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Impact of Supreme Court's Ruling On Expert Intent Testimony In 'Diaz v. United States'
In August 2020, Delilah Diaz was arrested when she drove her boyfriend's car, laden with over $350,000 of hidden methamphetamine, across the U.S. border from Mexico. Her criminal trial tested the permissible scope of expert testimony as to a defendant's intent, ultimately resulting in a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that has significant implications for criminal cases far beyond the specifics of her drug-trafficking case.
In Diaz v. United States, 144 S.Ct. 1727 (2024), the Court held that expert testimony in a criminal case, as to whether "most people" similar to the defendant have a particular mental state, does not run afoul of Federal Rule of Evidence 704(b)'s prohibition against expert opinion evidence about whether a criminal defendant had or lacked the mental state required for conviction. Particularly in white-collar cases, where the defendant's intent is often the central disputed issue, the implications of Diaz may be far-reaching.
'Diaz': "Most People" vs. the Defendant
Diaz was stopped at the U.S.-Mexico border, where officers found 54 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in her car, which she claimed belonged to her boyfriend, who had loaned her the car to drive home to California. Charged with importing methamphetamine, Diaz claimed ignorance of the drugs.
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Major Differences In UK, U.S. Copyright Laws
This article highlights how copyright law in the United Kingdom differs from U.S. copyright law, and points out differences that may be crucial to entertainment and media businesses familiar with U.S law that are interested in operating in the United Kingdom or under UK law. The article also briefly addresses contrasts in UK and U.S. trademark law.
The Article 8 Opt In
The Article 8 opt-in election adds an additional layer of complexity to the already labyrinthine rules governing perfection of security interests under the UCC. A lender that is unaware of the nuances created by the opt in (may find its security interest vulnerable to being primed by another party that has taken steps to perfect in a superior manner under the circumstances.
Strategy vs. Tactics: Two Sides of a Difficult Coin
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Legal Possession: What Does It Mean?
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UCC Sections 9406(d) and 9408(a) are one of the most powerful, yet least understood, sections of the Uniform Commercial Code. On their face, they appear to override anti-assignment provisions in agreements that would limit the grant of a security interest. But do these sections really work?