Llacua v. Western Range Association


FILED United States Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit PUBLISH July 16, 2019 Elisabeth A. Shumaker UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Clerk of Court TENTH CIRCUIT RODOLFO LLACUA; ESLIPER HUAMAN; LEOVEGILDO VILCHEZ GUERRA; LIBER VILCHEZ GUERRA; RAFEAL DE LA CRUZ, Plaintiffs - Appellants, No. 17-1113 v. WESTERN RANGE ASSOCIATION; MOUNTAIN PLAINS AGRICULTURAL SERVICE; MARTIN AUZA SHEEP CORPORATION; NOTTINGHAM LAND AND LIVESTOCK, LLLP; TWO BAR SHEEP CORPORATION, LLC; CUNNINGHAM SHEEP COMPANY; DENNIS RICHINS, D/B/A Dennis Richins Livestock, Defendants - Appellees. Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Colorado (D.C. No. 1:15-CV-01889-REB-CBS) David H. Seligman (Alexander N. Hood with him on the briefs), Towards Justice, Denver, Colorado for Plaintiffs-Appellants. James Larry Stine, Wimberly, Lawson, Steckel, Schneider & Stine, P.C., Atlanta Georgia, and Amber J. Munck, Greenberg Traurig, Denver, Colorado (Elizabeth K. Dorminey, Wimberly, Lawson, Steckel, Schneider & Stine, P.C., Atlanta, Georgia, and Naomi G. Beer and Harriet McConnell, Greenberg Traurig, Denver, Colorado, with them on the brief), for Defendants-Appellees Western Range Association and Mountain Plains Agricultural Service. Kenneth F. Rossman IV, Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP, Denver, Colorado, (Stacy Kourlis Guillon, Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP, Denver, Colorado; Bradford J. Axel, Stokes Lawrence, P.S., Seattle, Washington; and J. Rod Betts, Paul, Plevin, Sullivan & Connaughton LLP, San Diego, California, with him on the brief), for Defendants-Appellees Nottingham Land and Livestock, LLLP, Two Bar Sheep Corporation, LLC, Cunningham Sheep Company, and Martin Auza Sheep Company. Before HARTZ, MURPHY, and McHUGH, Circuit Judges. MURPHY, Circuit Judge. I. INTRODUCTION Five Peruvian shepherds (the “Shepherds”) 1 who worked in the Western United States pursuant to H-2A agricultural visas 2 brought antitrust 3 claims, on 1 Rodolfo Llacua, Esliper Huaman, Leovegildo Vilchez Guerra, Liber Vilchez Guerra, and Rafael De La Cruz. 2 8 C.F.R. § 214.2(h)(1)(ii)(C) (“An H-2A classification applies to an alien who is coming temporarily to the United States to perform agricultural work of a temporary or seasonal nature.”). H-2A visas are authorized by a program administered by the Department of Labor (“DOL”) that allows for issuance of visas to foreign workers to temporarily fill positions American employers cannot fill through the domestic labor market. 8 U.S.C. §§ 1101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(a) and 1188; see generally 20 C.F.R. part 655, subpart B (Labor Certification Process for Temporary Agricultural Employment in the United States (H-2A Workers)). 3 See 15 U.S.C. § 1 (making illegal “[e]very contract, combination . . . , or (continued...) -2- behalf of themselves and similarly situated classes of shepherds, against several sheep ranchers (the “Rancher Defendants”), 4 two associations (the “Association Defendants”), 5 and Dennis Richins 6 (referred to collectively as the “Defendants”). The Shepherds alleged the Defendants “conspired and agreed to fix wages offered and paid to shepherds at the minimum DOL wage floor.” The Shepherds also brought class action RICO 7 claims against Richins and the Association 3 (...continued) conspiracy, in restraint of trade”). This provision is referred to as § 1 of the Sherman Act. See Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, Pub. L. No. 94-435, tit. III, § ...

Original document
Source: All recent Immigration Decisions In All the U.S. Courts of Appeals