Matthew Andrew Garces v. Cindy Hernandez, et al.

Whether the Fifth Circuit erred in holding that a default judgment, entered against a pro se litigant who was incapacitated and hospitalized during the state court proceedings, constitutes a “full and fair opportunity to litigate” for claim preclusion purposes, in direct conflict with the decisions of the Third and Seventh Circuits and this Court’s precedent in Pioneer Investment Services Co. v. Brunswick Associates Ltd. Partnership.

Whether a judgment rendered by a court of limited jurisdiction—which is statutorily barred from adjudicating claims exceeding $20,000—can extinguish federal claims for damages that facially exceed that jurisdictional limit, thereby violating due process and fundamental principles of jurisdiction by allowing state courts to nullify federal rights they lack the authority to enforce. Page 3 of 17