Nanette Kay Laughrey
How Judge Laughrey decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Res judicata is a fast, dispositive winner before her when a plaintiff re-litigates claims already decided on the merits by a court of competent jurisdiction. She raises and applies it on a Rule 12(b)(6) motion. If your opponent has sued on the same facts before and lost, lead with claim preclusion.
“Plaintiff has filed at least three prior lawsuits against Defendant Capac, each of which was based on the April 1998 search, seizure, and subsequent foreclosure. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan is a court of competent jurisdiction, and already rendered a final decision on the merits in each of the prior suits.”
Procedural preferences
She enforces the McDonnell Douglas burden structure strictly at summary judgment: the plaintiff must actually build the prima facie case with record evidence (a temporal link for retaliation, a similarly situated comparator). Conclusory assertions or missing elements 'doom' the claim. Put the specific record facts for every element in your SJ briefing.
“As Ms. Walker bears the burden of making her prima facie case, her failure to establish a temporal connection between her complaint and the allegedly retaliatory action dooms her claim.”
A Rule 59(e) motion to reconsider is not a second chance to make arguments you could have made before judgment; it is confined to intervening law, newly available evidence, or clear error / manifest injustice. Do not use reconsideration to re-argue the merits or raise new theories.
“Importantly, a motion to reconsider "cannot be used to raise arguments which could, and should, have been made before the trial court entered final judgment."”
Cautions
On a motion to confirm an arbitration award she affords the arbitrator strong deference and is unmoved by a losing party's request for 'forbearance' or complexity arguments; she will confirm and direct entry of judgment. To resist confirmation, identify a recognized statutory ground for vacatur, not a plea to revisit the merits.
“For the reasons discussed above, Plaintiff's motion to confirm the arbitration award (Doc. 1) is GRANTED.”
Motion outcomes
Counted from classified signed orders only. Percentages are shown only where the sample is large enough to be meaningful; smaller samples are reported as raw counts.
| Summary judgment N = 5 |
Granted: 3Denied: 2 | counts only |
| Motions to dismiss N = 1 |
Granted: 1 | counts only |
| Motion to confirm arbitration award N = 1 |
Granted: 1 | counts only |
| Motion to reconsider N = 1 |
Denied: 1 | counts only |
A "1 of 1" is one ruling, not a tendency. Treat small samples as illustrative, not predictive.
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“ORDERED that Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment on the Pleadings [Doc. # 70] is GRANTED.”
“ORDERED that Plaintiff's Motion for Partial Summary Judgment [Doc. # 71] is DENIED.”
“Accordingly, it is hereby ORDERED that Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment [Doc. # 81] is GRANTED.”
“Thus, there is neither a clear error of law or manifest injustice and Plaintiffs' Second Motion to Reconsider or Alter or Amend Judgment [Doc. # 95] is DENIED.”
“For the reasons set forth above, Defendant Capac's motion to dismiss, Doc. 13, is granted.”
“For the reasons discussed above, Plaintiff's motion to confirm the arbitration award (Doc. 1) is GRANTED. The Clerk of the Court is directed to enter judgment in each Plaintiff's favor against DST in the amounts listed below, with post-judgment interest.”
“Ms. Walker's motion for summary judgment, [Doc. 68], is DENIED and Defendants' motion for summary judgment, Doc. 71, is GRANTED in full.”
“Ms. Walker's motion for summary judgment, [Doc. 68], is DENIED and Defendants' motion for summary judgment, Doc. 71, is GRANTED in full.”