dispute is instead over the timing or nature of treatment.
“Fontenelle’s allegations reflect, at best, disagreements over medical treatment. The complaints do not recite facts supporting proof of ‘deliberate indifference’ to his condition.”
A maritime fault-allocation doctrine does not foreclose an independently pleaded claim that a barge owner supplied an unseaworthy or defectively designed vessel.
“Because Gnots claims a design defect independent of Gnots’ navigational decisions, the dominant mind doctrine does not support summary judgment.”
Procedural preferences
In a judge-tried case, challenges to an experienced expert's factual foundation are ordinarily addressed through cross-examination and the weight assigned at trial rather than pretrial exclusion.
“opinions in this judge-tried case are better directed to the weight of the evidence, not to exclusion of it.”
Cautions
A delayed stop and furtive movement toward the passenger side can support a protective vehicle sweep when the officer connects those observations to a reasonable concern that the occupant may be concealing a weapon.
“Here, the warrantless search of Caston’s vehicle was justified under the protective-sweep exception.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“IT IS ORDERED that Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss (Rec. Doc. 33) is GRANTED. Plaintiff’s claims are dismissed with prejudice.”
“IT IS ORDERED that Atalco’s Motion in Limine to Strike and Exclude Expert Ronald Campana (R. Doc. 72) is DENIED.”
“IT IS ORDERED that the Motion for Summary Judgment filed by third-party defendants Associated Marine Equipment, LLC and Associated Terminals Pangaea Logistics, LLC (R. Doc. 73) is DENIED.”
“For the foregoing reasons, IT IS ORDERED that the motion to suppress evidence is DENIED.”
“IT IS ORDERED that the Motion for Entry of Default against defendants, Seigel Select Las Vegas, Seigel Select New Orleans and Kentreal Felder, (R. Doc. 7), is DENIED.”
Crain adopted a magistrate judge's recommendation and dismissed the complaint without prejudice for improper venue and lack of personal jurisdiction. The disposition is retained as a signed order but excluded from motion statistics because it did not decide a party motion.
Draft for Judge Crain with the record in hand
Ezel grounds your drafting and research in this profile: what has persuaded Judge Crain, and what has not, cited to the signed orders.
Opens in Ezel Pro.
- Grounded in Judge Crain's own signed orders
- Cites every source it relies on, so you can verify it
- Chat, drafting and research in one workspace