City of New York v. Eastway Construction Corp.

How later courts describe this case

• showing of subjective bad faith not required to trigger Rule 11 sanctions
• death penalty statute neither vague, overbroad, imposed in a discriminatory manner, nor involves subjective discretion
• wherein the Court, addressing a claim made pursuant to Batson v. Kentucky , 476 U.S. 79 , 106 S.Ct. 1712 , 90 L.Ed.2d 69 (1986
• sanctions can be imposed for filings made for an “improper purpose” even where the attorney conducted a reasonable investigation
• Rule 11 is violated when it is "patently clear that a claim has absolutely no chance of success under the existing precedents"
• all ambiguities and inferences should be resolved in favor of the party defending a summary judgment motion
• “Even a single act of invidious discrimination may form the basis for an equal protection violation.”
• "The defendant cannot successfully argue that error is plain in the record when there is no indication in the record that the act upon which error is predicated ever occurred."