Moot Court Competition 2024
Final Argument
Friday, April 5th, 2024
3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Registration
3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Competition
UCI Student Center, Crystal Cove Auditorium
311 W. Peltason Dr., Irvine, CA 92697
Finalists:
Petitioner: Gabe Kirsch
Respondent: Jay Narimatsu
Final Results
Best Overall Advocate: Gabe Kirsch
Runner-Up Best Advocate: Jay Narimatsu
Best Brief: JP Elberfeld and Matthew Scammahorn
Best Oralist: Carmen Gosey
Top 16 (organized alphabetically)
| Fiona Chin | Carmen Gosey | Sunny Liu | Ikenna Ojukwu |
| JP Elberfeld | Jennifer Keute | Kasra Mirzabeigifini | Matthew Scammahorn |
| Matthew Finn | Yongsoo Kim | Jay Narimatsu | Josh Teincuff |
| Carolina Garcia | Gabe Kirsch | Edward Nester |
Devin Ton |
Judges
The Honorable Marsha S. Berzon, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
The Honorable Kim McLane Wardlaw, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
The Honorable Hernán D. Vera, United States District Court for the Central District of California
Summary of the Case
Neal Wilcox is a federal prisoner alleging he was physically assaulted by other inmates and prison staff. Wilcox hired an attorney to represent him in a separate matter, but then also sought assistance from counsel in filing a claim under the Federal Torts Claims Act (FTCA) for the assault. Subsequently, Wilcox deposited his FTCA administrative claim in the outgoing prison mail without the assistance of his attorney. However, because the claim reached the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) after the statutory deadline, the BOP denied Wilcox’s claim as untimely. Wilcox filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The United States moved for summary judgment, arguing that Wilcox’s claim is barred by the statute of limitations and the prison mailbox rule does not apply to litigants if they are represented by an attorney. The district court awarded summary judgment in favor of the United States. On appeal, the Court of Appeals reversed, finding that Wilcox’s administrative claim was timely because the prison mailbox rule applies to administrative claims submitted under the FTCA and also applies to all incarcerated litigants.
Questions Presented
- Does the prison mailbox rule apply to administrative claims brought under the Federal Torts Claims Act?
- Does the prison mailbox rule apply to claims submitted by prisoners who are represented by counsel at the time the claim is submitted?
2023-2024 Moot Court Board
The UC Irvine School of Law Moot Court Board is comprised of third-year students who successfully participated in Moot Court previously. This year’s Moot Court Board consists of the following members:
- Chair: Emily Lovell
- Vice Chairs: Alfred Hwang and Madelyn Sickle
- Directors of Bench Brief: Leah Veleker and Millie González
- Directors of Judicial Relations: Brittney Li, Ce-Lai Fong, and Kelsey Sutton
- Directors of Internal Relations: Grace Palcic, Lauren Peterkin, and Marcela Hernandez
Mission Statement
The mission of the UC Irvine School of Law Moot Court Board is to promote the development and refinement of students’ legal research, writing and appellate oral advocacy skills by encouraging their participation in moot court competitions. Each year, the Board organizes an intramural moot court competition that asks students to address issues relevant to our real world experiences, with the ultimate goal of preparing them for their legal careers.
Thank you to our sponsor!
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