Karen L. Hayes
How Judge Hayes rules, drawn from 5 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Hayes no longer sits on this court. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled here.
About Judge Hayes
Karen L. Hayes served as a United States magistrate judge for the Western District of Louisiana in Monroe. She was appointed to the part-time position in 1997 and served as a full-time magistrate judge from 2005 to 2021.
How Judge Hayes decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In Mercer's ERISA disability-benefits case, Hayes recommended denying the insurer's summary-judgment motion and granting the claimant's motion in part. The district judge adopted the recommendation and awarded long-term disability benefits.
“the Motion for Summary Judgment [Doc. No. 24] filed by Plaintiff Alfred Mercer is ... otherwise GRANTED, and ... judgment is hereby entered in favor of Plaintiff Alfred Mercer ordering Defendant Life Insurance of North America to pay Plaintiff long term disability benefits”
In Supreme Home Health Services v. Azar, Hayes recommended a partial grant of the defendants' dismissal motion in a Medicare recoupment dispute. The district judge adopted her recommendation.
“it is recommended that Azar and Verma's motion be GRANTED-IN-PART and DENIED-IN-PART, and that Palmetto's motion be DENIED, as moot.”
Procedural preferences
In Rollins v. St. Jude Medical, Hayes granted the plaintiff leave to amend before recommending disposition of the defendants' pleading challenge. The district judge adopted her recommendation.
“the undersigned granted Rollins leave to file an amended complaint within thirty days of the order.”
Cautions
In the cited insurance coverage dispute, Hayes deemed the insurer's statement of facts admitted except for the few facts the opposing party specifically contested.
“In the present case, CRU has only made a few objections to the statement of material facts presented by UNIC. Thus, all other facts in the statement submitted by UNIC are deemed admitted.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“For reasons assigned below, it is recommended that Azar and Verma's motion be GRANTED-IN-PART and DENIED-IN-PART, and that Palmetto's motion be DENIED, as moot.”
“IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the motion to dismiss [Doc. No. 28] filed by Palmetto GBA, L.L.C., is DENIED, as moot.”
“For reasons stated below, it is recommended that Defendants' motion to dismiss be GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART.”
“IT IS ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that Defendants' Joint Mqtion for Partial Summary Judgment [Doc. No. 31] is hereby GRANTED ... Plaintiffs state law claims for penalties and detrimental reliance ... are hereby DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE, as preempted.”
“IT IS FURTHER RECOMMENDED that the motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) and in the alternative for summary judgment [doc. # 11] filed by defendant, Vantage, and the motion for judgment on the pleadings (converted motion for summary judgment) [doc. # 17] filed by defendant(s), LAC, be GRANTED IN PART, and that plaintiffs recast claim for unpaid benefits under ERISA § 502(a)(1)(B) be DISMISSED, without prejudice.”
“IT IS ORDERED that the Motion for Summary Judgment [Doc. No. 28] filed by Defendant Life Insurance Company of North America is hereby DENIED.”
“that the motion for summary judgment [doc. # 24] filed by plaintiff Alfred Mercer be DENIED, insofar as it seeks to re-visit the standard of review to be applied in this case. ... that the motion for summary judgment [doc. # 24] filed by plaintiff Alfred Mercer otherwise be GRANTED”
“it is recommended that the motion for summary judgment [doc. # 108] be DENIED.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Median case duration in the sampled dockets: 416 days (N = 15).
Pending matters in the official report
Judge Hayes was last listed in the Civil Justice Reform Act report as of September 30, 2022.
| Motions pending more than six months | 0 |
| Bench trials submitted more than six months | 0 |
| Bankruptcy appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Social Security appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Civil cases pending more than three years | 0 |
| Report | Motions over six months | Cases over three years |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2022 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2022 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2021 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2021 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2020 | 0 | 0 |
A snapshot on that date: matters listed may since have been decided or reassigned. A motion referred to a magistrate judge is counted for both judges. Motions in multidistrict litigation, section 2255 cases and Social Security appeals are not counted, and a very large three-year count is generally a multidistrict docket. Source: Appendix A of the report (PDF); about the report.
A historical record
Judge Hayes no longer sits on this court. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled here. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.