UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
ELEVENTH CIRCUIT

 

U.S.C.A. NO. 04-10030-D

DISTRICT COURT NO. 99-0528-CV-JAL

 

ARMANDO FERNÁNDEZ-LARIOS,

 

Appellant,

 

v.

 

ESTATE OF WINSTON CABELLO, et al.,

 

Appellees.

                                                                                /

 

ON APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

 

PLAINTIFFS-APPELLEES’ BRIEF

Leo P. Cunningham
Nicole M. Healy

Jenny L. Dixon

Natalie L. Bridgeman

WILSON SONSINI GOODRICH & ROSATI

Professional Corporation
650 Page Mill Road
Palo Alto, California 94304-1050
Telephone:  (650) 493-9300
Facsimile:   (650) 565-5100

 

Robert G. Kerrigan

KERRIGAN, ESTESS, RANKIN & McLEOD, LLP

400 East Government Street, P.O. Box 12009

Pensacola, Florida 32501


CERTIFICATE OF INTERESTED PERSONS

AND CORPORATE DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

PURSUANT TO ELEVENTH CIRCUIT RULE 26.1

 

The undersigned counsel of record certifies that the following persons or entities have an interest in the outcome of this case.  These representations are made so that the Judges of this Court may evaluate possible disqualification or recusal.

1.               Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP (Counsel for Defendant-Appellant).

2.               Natalie L. Bridgeman (Counsel for Plaintiffs-Appellees).

3.               Aldo Cabello (Plaintiff-Appellee).

4.               Elsa Cabello Bravo (Plaintiff-Appellee).

5.               Karin Cabello-Moriarty (Plaintiff-Appellee).

6.               Zita Cabello-Barrueto (Plaintiff-Appellee).

7.               Zita Cabello-Barrueto, as the Personal Representative of the Estate of Winston Cabello (Plaintiff-Appellee).

8.               The Center for Justice & Accountability (Counsel for Plaintiffs-Appellees).

9.               Leo P. Cunningham (Counsel for Plaintiffs-Appellees).

10.           Steven W. Davis (Counsel for Defendant-Appellant).

11.           Jenny L. Dixon (Counsel for Plaintiffs-Appellees).

12.           Matthew Eisenbrandt (Counsel for Plaintiffs-Appellees).

13.           Julie C. Ferguson (Counsel for Plaintiffs-Appellees).

14.           Julie C. Ferguson & Associates, P.A. (Counsel for Plaintiffs-Appellees).

15.           Armando Fernández-Larios (Defendant-Appellant).

16.           Nicole M. Healy (Counsel for Plaintiffs-Appellees).

17.           Robert G. Kerrigan (Counsel for Plaintiffs-Appellees).

18.           Kerrigan, Estess, Rankin & McLeod, LLP (Counsel for Plaintiffs-Appellees).

19.           Honorable Joan A. Lenard, United States District Court Judge, Southern District of Florida (Trial Judge).

20.           Honorable Andrea M. Simonton, United States District Court Magistrate Judge, Southern District of Florida (Magistrate Judge).

/ / /

/ / /

/ / /

/ / /

/ / /

/ / /

/ / /

21.           Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C. (Counsel for Plaintiffs-Appellees).

 

Dated:  May 19, 2004                 Respectfully submitted,

Leo P. Cunningham

Nicole M. Healy

Jenny L. Dixon

Natalie L. Bridgeman
WILSON SONSINI GOODRICH & ROSATI

Professional Corporation

 

 

 

By:                                                                  

Nicole M. Healy

 

650 Page Mill Road
Palo Alto, California 94304-1050
Telephone:  (650) 493-9300
Facsimile:   (650) 565-5100

 

Attorneys for Plaintiffs-Appellees


STATEMENT REGARDING ORAL ARGUMENT

 

The District Court’s order can be affirmed without oral argument. 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

I.         STATEMENT OF JURISDICTION............................................... 1

II.        STATEMENT OF THE ISSUES.................................................... 1

III.      STATEMENT OF THE CASE....................................................... 2

A.        Nature of the Case, Course of Proceedings, and Disposition Below.................................................................................. 2

1.         Factual Summary....................................................... 2

2.         Procedural History..................................................... 4

3.         Disposition Below..................................................... 8

IV.      Statement of Facts............................................................. 9

A.        The Squad’s Mission Was to Suppress Potential Resistance Including by Killing Civilian Prisoners of the Junta............. 9

B.        Fernández Was Involved in Selecting, Interrogating and Extracting the Thirteen Civilians Killed in Copiapó............ 12

C.        Fernández Participated in Killing Civilians Before and After Copiapó............................................................................. 20

V.        STANDARD OF REVIEW.......................................................... 22

VI.      SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT..................................................... 23

VII.    ARGUMENT............................................................................... 25

A.        Substantial Evidence Demonstrated that Fernández Was Liable for the Offenses Against Mr. Cabello...................... 25

1.         The Evidence Established that Fernández was Liable as an Aider and Abettor........................................... 27

2.         The Evidence Established that Fernández was Liable as a Co-conspirator.................................................. 30

3.         The Evidence Was Sufficient to Permit the Jury to Find that Fernández Was Directly Liable.................. 36

4.         The Doctrine of “Command Responsibility” is Irrelevant to this Case.............................................. 37

B.        The District Court Correctly Held that the Cabello Family’s Claims Were Not Time-Barred........................................... 41