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ANDREI FENNER et al.,
Plaintiffs,
PHILLIP BURNS, et al. (23-1648); NANCY ANDERTON,
et al. (23-1696); MIKE BULAON, et al. (23-1697);
TAYLOR PANTEL, et al. (23-1698),
Plaintiffs-Appellants,
v.
GENERAL MOTORS, LLC; ROBERT BOSCH GMBH;
ROBERT BOSCH LLC,
Defendants-Appellees. |
Nos. 23-1648/1696/1697/1698 |
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan at Bay City.
No. 1:17-cv-11661—Thomas L. Ludington, District Judge.
Argued: May 9, 2024
Decided and Filed: August 21, 2024
Before: MOORE, KETHLEDGE, and BLOOMEKATZ, Circuit Judges.
_________________________
OPINION
_________________________
KAREN NELSON MOORE, Circuit Judge. Plaintiffs are a group of consumers who
purchased or leased a model year 2011–2016 GM Silverado or Sierra 2500 or 3500. Plaintiffs
allege that they selected and ultimately purchased or leased their vehicles, at least in part,
because of the Duramax diesel engine and systems therein, as advertised and represented by GM.
In advertisements for the subject vehicles, GM claimed that the vehicles ran “clean diesel,” had
“low emissions,” had “a whopping 63%” reduction of “Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions” when
compared to previous models and turned “heavy diesel fuel into a fine mist.” GM omitted any
reference to how—or when—its emissions system worked to accomplish these “clean diesel”
imperatives. Contrary to GM’s advertisements, however, Plaintiffs allege that the subject
vehicles actually emit NOx and other pollutants at levels many times higher than (i) their
counterparts, (ii) what a reasonable consumer would expect, (iii) what GM advertised, (iv) the
Environmental Protection Agency’s emissions standards, and (v) the levels set for the vehicles to
obtain a certificate of compliance that allows them to be sold in the United States. On those
bases, Plaintiffs brought this action against General Motors LLC, Robert Bosch GMBH, and
Robert Bosch LLC, alleging violations of state consumer protection, fraud, and deceptive trade
practices laws, as well as the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
Defendants filed motions for summary judgment on all claims. The district court granted
summary judgment, finding that (1) Plaintiffs’ state-law claims were preempted by the Clean Air
Act, and (2) Plaintiffs did not have standing to bring a RICO action. Because Plaintiffs’ state-law claims are not impliedly preempted by the Clean Air Act, we REVERSE the district court’s
grant of summary judgment on the state-law claims. Because Plaintiffs are indirect-purchasers
and thus do not have standing under RICO, however, we AFFIRM the district court’s grant of
summary judgment on the RICO claims. |
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KEVIN LINDKE,
Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.
JAMES R. FREED, in his official and personal
capacities,
Defendant-Appellee. |
No. 21-2977 |
On Remand from the Supreme Court of the United States.
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan at Detroit.
No. 2:20-cv-10872—Mark A. Goldsmith, District Judge.
Argued: July 29, 2024
Decided and Filed: August 21, 2024
Before: GILMAN, THAPAR, and READLER, Circuit Judges.*
_________________________
OPINION
_________________________
THAPAR, Circuit Judge. Kevin Lindke claims that James Freed, the City Manager of
Port Huron, Michigan, violated Lindke’s free-speech rights by blocking him on Facebook and
deleting his Facebook comments. We originally ruled for Freed on state-action grounds, but the
Supreme Court adopted a different test. Because the factual record isn’t developed enough for us
to apply the Supreme Court’s revised test, we remand this case to the district court for further
proceedings. |
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AIMEE STURGILL,
Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.
AMERICAN RED CROSS,
Defendant-Appellee. |
No. 24-1011 |
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan at Detroit.
No. 2:22-cv-11837—Paul D. Borman, District Judge.
Argued: July 24, 2024
Decided and Filed: August 21, 2024
Before: GILMAN, GRIFFIN, and MATHIS, Circuit Judges.
_________________________
OPINION
_________________________
Citing a conflict with her religious beliefs, plaintiff Aimee Sturgill objected to defendant
American Red Cross’s mandate that she become vaccinated against COVID-19. The Red Cross
denied her request for an accommodation, concluding that she was medically—not religiously—opposed to the vaccine and then terminated her employment. Sturgill alleges the Red Cross’s
decision reflects a failure to accommodate her religious beliefs, in violation of Title VII of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964. The district court dismissed her complaint under Federal Rule of Civil
Procedure 12(b)(6), holding that she did not plausibly allege a prima facie case sufficient to
support a failure-to-accommodate claim. Elevating the pleading standard to require a prima facie
case was erroneous. However, the district court correctly held that Sturgill did not separately set
forth a disparate-treatment claim. We therefore affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand for
further proceedings. |
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