Barbara Jacobs Rothstein

How Judge Rothstein rules, drawn from 23 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

Court
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington (Seattle)
Appointed by
Jimmy Carter (Democratic)
Commissioned
1980-02-20
Education
Cornell University (B.A., 1960); Harvard Law School (LL.B., 1966)
Signed orders read
23

How Judge Rothstein decides

Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

What persuades

When binding appellate and state high-court precedent forecloses a claim on the merits, she may resolve dismissal on that ground without reaching competing limitations arguments.

“Because both the Ninth Circuit and the Washington State Court have ruled that landlord-tenant regulations are not physical takings, the Court is compelled to dismiss Plaintiffs’ claims on the merits.”

Procedural preferences

In immigration-delay cases she applies the TRAC factors at the pleading stage when the alleged delay is facially brief; a request that would simply move applicants ahead of others weighs against relief.

“The applications had been pending for only approximately six months when this action was filed and less than one year when the motion was briefed.”

Signed rulings

A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.

BOFI Federal Bank v. Advance Funding LLC
· 2015-04-28
Summary judgment (defendant) Granted

“ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANTS' MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT ... For the reasons set forth below, Defendants' Motion is granted.”

Jahr v. United States
· 2017-05-02
Summary judgment (defendant) Granted in part

“the Court will grant in part and deny in part the Government's Motion for Summary Judgment [Dkt. # 47].”

De La Torre v. City of Renton
· 2016-02-22
Summary judgment (plaintiff) Granted in part

“the Court will deny Plaintiffs motion for partial summary judgment in part; grant Plaintiffs motion for summary judgment in part”

Summary judgment (defendant) Granted in part

“grant Defendants' motion for partial summary judgment in part; and deny Defendants' motion for partial summary judgment in part.”

Snohomish County v. Allied World National Assurance Co. (Insurance Co. of the State of Pennsylvania)
· 2017-08-18
Summary judgment (plaintiff) Granted

“the Court will ... grant the County's motion for summary judgment against ICSOP, finding that ICSOP was contractually obligated to defend the County under its policies and is in breach of that duty.”

Summary judgment (defendant) Denied

“the Court will deny ICSOP's motion for summary judgment against the County”

Wash. Research Found. v. Sanofi
· 2018-02-02
Summary judgment (defendant) Granted

“Having reviewed the parties' briefs together with all relevant materials, the Court grants summary judgment.”

United States ex rel. Erickson v. University of Washington Physicians
· 2004-10-07
Motion to intervene (plaintiff) Granted

“the Court hereby GRANTS The Seattle Times' Motion to Intervene and Unseal Court File. The Clerk of the Court is directed to unseal the file.”

Motion to unseal (plaintiff) Granted
Washington Mutual, Inc. v. United States
· 2014-02-10

Following a bench trial on remand from the Ninth Circuit in a decades-long tax-refund dispute stemming from the 1980s savings-and-loan crisis, the court found the taxpayer had not proved its cost basis in the disputed rights and entered judgment for the government.

Alvis v. Glaxosmithkline
· 2003-01-13
Motions to dismiss (defendant) Denied

“ORDER DENYING DEFENDANT NOVARTIS AG'S MOTION TO DISMISS FOR LACK OF PERSONAL JURISDICTION”

Gorbach v. Reno
· 1998-08-07
Motions to dismiss (defendant) Denied

“ORDER GRANTING PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION AND DENYING MOTION TO DISMISS”

Preliminary injunction (plaintiff) Granted

“the court grants the motion for a preliminary injunction and denies the motion to dismiss.”

Class certification (plaintiff) Granted

“The court ADOPTS the Magistrate Judge's R & R on class certification and DENIES the defendants' motion for a stay.”

Motions to stay (defendant) Denied
YS Built, LLC v. Ya Hsing Chiang ("Cindy") Huang
2:15-cv-01411 · 2016-12-20

After a three-day bench trial on a builder's copyright-infringement and breach-of-contract claims arising from a residential architectural plan, the court found no substantial similarity between the two building plans and no enforceable exclusive construction agreement, entering judgment for the homeowner defendants on all claims.

King County v. Rasmussen
· 2001-05-25
Motions to strike (plaintiff) Granted in part

“The County's motions to strike are GRANTED in part.”

Summary judgment (plaintiff) Granted

“The County's motion for summary judgment is GRANTED, and title is quieted in the County's favor.”

Motions to dismiss (plaintiff) Granted

“Because the court has quieted title in the County, the Rasmussens have no rights to the strip of land and none of the counterclaims state a claim for which relief can be granted.”

Vectra Fitness, Inc. v. Icon Health & Fitness, Inc.
· 2003-08-27
Motion for entry of final judgment (defendant) Denied

“Icon's motion for a final judgment under Rule 54(b) [doc. no. 156] is DENIED”

Summary judgment (plaintiff) Granted

“Vectra's motion for summary judgment on Icon's invalidity defenses [doc. no. 127] is GRANTED”

Summary judgment (plaintiff) Granted in part

“Vectra's motion for summary judgment on Icon's equitable defenses [doc. no. 129] is GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART”

Summary judgment (defendant) Denied

“Icon's motion for summary judgment as to lost profits [doc. no. 135] is DENIED.”

Draft for Judge Rothstein with the record in hand

Ezel grounds your drafting and research in this profile: what has persuaded Judge Rothstein, and what has not, cited to the signed orders.

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