PER CURIAM : A jury awarded plaintiff/cross-appellant John Willis $650,000 in damages for an injury arising from negligence by nurses employed by defendant/appellant Providence Hospital (the Hospital) when, after a surgery, they failed to place on his legs sequential compression devices (SCDs) ordered by the surgeon. The Hospital moved to set aside the verdict, arguing that Willis had not proven a causal link between the negligence and his injuries, ultimately the below-knee amputation of...
GLICKMAN, Associate Judge: Appellants Shanika Robinson and Leon Robinson were convicted of a number of offenses committed in connection with the armed robbery and murder of Shahabuddin Rana on August 18, 2009. 1 The principal issue before us, raised by Shanika Robinson, concerns the mens rea required for an aider and abettor to be subject to the additional punishment that is authorized by D.C.Code 22-4502 (2012 Repl.) when a violent or dangerous crime was committed while armed. We hold...
FISHER, Associate Judge: The Constitution of the United States and 28 U.S.C. 1738 (2012) require states of the Union to give full faith and credit to judgments rendered by other states. By contrast, judgments rendered in foreign countries are not entitled to full faith and credit, but they may be recognized by individual states as a matter of comity. The question presented in this case, an issue of first impression for us, is whether a New York judgment that simply recognized a judgment...
BLACKBURNE-RIGSBY, Associate Judge: This case raises a matter of first impression: whether the District of Columbia will follow the majority of jurisdictions by adopting the "economic loss doctrine," which prohibits claims of negligence where a claimant seeks to recover purely economic losses sustained as a result of an interruption in commerce caused by a third party. We answer that question in the affirmative. I. Factual Background On June 15, 2011, appellants 1 filed a negligence claim...
BLACKBURNE-RIGSBY, Associate Judge: This case involves alleged corporate espionage, and the issue of whether a corporation has a claim for trespass or conversion against another for rummaging through the corporation's trash in search of "trade secrets" and other confidential information. Appellant Greenpeace, Inc. ("Greenpeace") filed suit against appellees, 1 claiming that they conspired and engaged in various forms of unlawful corporate espionage with the intent to discover and undermine...
BECKWITH, Associate Judge: After a two-day bench trial, Superior Court Judge Harold Cushenberry found appellant Earl Workman guilty of several charges stemming from a traffic stop during which police pulled Mr. Workman over for talking on his mobile phone in apparent violation of the Distracted Driving Safety Act 1 and matters escalated from there. Mr. Workman argues on appeal that the government failed to present constitutionally sufficient evidence to support one of his three convictions...
RUIZ, Senior Judge: Robert Hagood 1 and Marquet Bryant 2 were convicted after a jury trial of attempted first degree burglary while armed, 3 assault with a dangerous weapon ("ADW"), 4 and related weapons charges: two counts each of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence ("PFCV") 5 — one related to the attempted burglary and one to the ADW — as well as one count each of unlawful possession of a firearm 6 and carrying a pistol without a license ("CPWL"). 7...
BLACKBURNE-RIGSBY, Associate Judge: In this appeal, we are presented with an issue of first impression: whether a victim of domestic violence, who is separated from her employment on account of alleged misconduct, is nonetheless eligible for unemployment compensation benefits when the alleged misconduct underlying the victim's separation from employment is "due to domestic violence." In this case, petitioner E.C. seeks review of the decision by an administrative law judge ("ALJ") of the...
GLICKMAN, Associate Judge: On April 25, 2001, appellants Harrell Hagans, Brion Arrington, Warren Allen, and Gary Leaks were indicted for conspiring to assault and kill members, associates, and friends of a criminal enterprise known as the "Mahdi Brothers organization," and for committing first-degree murder while armed and related crimes in furtherance of that conspiracy. All four appellants were charged with the May 17, 2000, murder of Eva Hernandez. Appellants Arrington and Hagans were...
FERREN, Senior Judge: We review here a judgment of the Superior Court affirming a decision by the Office of Employee Appeals (OEA), which upheld the firing of two correctional treatment specialists (Specialists), appellants Alphonso Bryant and Darryl Love, by the District of Columbia Department of Corrections (DOC). We sustain the findings of appellants' negligence in connection with the escape of two prisoners from the D.C. Jail, but we reverse and remand the case for further proceedings to...
McLEESE, Associate Judge: In these consolidated cases, the trial court granted the parties a decree of absolute divorce and decided a number of related issues, including the arrangements for child custody and visitation. Appellant Natalie Khawam raises several claims on appeal. First, she challenges the trial court's final order on custody and visitation, on the grounds that the court lacked jurisdiction and that, on the merits, the court committed several legal and procedural errors. Second,...
FISHER, Associate Judge: On February 13, 2013, the Zoning Commission for the District of Columbia granted second-stage approval of a planned unit development (PUD) for the property known as parcel 11 at the Southwest Waterfront. Intervenor Hoffman-Struever plans to redevelop a twenty-two acre section of the waterfront and, as part of this project, intends to build a large building on parcel 11. Constructed primarily on land owned by the Vestry of St. Augustine's Church, the proposed building...
