Curtis Vincent Gómez
How Judge Gómez rules, drawn from 25 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Gómez no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Gómez decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In Daroff Design, the court revisited summary judgment after a separate order found the response timely and reinstated the answer on which the earlier ruling had relied.
“the Court finds that it is appropriate to reconsider its order on the Association’s motion for summary judgment, with regard to Count IV of DDI’s complaint.”
In Valley National Bank, the court denied default judgment without prejudice because the ship-mortgage plaintiff had not published notice in a newspaper designated by court order.
“Accordingly, because VNB has not published notice in a newspaper designated by Court order, the Court will deny Valley National Bank’s motion for default judgment without prejudice.”
In First Bank Puerto Rico, the court denied default judgment without prejudice when the record lacked the affidavits required by Rule 55(b)(2) and the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.
“First Bank has failed to comply with the requirements of Rule 55(b)(2) and the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.”
Procedural preferences
In Samuel, the court denied summary judgment without prejudice when the motion lacked the required separate statement of material facts.
“The Defendants’ motion neither includes nor is accompanied by a separate statement of material facts.”
In Malpere, the court reduced a fee request because grouped time entries were too vague to permit review of the work and its reasonableness.
“Such entries ‘are so vague as to prevent meaningful judicial review.’”
In Hall, reconsideration was warranted after the court recognized that its prior diversity analysis had focused too narrowly on a nominal party rather than the real parties to the controversy.
“That focus was too narrow. Given the presence of a nominal party, the Court’s inquiry now necessarily must be expanded.”
In Gumbs, postjudgment filings that repeated a previously denied Section 2255 challenge were treated as successive motions outside the district court's jurisdiction without appellate authorization.
“The requirement that a defendant obtain authorization before filing a second or successive petitions under Section 2255 is jurisdictional.”
Cautions
On Miranda invocation, ambiguous or hedged language is not enough: a defendant's statement that he 'might need a lawyer' during custodial interrogation was held not to unambiguously invoke the right to counsel, following the Davis v. United States line of cases requiring an unequivocal request.
“Similarly, the Court holds that, here, Hinirio did not unequivocally invoke his right to counsel.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“ORDERED that the Commissioner's motion to dismiss the complaint for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction is GRANTED”
“ORDERED that the government's motion to dismiss docketed at ECF Number 30 is DENIED.”
“ORDERED that the Defendants' motion for summary judgment is DENIED without prejudice.”
“the Court finds that DDI's tort claim is barred by the gist of the action doctrine.”
“The Court will also grant summary judgment in favor of the Association on Count IV of DDI's complaint.”
“For the reasons discussed above, the Court will grant in part and deny in part Hinirio's motions to suppress.”
“ORDERED that the motion for a temporary restraining order is DENIED.”
“ORDERED that BNS's motion for summary judgment is GRANTED”
“ORDERED that the motion of BNS for default judgment docketed at ECF Number 14 is GRANTED”
“the Court finds that $6,450 of the fees requested is unreasonable and must be deducted from the Defendants' requested reimbursement. Accordingly, it is hereby ORDERED that the Plaintiffs shall reimburse the Defendants for attorneys fees and costs in the amount of $51,425.”
“ORDERED that the Report and Recommendation docketed at ECF Number 72 is ADOPTED”
“ORDERED that Wilnick Dorval's petition entitled ‘Motion for Judgment on the Pleading Against All Defendants’ at ECF Number 95 is DENIED.”
“For the reasons discussed above, the Court will grant the motion by Lloyds for summary judgment. An appropriate judgment follows.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
- The sampled dockets span mortgage foreclosures, insurance/hazard-claim disputes, personal-injury and Jones Act maritime claims, hotel/innkeeper liability, tort and contract actions, prisoner habeas and post-conviction petitions, election-eligibility disputes, and federal criminal matters, reflecting the general civil and criminal caseload of a Virgin Islands district judgeship.
- Several sampled civil cases were voluntarily dismissed or settled before reaching a dispositive motion, consistent with this small, diversity-heavy territorial docket.
A historical record
Judge Gómez 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.