Paul James Barbadoro
How Judge Barbadoro decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In a selective-enforcement defense to an SEC action, he found a company's own admission that regulators had pursued dozens of similar targets fatal to its claim of unfair singling-out -- he expects a defendant asserting disparate treatment to identify a genuinely distinguishing characteristic, not just membership in a broad class of enforcement targets.
“LBRY's admission that the SEC has been pursuing enforcement actions against multiple other digital currency creators dooms its selective enforcement defense.”
On an unaccepted settlement offer raised to argue mootness, he applies the Supreme Court's Campbell-Ewald rule strictly: an offer that falls short of the relief actually sought and that the plaintiff rejects leaves the controversy live, regardless of how reasonable the offer seems.
“If the plaintiff rejects an offer -- however good the terms -- their interest in the lawsuit remains just what it was before.”
Procedural preferences
On late service of process, he applies the more forgiving 'excusable neglect' standard rather than requiring good cause, and weighs prejudice to the defendant heavily -- a defendant who has already been an active litigant in the case is unlikely to persuade him that a delayed formal service should end the case.
“Mouchati has suffered no prejudice as a result of Cohen's failure to complete service by the December 9, 2020 deadline because he has been a full participant in the case since he answered the complaint on November 4, 2020.”
On arbitration agreements, he reads the specific text of who must initiate arbitration narrowly and closely, and treats a party's decision to let a state administrative process run its course before moving to compel arbitration as reasonable rather than a forfeiture of that right.
“Macy's had no ability to remove Randolph's administrative complaint until May 11, 2023, when the Commission issued its probable cause determination... it reasonably decided to wait to see if the case could be resolved through conciliation.”
Cautions
He holds pro se prisoner complaints to the same particularity requirements as counseled ones -- vague, conclusory allegations that fail to name a specific responsible official or describe a specific denied resource will be dismissed, even where the underlying grievance (denial of religious accommodations) is credited as pleaded.
“This claim is simply too vague to support a retaliation claim against any other defendants.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“The School District's Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. No. 6) is denied.”
“For the aforementioned reasons, I grant defendants' motion to dismiss (Doc. No. 31).”
“Defendant's Motion to Dismiss (Doc. No. 8) is granted.”
“For the reasons discussed above, I grant defendants' motions for summary judgment (Doc. Nos. 25, 26).”
“The plaintiffs' request for a preliminary injunction is denied without prejudice.”
“I grant in part and deny in part defendants' motion to dismiss (Doc. No. 38) and Staples' response (Doc. No. 40).”
“Mouchati's motion to dismiss (Doc. No. 36) is denied and Cohen's motion for an extension of time to complete service (Doc. No. 42) is granted.”
“The SEC's motion for judgment on the pleadings with respect to LBRY's affirmative defense (Doc. No. 20) is granted.”
“For the aforementioned reasons, the government's motion to dismiss (Doc. 12) is denied.”
“For the reasons set forth in this Memorandum and Order, Macy's motion to compel arbitration, Doc. 11, is granted.”
“For the foregoing reasons, Travelers' motion to dismiss (Doc. 20) is denied.”
“For the reasons explained above, I grant the motion for summary judgment. Doc. 66-1.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
The sampled dockets show a mix of general civil litigation (contract, insurance-coverage, tort, ERISA, and social-security appeals) alongside a recurring cluster of prisoner and immigration-detention habeas petitions, several referred to and jointly disposed of with a magistrate judge's report and recommendation.
Put Judge Barbadoro's record to work
Ezel drafts and answers grounded in this exact profile: how Judge Barbadoro actually rules, not a generic AI guess.
Opens in Ezel Pro. Every answer is grounded in Judge Barbadoro's own signed orders and cites them.