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Darren Kossen v. Asia Pacific Airlines, et al.

Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, No. 21-71346 · judgment April 20, 2023


Certiorari denied · March 18, 2024
Pre-decision estimate: 4% cert probability

Before the decision, roughly the 4.1% base rate. The model weighted this up for a Ninth Circuit decision below, a circuit split argued in the petition, and counsel who has filed here before, and down for a business respondent.

Questions presented

a whistleblower to prove causation by a “preponderance of evidence” when it has always been only meet the prima facia burden by “any circumstantial evidence” and then the burden shifts to the employer’s much higher burden of proof by “clear and convincing evidence” that the employer would have fired him anyway having nothing to do with his whistleblowing?

  1. Is a federal administrative hearing ALJ bound by res judicata/law of the case/pre-emption at the trial by an unappealed state decision against an employer on the central issue between the same parties?

  2. Does publication and admission of a deposition into evidence at a trial also admit into evidence exhibits numbered, provided at, and discussed during the deposition, if not specifically excluded by the judge or introducing party at the trial?

  3. Should federal administrative hearings allow liberal admission of relevant evidence?

  4. Does the AIR-21 lawsuit statute of limitations toll for whistleblowers passed over for promotions in favor of new, unqualified, and uncertified employees when the employer has rolling hiring/promoting anytime employer promotions, because the whistleblower is passed over every time and only the last time ends the tolling?

Counsel of record

For petitioner
William C. Budigan
Budigan Law Firm

For respondent
Steven P. Pixley
Pixley Law Offices, LLC

Case

Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference

Proceedings

  1. Mar 18 2024
    Petition DENIED.
  2. Mar 14 2024
    Motion of Darren Kossen for leave to file amicus brief submitted.
  3. Feb 28 2024
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 3/15/2024.
  4. Feb 27 2024
    Waiver of right of respondent Aero Micronesia, Inc. d/b/a Asia Pacific Airlines to respond filed.
  5. Feb 20 2024
    Waiver of right of respondent Department of Labor to respond filed.
  6. Nov 01 2023
    Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due February 20, 2024)