Source: cases/21usc841/f3d-915-1203-us-v-seals.case
Case source: https://www.neochart.com/catalog/cases/f3d/volume_915/1203_01/index.html
Given that J.V. undisputedly injected the heroin in the bathroom, it was well-within the jury's province to draw the conclusion that the heroin was a but-for cause of the overdose.
Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the jury verdict, there was overwhelming evidence presented to the jury to establish but-for causation.
casedsl 1.2 # author: Flash2 (gemini-3.8-flash-high) # triaged-by: Fable (2026-11-10) case /f3d/915/1203-01 name United States v. Seals cite 915 F.3d 1203 (2019) court United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit date 2019-02-15 url catalog/cases/f3d/volume_915/1203_01/index.html source ir/caselaw/f3d_915.jsonl sha1=a726afd613680d15d7998af5eccde0b857c3a828 chars=11243 opinion maj : majority by Erickson @0..11243 controlling ? opinion: the two paragraphs @10985..11243 are the opinion's own footnotes appended by the IR; one span. law 21usc841 (a)(1) & (b)(1)(C) role applied posture criminal; jury convictions for distribution of heroin and fentanyl resulting in serious bodily injury and for possession with intent to distribute; Rule 29 motions denied; on appeal defendant challenges sufficiency of the evidence of but-for causation under Burrage; affirmed result claimant-won element death-results : satisfied [proved] route but-for-causation pattern immediate-collapse-after-injecting-sold-mixture fact @1337..1443 [supports] | J.V. then returned to his truck to fill his tank with gasoline, where he lost consciousness and collapsed. fact @1968..2224 [supports] | The first responders observed several symptoms of an opiate overdose : unconsciousness, shallow breathing, poor skin coloration, and pinpoint pupils. The paramedics administered Narcan to revive J.V. and, within 20 to 30 seconds, he regained consciousness. fact @4491..4794 [supports] | Finally, Dr. Pruitt confirmed Karas's testimony that it was medically impossible to determine the concentration of the various opiates in J.V.'s blood sample but, based on a total of roughly seven minutes from injection to collapse, the heroin-fentanyl mixture was the most likely cause of the overdose. fact @2681..2832 [cuts-against] | The initial screening detected two opiates (morphine and codeine ) and a subsequent screening detected two more opiates (fentanyl and acetyl-fentanyl). fact @3346..3535 [cuts-against] | Karas further testified that, due to the low volume of blood sampled and his inability to perform additional testing, he was unable to determine precisely which drug caused J.V.'s overdose. rule @6340..6677 [quoted] | "at least where use of the drug distributed by the defendant is not an independently sufficient cause of the victim's death or serious bodily injury, a defendant cannot be liable under the penalty enhancement provision of 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(C) unless [the drug distributed by the defendant] is a but-for cause of the death or injury." held @9624..9804 | Given that J.V. undisputedly injected the heroin in the bathroom, it was well-within the jury's province to draw the conclusion that the heroin was a but-for cause of the overdose. held @10494..10649 | Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the jury verdict, there was overwhelming evidence presented to the jury to establish but-for causation. gloss The 8th Cir. affirms the § 841(b)(1)(C) serious-bodily-injury enhancement: Burrage does not require the government to exclude the possibility that another drug (acetyl-fentanyl, not sold by Seals) was independently sufficient; the tight timing (injection, collapse within about seven minutes, Narcan revival) and expert testimony let the jury find the heroin/fentanyl mixture a but-for cause. element act.distribute : satisfied [proved] decider jury review none route sale pattern forty-dollars-heroin-and-fentanyl-sold-to-user fact @972..1079 [supports] | On November 3, 2016, Cordero Seals sold $ 40 worth of a substance consisting of heroin and fentanyl to J.V. gloss Jury finding only: the sale itself was not contested on appeal; the court's analysis is confined to causation. element substance : satisfied [proved] decider jury review none route identity-proof pattern lab-identified-heroin-and-fentanyl fact @2332..2452 [supports] | The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Laboratory later identified the residue as a mixture of heroin and fentanyl. gloss Jury finding only: identity of the sold substance (heroin/fentanyl mixture, lab-confirmed from the spoon residue) was not contested on appeal.