Alonzo P. Wilson
Judge Wilson no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Wilson decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
He treats a party's litigating position as a waiver of privilege: where a plaintiff puts the reasonableness of an underlying settlement at issue (for example to recover indemnity), it cannot then shield the attorney communications it will need to prove that reasonableness behind the work-product or attorney-client privilege.
“Conoco will inevitably be forced to draw upon privileged communications to prove that it is entitled to indemnity and that the settlement was reasonable.”
Procedural preferences
On removal and remand he applies the Fifth Circuit framework strictly: a removing defendant must prove the jurisdictional amount by a preponderance, but once the amount in controversy is established at removal a plaintiff's later affidavit or stipulation capping damages will not divest the court of jurisdiction.
“When, on the other hand, the amount in controversy is clear from the face of the complaint, post-removal stipulations purporting to reduce the amount of damages plaintiffs seek cannot deprive the Court of jurisdiction.”
He looks past how a would-be intervenor styles itself to its 'true interest,' and is skeptical of Rule 24 interventions whose real aim is to defeat diversity and obtain a remand -- especially when filed soon after the court has denied a remand motion.
“it is not so much the timeliness of the motion to intervene that is objectionable, it is the timing of the motion to intervene -- less than two weeks after the judgment was signed denying the Foundation's motion to remand.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“IT IS ORDERED that the motion for summary judgment on behalf of Boeing Louisiana, Inc. be and the same is hereby GRANTED dismissing the third-party complaint of Louisville Ladder Company with prejudice.”
“IT IS ORDERED that petitioner's challenge to the order of deportation issued against him and request for a stay of deportation is DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE as this court is without subject matter jurisdiction to review these matters.”
“ORDERED that the petition for writ of habeas corpus be DENIED AND DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE.”
“an appeal [Doc. 86] of the Magistrate Judge's Ruling dated May 19, 1998, in which he granted in part and denied in part a Motion for a Protective Order by the plaintiff, Conoco.”
“The motions to intervene [doc. #s 42 & 49] are hereby DENIED.”
“IT IS ORDERED that Plaintiffs Motion to Remand be and is hereby DENIED.”
“ORDERED that this petition be DENIED AND DISMISSED.”
“IT IS ORDERED that this' Petition for Writ of Mandamus is DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE due to this court's lack of jurisdiction to grant the requested relief.”
“ORDERED that the petition of Edward G. Robiehaux be and it is hereby dismissed with prejudice.”
“ORDERED that Petitioner's application for writ of Habeas Corpus be and it is hereby DENIED.”
“IT IS ORDERED that all claims against the Safety Council are dismissed except the claims that the Safety Council went beyond the scope of Judge Quirk's sentence in requiring that plaintiff attend a Christian church and in requiring that plaintiff attend church for the period of time that it did.”
“ORDERED that the "Motion to Determine Propriety of and Define Class" [Doc. 38] be and it is hereby DENIED.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Median case duration in the sampled dockets: 821 days (N = 6).
Median motion-to-ruling time: 45 days (N = 2).
As the Lake Charles Division's full-time magistrate judge (1991-2007), Wilson received the division's referral docket (Social Security appeals, prisoner civil-rights and conditions suits, immigration-detention habeas) for report and recommendation, presided over consenting civil cases to final judgment under 28 U.S.C. 636(c), and handled the division's criminal-duty matters. The six consent civil cases below are the enumerable slice for which the record carries filing and termination dates; they are a small, selection-biased sample of his consent docket, not a random caseload median.
A historical record
Judge Wilson 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.