No. 18-1123

Southern Trust Metals, Inc., et al. v. Commodity Futures Trading Commission

Lower Court: Eleventh Circuit
Docketed: 2019-02-28
Status: Denied
Type: Paid
Response Waived
Tags: bank-of-america-v-city-of-miami commodity-exchange-act commodity-futures-trading-commission dura-pharmaceuticals-v-broudo foreseeability industry-ban judicial-injunction lifetime-industry-ban loss-causation proximate-cause reliance separation-of-powers
Key Terms:
ERISA Securities JusticiabilityDoctri
Latest Conference: 2019-03-29
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether foreseeability and reliance alone, without any proof of loss causation, satisfy § 13a-1(d)(8)(A)'s proximate cause requirement, in contravention of City of Miami and Dura

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

QUESTIONS PRESENTED The Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”) limits restitution in enforcement actions to “losses proximately caused” by a violation of the CEA and CFTC regulations. 7 U.S.C. § 18a-1(d)(38)(A). This Court’s decision in Bank of America Corp. v. City of Miami, Florida, 137 S. Ct. 1296, 1306 (2017) holds foreseeability is not enough to satisfy proximate cause. Dura Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Broudo, 544 U.S. 336, 3438-44 (2005) holds that proximate cause requires a plaintiff to show loss causation, meaning “not only that had he known the truth he would not have acted [i.e., reliance, or transaction causation] but also that he suffered actual economic loss.” The Eleventh Circuit below ruled, much as it did in Bank of America, that foreseeability and reliance are all § 13a-1(d)(3)(A) requires to satisfy proximate cause and specifically held loss causation is not required. The Eleventh Circuit also affirmed a lifetime industry ban against Petitioners. The injunctive relief provisions of § 13a-1(a) authorize no such relief, and the circuits are split on whether an injunction may be a penalty. The questions presented are: 1. Whether foreseeability and reliance alone, without any proof of loss causation, satisfy § 13a1(d)(8)(A)’s_ proximate cause requirement, in contravention of City of Miami and Dura; and 2. Whether a lifetime industry ban is a penalty and therefore beyond a district court’s statutory and equity power to issue without violating separation-ofpowers principles.

Docket Entries

2019-04-01
Petition DENIED.
2019-03-13
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 3/29/2019.
2019-03-07
Waiver of right of respondent United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission to respond filed.
2019-02-15
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due April 1, 2019)
2019-01-09
Application (18A703) granted by Justice Thomas extending the time to file until February 15, 2019.
2018-01-02
Application (18A703) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from January 16, 2019 to February 15, 2019, submitted to Justice Thomas.

Attorneys

Southern Trust Metals, Inc., et al.
Peter Winslow HomerHomer Bonner Jacobs, P.A., Petitioner
United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Noel J. FranciscoSolicitor General, Respondent