2016 Seventh Circuit US Court of Appeals Case Law

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2012, “Mickey” Davis made a $300,000 start-up loan to Ideal Motors, a Melrose Park, Illinois car dealership, owned by R.J. Serpico and his father Joseph Serpico. Within months, Joseph had gambled the money away and…

Justia Opinion Summary: An immigration judge (IJ) ordered Chavarria‐Reyes removed to Mexico after concluding that he lacked permission to be here and was ineligible for discretionary relief because he has committed a crime of moral turpitude.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Ramirez, born in Mexico, alleges that his former employer, T&H, subjected him to discriminatory working conditions and a hostile work environment based on his national original and fired him in retaliation for reporting…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Seventh Circuit affirmed Trudeau’s fraud conviction and his $38 million civil contempt judgment after he refused to surrender profits made from violating Federal Trade Commission orders. Trudeau claimed to be…

Justia Opinion Summary: Brown was injured at a Gurnee, Illinois Target store when a fitting room door came off its hinges and fell on her. In Brown’s negligence suit, Target filed a third-party complaint against Harbor, Target’s supplier of…

Justia Opinion Summary: Hancock, charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1), and possession of an unregistered firearm, 26 U.S.C. 5841, 5845(a)(2), and 5861(d), unsuccessfully challenged the search warrant that had led…

Justia Opinion Summary: Illinois inmate Jackson filed suit under 42 U.S.C. 1983 alleging that, during his transfer between institutions, he was subjected to excessive force, and failure to protect by the refusal of his request to be placed in a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Urena, a citizen of Mexico, was convicted as an alien found in the U.S. after having been deported, 8 U.S.C. 1326(a) and was sentenced to 100 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Urena was…

Justia Opinion Summary: Wilson was an admissions representative, recruiting students to CEC’s culinary arts college. Wilson earned a bonus for each student that he recruited above a threshold who either completed a full course or a year of…

Justia Opinion Summary: Brown applied for disability benefits on the ground that her bad back and obesity left her in too much pain to work. The Social Security Administration denied Brown’s application; an administrative law judge upheld the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Smith’s husband obtained a Capital One credit card that he used for family consumer debts. Smith subsequently filed for bankruptcy. Smith’s husband did not join Smith’s petition and was not listed as a co‐debtor. The…

Justia Opinion Summary: Hernandez and Cardoso, citizens of Mexico, have two children: A.E., born in 2008, and M.S., born in 2002. Cardoso left Mexico with the children in 2014, allegedly to escape Hernandez's abuse and protect the children.…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2008, West Bend filed a legal malpractice action based on the performance of attorney Schumacher and his firm, RLGZ, in a 2005-2006 workers’ compensation matter. The parties agreed to a dismissal of that claim and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Jones was a family counselor and collected dozens of guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition, although he had a prior felony conviction. The FBI discovered the weapons while investigating Jones for fraudulent health…

Justia Opinion Summary: Leaver’s car was struck by a driver whose insurer provided Leaver a rental car. Leaver went to Hertz’s Wisconsin office, signed a rental agreement, and drove to Montana. When Leaver failed to return the car by the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Murphy was an inmate in the Illinois Vandalia Correctional Center when correctional officers hit him, fracturing part of his eye socket, and left him in a cell without medical attention. Murphy sued under 42 U.S.C. 1983…

Justia Opinion Summary: Mrs. Edelson filed a Chapter 13 bankruptcy petition. She and her husband, who did not join her petition or file his own, held their Chicago home as “tenants by the entirety,” until seven months before the petition, when…

Justia Opinion Summary: Pension funds regulated by the Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act, part of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), sued to collect shortfalls in contributions for 2003-2008 from System Parking, under…

Justia Opinion Summary: RiverStone had collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) with the union, requiring RiverStone to contribute a specified dollar amount to specified welfare and pension funds “for each hour for which an employee receives…

Justia Opinion Summary: Foreman alleged that Rockford police officers came to his restaurant because the man living in an upstairs apartment accused Foreman of cutting off his electricity. Foreman refused to answer questions and was arrested.…

Justia Opinion Summary: The City of Chicago obtained a default administrative judgment of $3,540 against Plaintiff (Manistee Apartments), based upon a finding of code violations. The city registered the judgment and imposed a lien against…

Justia Opinion Summary: Micrins Surgical went out of business in 2009, without paying all of its taxes. Eriem Surgical was incorporated the same day, purchased Micrins’ inventory, took over its office space, hired its employees, used its…

Justia Opinion Summary: Golden was convicted of conspiring to distribute cocaine and served approximately eight years in prison. Weeks after his release, Golden allegedly stole $1500 from the gas station where he worked, repeatedly failed to…

Justia Opinion Summary: Dana had a dealer agreement in Texas with AISCO. Unbeknownst to Dana, AISCO sold off most of its assets to newly-formed DanMar, which transferred the assets to UJoints. The name “UJoints” had been a trade name used by…

Justia Opinion Summary: On the night of January 27, 2014, DND’s driver, Velasquez, crashed his semi-truck into two emergency vehicles and another semi which were stopped on an unlit highway. An Illinois Toll Authority employee was killed and a…

Justia Opinion Summary: During their acrimonious divorce, Paula accused Barry of serial infidelity. In discovery Barry asked her for all documents related to that accusation. Paula complied and produced copies of incriminating emails between…

Justia Opinion Summary: Brown was arrested for selling heroin in Chicago. He offered to assist the police, telling the officers that he knew where a man named “Jimmie” stored large amounts of drugs and that he was supposed to meet Jimmie later…

Justia Opinion Summary: Aventine bought ethanol from Glacial. In 2009, the parties executed “termination agreements” that required Aventine to pay Glacial $898,000 for ethanol received before the specified termination date and required Glacial…

Justia Opinion Summary: Brunson purchased the only liquor store in Bridgeport, Illinois. Bridgeport Police Chief Murray was a frequent visitor and often told Brunson that he was violating liquor laws that did not actually exist. Once,…

Justia Opinion Summary: About a decade ago, Holt was convicted of possessing a firearm despite prior convictions that barred gun ownership, 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1). The court deemed him an armed career criminal, 18 U.S.C. 924(e), and imposed a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Prather, age 31, tore his left Achilles tendon playing basketball. He scheduled surgery for July 22. On July 21, he called the surgeon’s office complaining of swelling and that an area of the left calf was sensitive and…

Justia Opinion Summary: On February 10, 2015, Meyers was given a copy of his receipt after dining at Nicolet Restaurant in de Pere, Wisconsin. He noticed that Nicolet’s receipt did not truncate the expiration date, as required by the Fair and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Kluball drove to Tennessee to pick up a 17‐year‐old girl he had met on Facebook, brought her to his Wisconsin apartment, advertised her online for sex acts, and escorted her to prostitution engagements. He pled guilty…

Justia Opinion Summary: Davila pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit robbery in violation of the Hobbs Act, 18 U.S.C. 1951, and to possessing a firearm in connection with the planned robbery and a drug trafficking crime, 18 U.S.C.…

Justia Opinion Summary: A barge exploded in 2005, while under way between Joliet and Chicago with a cargo of slurry oil. Deckhand Oliva did not survive. Claiming that Egan, master of the tug that had been pushing the barge, told Oliva to warm…

Justia Opinion Summary: At USARMS, Burns provided estate-planning services and offered clients an investment in promissory notes that USARMS sold. The notes were allegedly backed by Turkish bonds. USARMS’s owners, Durmaz and Pribilski, claimed…

Justia Opinion Summary: Martinez, a government informant, arranged for Jones to sell him 20 kilograms of cocaine. At their rendezvous police seized Jones, and in a pat‐down search found a loaded pistol and four 20-bullet magazines. They found…

Justia Opinion Summary: Lewisbey purchased guns at Indiana gun shows with a fake I.D., sold them in Illinois, and boasted about it on Facebook. Federal agents began an undercover operation. After Lewisbey sold a total of 43 guns to a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs filed a putative class action suit against their former employer, alleging violations of the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act (IWPCA), and other state wage payment statutes, including the New York…

Justia Opinion Summary: NMEPT, a joint venture, was formed to sell environmental equipment in China. Nalco owned 55% of the venture, Chen 40%, and a third party 5%. When NMEPT encountered business problems, Nalco paid its creditor and sued…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2004, Nelms retained Katz-Crank, a Michigan lawyer with a practice in cemetery management, to assist in his acquisition of cemeteries and funeral homes in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. Trust funds associated with these…

Justia Opinion Summary: Freeman was charged in Counts 1 and 2 with distribution of 28 grams or more of a mixture containing cocaine base, 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1); in Count 3, with possession of a firearm as a felon, 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1); in Count 4,…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2013, Harris was part of a group of armed robbers. He robbed a Schererville, Indiana T‐Mobile store, an Addison, Illinois Sprint store; and a LaPorte, Indiana AT&T store. He was charged in Indiana state court for the…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2005, Duke Energy bought, from Benton, renewable energy at a price high enough to enable construction of wind turbines, and acquired tradeable renewable‑energy credits. The contract requires Duke to pay Benton for all…

Justia Opinion Summary: Ortiz was sentenced to prison for 135 months for three bank robberies. The Seventh Circuit twice reversed and remanded for resentencing. On the second remand the judge reimposed the 135-month prison sentence but altered…

Justia Opinion Summary: Warren pled guilty to transporting and possessing child pornography and was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment and 15 years’ supervised release. During his prison term, Warren tutored inmates, started a Sex Addicts…

Justia Opinion Summary: Former students who participated on Penn’s women’s track and field team, regulated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sued Penn, the NCAA, and more than 120 other NCAA Division I member schools,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Briseno was tried for multiple crimes relating to his association with the East Chicago Imperial Gangsters. After the government’s case‐in‐chief, the judge granted Briseno’s motion for acquittal only as to the counts…

Justia Opinion Summary: After Kirk was convicted for wire and mail fraud, the judge cut her sentence from 188 to 110 months for providing substantial assistance to prosecutors, Fed. R. Crim. P. 35(b). Kirk contends that she subsequently…

Justia Opinion Summary: Yates was sentenced as an armed career criminal under 18 U.S.C. 924(e) in 2003. The district court concluded that he had six qualifying prior convictions; the statute provides that three or more require an enhanced…

Justia Opinion Summary: The petitioners sought to place on the ballot a proposition that, if approved by the voters, would impose mayoral term limits. If approved, the proposition would prevent the incumbent mayor from running for reelection.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Just days after his release from prison in 1995, Frazier entered the apartment of a 62-year-old woman and attempted to rob her at gunpoint. The woman distracted Frazier, struggled for the gun, and eventually fled.…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2001, Raney was convicted of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in a sexual act and attempt to manufacture child pornography. He was sentenced to 145 months’ imprisonment. In 2012, he began serving three…

Justia Opinion Summary: Doctors replaced Dobbs’s hip with a DePuy ASR artificial hip, which was defective and caused Dobbs pain and other problems. Dobbs hired McLaughlin to represent him in the DePuy ASR Hip Implant Multidistrict Litigation…

Justia Opinion Summary: Haywood, an inmate at Illinois’s Shawnee Correctional Center, accused a teacher of attacking him. Guards charged him with making false statements. A disciplinary panel found him guilty, ordered him transferred to…

Justia Opinion Summary: Piotrowski, walking in the parking lot at a Menard's store, stepped on one or two small rocks that she had not seen. She fell, very hard, outside the store entrance. About 50-125 feet away, there is a large concrete…

Justia Opinion Summary: Gracia began working on the SigmaTron assembly line in 1999. Gracia was promoted multiple times and became assembly supervisor in 2004, reporting to Silverman. In 2007, Silverman sent Gracia emails containing photographs…

Justia Opinion Summary: Worthen, a FedEx driver, delivered packages to Maxie, the owner of a southern Indiana gun store. Worthen set up a meeting with Maxie, purportedly for a gun trade. He actually wanted to case the store with his brother and…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1997, Rodriguez was convicted of two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and sentenced to 60 years in prison. The Illinois State Police’s Division of Forensic Services had analyzed four semen stains…

Justia Opinion Summary: Flournoy was convicted of conspiring to possess cocaine and of attempting to possess cocaine (21 U.S.C. 846). During closing arguments, the defense referred to the prosecution’s failure to call certain witnesses; the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Patrick, on parole, did not comply with the conditions of his release from state prison. A warrant issued for his arrest. Milwaukee police obtained a second warrant, which authorized them to locate Patrick using…

Justia Opinion Summary: Perez-Fuentes entered the U.S from Mexico without inspection; his date of entry is not clear. After he was arrested several times DHS charge Perez-Fuentes as removable for being present without inspection, 8 U.S.C.…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2005, Jennifer’s mother found her 19-year-old daughter dead. Investigators found a chewed 100-microgram Duragesic fentanyl skin patch. The patch is a powerful opioid, not meant to be ingested. Jennifer did not have a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Juan purchased Professional Strength Goof Off to remove paint from a concrete basement floor; its primary active ingredient is acetone, which is extremely flammable and evaporates quickly at room temperature. The can…

Justia Opinion Summary: While conducting surveillance, based on information about a cocaine transaction, agents followed Bausley to a Chicago apartment building. Bausley parked on the street. Thompson came out wearing a backpack and entered…

Justia Opinion Summary: Attorney Goodson received an email from “Fumiko Anderson,” stating that she wanted to hire Goodson to recover money that she was owed in a divorce. Fumiko later stated that her ex-husband had agreed to settle and would…

Justia Opinion Summary: Chicago officer Lewellen arrested drug dealer Rodriguez in 1996 and turned him into an informant. They developed a more lucrative arrangement. Rodriguez would collect information about drug dealers; during seemingly…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2014, the IRS attempted to collect $244,464 in unpaid taxes and penalties from Adolphson for tax years 2002 and 2006-2010. Adolphson claims he was unaware of the IRS’s collection efforts until the agency levied on his…

Justia Opinion Summary: From 2006-2013, Lewis fraudulently held herself out as a Fidelity account representative to at least 12 “investors,” ages 75-92. Although she had been a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority registered broker,…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1999, three masked men broke into a Chicago apartment shared by Stone, his cousins, and Grant. Grant and one cousin were home. One intruder beat Grant with a bat. The intruders stole jewelry, marijuana, and cash…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2008, Huon was charged with criminal sexual assault of Jane Doe. He claimed that the encounter was consensual and was acquitted. The website Above the Law (ATL) published an article entitled, “Rape Potpourri” which…

Justia Opinion Summary: Whitaker is a transgender boy whose high school will not permit him to use the boys’ bathroom. He sued, alleging violation of Title IX, 20 U.S.C. 1681, and the Equal Protection Clause. The defendants appealed denial of a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Morrison and Novak (defendants) sold “herbal incense” from their retail store, JC Moon, in Ashland, Wisconsin. The substances included XLR-11, UR-144, PB- 22, and 5F-PB-22, which then were not listed on the controlled…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2012, the City of Country Club Hills City Council adopted an ordinance that provided to homeowners a 25 percent rebate of 2010 city property taxes paid in 2011, subject to the completion of an application by the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Midwest Fence, which provides guardrails, challenged federal and state programs that offer advantages in highway construction contracting to disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs). For purposes of federally-funded…

Justia Opinion Summary: When Chelsea was five months old, she was dropped and suffered a skull fracture. As the fracture expanded, a cyst formed. The fracture and cyst were not a problem until, at age 17, she was hit in the head and suffered a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant pleaded guilty to wire fraud, 18 U.S.C. 1343, for submitting fraudulent invoices to an Illinois town (Riverdale), which paid him $374,000. The district judge sentenced him to 60 months in prison, plus 36 months…

Justia Opinion Summary: Vidinski, a native of Bulgaria, entered the U.S. as a visitor in 1998 but overstayed his visa. He married a U.S. citizen, Literski, in 2002. In 2005 he and Literski filed petitions seeking legal permanent resident status…

Justia Opinion Summary: Rogers and Hardy hid outside the entrance, then forced a teller into a bank at gunpoint as she was opening the door. Armour directed them by radio from the parking lot. Armour had recruited the two, supplied clothing,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Curtis asked Lockwood to place a package in her brother’s truck and that it contained a bomb. Lockwood agreed. At the brother’s house, Lockwood failed to locate the truck and placed the bomb in the mailbox. He called the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Since 1935, federal law has regulated the hours of service of truck drivers operating in interstate commerce. Drivers must keep paper records showing their driving time and other on‐duty time. In 2012, Congress directed…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff was supervising a BNSF crew, removing and reinstalling timber crossing planks. The crew had difficulty removing one plank, and with plaintiff’s approval, used a front‐end loader, which caused the plank to fly…

Justia Opinion Summary: Advocate Health Care and NorthShore University HealthSystem operate hospital networks in Chicago’s northern suburbs. They propose to merge. The Clayton Act forbids asset acquisitions that may lessen competition in any…

Justia Opinion Summary: In August 2008, a Milwaukee County jury found Carpenter guilty of kidnapping, false imprisonment, four counts of second‐degree sexual assault, and four counts of first‐degree sexual assault. Carpenter was sentenced to 59…

Justia Opinion Summary: Wieckowicz, a confidential informant, alerted FBI agents that Oziemski solicited Wieckowicz’s help in planned robberies; Oziemski planned to travel from Poland to New York, and then to Chicago to meet Stanislawczyk, and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff, a customer service representative, was in an automobile accident in 2011, after which she used a cane and limped. She was fired in 2012, allegedly because of a perceived disability that had required her to…

Justia Opinion Summary: Haney pled guilty to possessing a gun as a felon, 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1). The district court found that Haney had at least three prior convictions for “violent felonies” under the Armed Career Criminal Act, 18 U.S.C.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Kelham, a railroad engineer, halted a mile-long freight train on a parallel track to enable a higher-priority train to pass. Another train, also ordered to wait on the parallel track, failed to stop at a signal and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Police responded to a report of a man with a gun and saw Rash take something (a gun) from his waistband and drop it. Rash was arrested. He stated that the gun belonged to his girlfriend, Monica; after she left her gun…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2013 Elder and others, including his father, were charged with conspiring to traffic methamphetamine from Arizona to Indiana. Elder and his father pleaded not guilty. Six co-defendants pleaded guilty. Some testified…

Justia Opinion Summary: Central States is a self-funded Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) plan that provides health coverage to participating Teamsters and their dependents. The plan’s trustee sought a declaratory judgment…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff, was in his fourteenth year at a Wisconsin medium-security prison when he was placed in a cell with DaSilva, who, 12 days later, sexually assaulted plaintiff in their cell. DaSilva was in prison for having…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a 2013 fire at the Milwaukee County Courthouse, the county filed a claim with its primary insurer, the State of Wisconsin Local Government Property Insurance Fund. The Fund had engaged Lexington as either its…

Justia Opinion Summary: Viramontes was charged with mob action, aggravated assault, and resisting arrest, arising out of an incident at a Puerto Rican street festival in Chicago. The state court judge held, “I find the Defendant guilty of…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2001, Israel injured his back while digging posts for a porch. He worked while receiving treatments but his pain worsened; he stopped working in February 2003. He underwent a lumbar laminectomy and diskectomy, which…

Justia Opinion Summary: Heartland Alliance’s National Immigrant Justice Center submitted to the Department of Homeland Security a Freedom of Information Act request for information relating to Tier III terrorist organizations. Membership in any…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Seventh Circuit has held that states must permit law-abiding, mentally healthy persons to carry loaded weapons in public. Illinois’ Concealed Carry Act, 430 ILCS 66/1, authorizes an Illinois resident to carry, on his…

Justia Opinion Summary: Dr. Wesbrook, a former employee of the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, sued Dr. Belongia, a former colleague, and Dr. Ulrich, the chief executive officer of the Marshfield Clinic. Wesbrook claimed that Belongia…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2014, Lend Lease, the construction manager of the Chicago River Point Tower Project, hired Cives as a subcontractor. Cives hired Midwest Steel. Midwest had, years before, hired AES to supply Midwest with additional…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2011, Bloomington Officers, surveilling for loud-music violations, saw Tapley drive by and decided to make a stop. Tapley turned into a parking lot. Officer Stanfield followed. Tapley went into a store, then returned…

Justia Opinion Summary: For weekday shifts, Antioch Rescue (ARS) used paid EMTs through subcontracts with private ambulance companies. For evening and weekend shifts, ARS used unpaid volunteers. Volling began as an unpaid EMT in 2008. In 2010,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Wagner, a licensed attorney proceeding pro se, took both brand‐name and generic hormone therapy drugs as prescribed by her gynecologist to treat her post‐menopausal endometrial hyperplasia. After taking the drugs, Wagner…

Justia Opinion Summary: Holman used heroin to manage pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis. She became addicted and became a dealer. In 2012, Henschel died of a heroin overdose. Wisconsin law enforcement discovered Holman’s heroin…

Justia Opinion Summary: Cbeyond provides telecommunications service to small businesses using telephone lines. AT&T Illinois provides similar service on a larger scale. Their networks are interconnected; a new entrant (Cbeyond) may connect with…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2010, Alston was convicted of five charges and placed on probation. Dane County law enforcement agencies established a “Special Investigation Unit” (SIU) to monitor and offer resources to probationers whom they…

Justia Opinion Summary: McDonald, an Illinois inmate in the segregation unit, suffered an asthma attack in his cell. There were no emergency call buttons. Hours later. his cellmate banged on the door to alert the guards. A guard eventually…

Justia Opinion Summary: n 2010, McDonald, an Illinois inmate, filed a complaint in the Illinois Court of Claims against the Illinois Department of Corrections for violation of his free exercise rights. He alleged that Muslim inmates are not…

Justia Opinion Summary: Officer Byrne, responding to a bar fight, spotted one man chasing another. One man reached and entered a parked car; the other began punching at the driver’s window. Byrne restrained the pursuer, Hess, a student at…

Justia Opinion Summary: While serving a probation-revocation sentence in an Illinois prison, Whiting fell ill with what turned out to be a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. A prison doctor initially diagnosed an infection and prescribed…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2009, Blasius purchased a used 2005 Ford Excursion for use in towing his motorcycle racing trailer. Over the next three years, he invested about $70,000 in parts, modifications, and accessories In 2012, Blasius took…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2007 Sun Life issued a $6 million policy on the life of an 81‐year‐old. He died in 2014. U.S. Bank had purchased the policy in 2011, becoming the policy’s beneficiary. Sun declared that it would refuse to pay U.S.…

Justia Opinion Summary: At the Stockton, California inland seaport, FedEx employs 50 truck drivers and 27 dockworkers, who use forklifts to load and unload trucks. A Teamsters Local wanted to organize the drivers. FedEx argued that the local…

Justia Opinion Summary: Uhlig brought False Claims Act and retaliation claims against his former employer, Flour, which had contracted with the U.S. Army to provide electrical engineering work in Afghanistan. Uhlig says Fluor knowingly…

Justia Opinion Summary: Williams, an African-American began working for the Cook County Probation Department in 1995. In 2008, Williams reported an incident of racial intimidation. The co‐workers were counseled not to make such remarks again.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Schaefer’s employer, Brand Energy, was erecting scaffolding at a Dynegy power plant. Brand had complete control over the scaffold construction. Brand acquired the scaffold components from Universal, but Dynegy paid for…

Justia Opinion Summary: In April 2013, Schrode committed predatory sexual assault against a four‐year‐old family member, Jane. He pled guilty in state court in February 2014 and was sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment. In June 2013, the FBI…

Justia Opinion Summary: From 1992-2013, a Milwaukee ordinance limited taxicab permits to those in existence on January 1, 1992 that were renewed. The ordinance lowered the ceiling over time by virtue of the nonrenewals. By 2013 the number of…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs own and operate Chicago taxicabs or livery vehicles or provide services to such companies, such as loans and insurance. Taxi and livery companies are tightly regulated by the city regarding driver and vehicle…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2007, the Diedrichs executed a mortgage note. Ocwen began foreclosure proceedings in 2010. The Diedrichs entered into a loan modification agreement in 2011. After the Diedrichs began making payments pursuant to…

Justia Opinion Summary: Wykoff pleaded guilty to wire-fraud charges after soliciting bribes and kickbacks while a Bloomington, Indiana, official. The district judge sentenced him to 55 months in prison and to pay restitution of $446,335 to…

Justia Opinion Summary: Lord claims that he was sexually harassed by male coworkers at High Voltage Software, and that High Voltage fired him for complaining about it. Co-workers had teased him about the “audio bug” whenever a particular female…

Justia Opinion Summary: Kruger was arrested in 2013 after a day-long crime spree in southwestern Wisconsin during which he robbed his uncle, kidnapped a 69-year-old farmer, stole multiple vehicles, and drove over rural roads at speeds exceeding…

Justia Opinion Summary: Darren's parents began operating S&N Fireworks in the 1970s and obtained a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) license (18 U.S.C. 842(f)) to import explosives. Darren founded DCV in 2004, intending…

Justia Opinion Summary: TransUnion prepared a credit report which revealed, based on information obtained from Toyota, that Brill was in arrears on an extension of a vehicle lease. Brill claimed that his signature was forged by a former…

Justia Opinion Summary: Meuser, 46 years old, was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1996. For 15 years managed his symptoms with the antipsychotic drug Zyprexa. From 1995-2012, Meuser worked in a mailroom. Meuser’s health began deteriorating in…

Justia Opinion Summary: Pursuant to 8 U.S.C. 1157(a)(2), the President authorized entry of 85,000 refugees for fiscal 2016; at least 10,000 were to come from Syria. Since 2001, all persons seeking to enter the U.S. as refugees are required to…

Justia Opinion Summary: Cole, an African-American has worked for Northern Illinois University in the Building Services Department since 1998. He alleges that beginning with his 2009 promotion to sub-foreman, he experienced race discrimination,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Kubsch was twice convicted of the 1998 murders of his wife, her son, and her ex-husband and was sentenced to death. No eyewitness, DNA evidence, fingerprints, or other forensic evidence linked Kubsch to the murders.…

Justia Opinion Summary: An Illinois inmate sued a corrections officer, Liszewski, with whom he had had an altercation almost a decade ago, alleging excessive force. On remand after an initial dismissal, a jury determined that Liszewski had used…

Justia Opinion Summary: Urbana police officers responded to a domestic dispute. In their report, the officers noted that Hamilton called Wright a “pedophile” during the altercation. No arrests were made. The following morning, McNaught, who…

Justia Opinion Summary: O.B., two years old, has Down Syndrome, lung disease, and cardiac abnormalities. He is ventilator‐dependent and cannot digest take oral nutrition. O.B. is the named plaintiff in a class action against the Illinois…

Justia Opinion Summary: Melton working in the Tippecanoe County Surveyor’s Office, asked his supervisor if he could take a class during work hours and make up the time by taking short lunches and coming in early. His supervisor responded that…

Justia Opinion Summary: Hilger, the president of Allied, which provides customized products to financial institutions, was named in separate lawsuits brought by credit unions in Michigan and Tennessee. Hilger’s codefendants include O’Malley,…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2013, the U.S. Soccer Team Players Association disapproved the US Soccer Federation’s proposed tequila poster advertisement, which contained player images. The Federation issued a notice, declaring that the collective…

Justia Opinion Summary: Kolbusz, a dermatologist, submitted thousands of claims to the Medicare system and private insurers for the treatment of actinic keratosis, a skin condition that sometimes leads to cancer. He received millions of…

Justia Opinion Summary: In November 2012, 18 months before Indiana’s primary election, Common Cause sought a declaration that Indiana Code 33– 33–49–13 violated its members’ First Amendment right to cast a meaningful vote. The statute…

Justia Opinion Summary: Williams, serving a 65‐year prison sentence for murder at the Pontiac Illinois maximum‐security prison, ordered the death certificate of the woman whom he murdered. Staff confiscated the certificate (which had arrived…

Justia Opinion Summary: Ernst and four other women, all experienced paramedics from public and private providers of emergency medical services, sought employment as paramedics with the Chicago Fire Department. All five women were denied jobs…

Justia Opinion Summary: Hughes was found to be a sexually violent person who suffers from a mental disorder that creates a substantial risk that, unless confined, he is apt to commit further sexual violence; he was civilly committed, at…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2010, Ghiselli applied for disability insurance benefits under the Social Security Act, claiming that she was unable to work due to a combination of health problems that included degenerative disc disease, asthma, and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Lawler was diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) five years before the Peoria School District hired her to teach students with learning disabilities. For nine years, Lawler performed that job satisfactorily…

Justia Opinion Summary: Carlson, along with scholarly, journalistic, and historic organizations, sought access to grand-jury materials sealed decades ago. The materials concern an investigation into the Chicago Tribune in 1942 for a story it…

Justia Opinion Summary: After losing an Illinois guardianship battle concerning her mother, Gloria filed a federal lawsuit, alleging that officials and the state were violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by refusing reasonable…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2010, Trentadue’s ex‐wife sought to modify placement and child support, related to one of their six children. A three-year legal dispute over custody, placement, health insurance, and child support followed, involving…

Justia Opinion Summary: Williams, scheduled for release from prison in 2030 if he earns and retains all good-time credits, asked the district court to revise some conditions that will apply to supervised release when his sentence ends. The…

Justia Opinion Summary: Hinesley was convicted of molesting his 13-year‐old former foster daughter, V.V. At trial, the prosecution had elicited the initial, inculpatory out‐of‐court statements of V.V. and her former foster brother, Billy, at…

Justia Opinion Summary: Davies and his then‐girlfriend got into an altercation. She called 911, stating that Davies had “pulled a gun.” Chicago police officers, including Benbenek, responded, kicked down the door because no one answered after…

Justia Opinion Summary: Following an extensive sting operation by federal law enforcement of a Chicago drug distribution ring, Tankson was indicted on three counts of distributing 100 grams of heroin and one count of distributing a detectable…

Justia Opinion Summary: The 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. 1701–07, authorizes the President to: [I]investigate, block during the pendency of an investigation, regulate, direct and compel, nullify, void, prevent or…

Justia Opinion Summary: Turkhan, born in 1960 in Iraq, entered the U.S. in 1979, eventually becoming a legal permanent resident. He is an Assyrian Christian, has not left the U.S. since 1979, is married to a U.S. citizen, and is the father of…

Justia Opinion Summary: Morris pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing heroin. The plea agreement called for the government to make sentencing recommendations: what quantity of drugs should count as relevant conduct, what Morris’s base…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendants pleaded guilty to firearms offenses that carry an enhanced base offense level for prior conviction for a “crime of violence,” U.S.S.G. 2K2.1(a). The Guidelines then defined “crime of violence” to include “any…

Justia Opinion Summary: Meyers used his credit card to make purchases at the Green Bay are Oneida Travel Center and Oneida One Stop retail locations, owned and operated by the federally‐recognized Oneida Indian tribe. He received electronically…

Justia Opinion Summary: Rivera, a federal inmate, was burned on his leg, foot, and ankle while working in the prison kitchen. A nurse initially treated the second-degree burn. Rivera returned to the healthcare unit daily so that staff could…

Justia Opinion Summary: From 2003-2008, Brown distributed millions of dollars worth of cocaine. He was convicted of conspiring to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine, 21 U.S.C. 846, 841(a)(1). At sentencing, Brown argued that he…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2014, Shannon was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud; two counts of identity theft (Counts 2 and 3); and two counts of aggravated identity theft. Following a bench trial, he was found guilty on all counts…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs filed a purported class action against Moscov, his law firm Weinstein, Pinson & Riley, and a debt collection agency NCO Financial, alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), 15…

Justia Opinion Summary: Arrigo began working at Link’s Wisconsin convenience store in 1999. She became bookkeeper for several of Link’s businesses. In 2010, Arrigo suffered an anxiety attack and was taken to the emergency room. Arrigo was paid…

Justia Opinion Summary: Zaya, an inmate at the Henry Hill Correctional Center in Galesburg, Illinois, broke his wrist. The prison physician, Dr. Sood, sent Zaya to an off-site orthopedic surgeon who took x-rays, fitted Zaya with a cast, and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Bradley’s third civil rights suit involving alleged improprieties with revocation of her license to operate a childcare center named six defendants—five of whom Bradley had sued in her second suit. She claims that…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1999, Werner was convicted of multiple sex offenses and was a Special Bulletin Notification (SBN) sex offender under Wisconsin law. Werner’s release was deferred until his 2010 mandatory release date. Werner and his…

Justia Opinion Summary: Presser, who has 20 years of experience as a Wisconsin nurse and a nurse practitioner, began working with Acacia in 2011, providing psychiatric evaluations, managing patient medication, and providing other medical…

Justia Opinion Summary: Alvarado was born in 1967. In 1993 he was granted childhood disability benefits and Supplemental Security Income. The Social Security Act requires the Social Security Administration to periodically review whether a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Following the liquidation of Pine Top Insurance, some of its receivables were assigned to PTRIL, a Delaware LLC with its principal place of business in New York. One of those receivables was owed by Nissan, a Japanese…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2001, Carrion entered the apartment of 69‐year‐old Zymal and stabbed her, causing her death. Carrion, who lived in an apartment above Zymali’s, was a 19-year‐old immigrant who spoke almost no English. He was…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2009, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) determined that Cadavedo, a native of the Philippines, had engaged in marriage fraud. During an interview, Cadavedo’s wife had admitted that…

Justia Opinion Summary: Hamer, a former Intake Specialist for Housing Services of Chicago and Fannie Mae, filed suit against her former employers, citing the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, 29 U.S.C. 621, and Title VII, 42 U.S.C. 2000e.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Waldman, an inmate, was convicted of forcibly assaulting a correctional officer after head‐butting him during an argument about a pat‐down search. Waldman and the guard dispute how the pat-down request advanced to a…

Justia Opinion Summary: McGuire pleaded guilty to interfering with commerce by threat or violence. The district court classified McGuire as a career offender under section 4B1.1(a) of the Sentencing Guidelines, which increases the offense level…

Justia Opinion Summary: Rebirth ran a child care ministry—a “child care operated by a church or religious ministry that is a religious organization exempt from federal income taxation,” Ind. Code 12‐7‐2‐28.8. After an unannounced inspection, a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Chicago Police officers arrested Bell for possession of a controlled substance while he was driving Spinks’s vehicle. They impounded the vehicle after Bell’s arrest. Chicago Municipal Code 7‐24‐225 permits police to…

Justia Opinion Summary: Rollins pleaded guilty to selling crack cocaine and was sentenced to 84 months in prison. In his second appeal, he challenged the application of the career-offender guideline, which assigns a higher offense level if the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Hurlburt and Gillespie pleaded guilty in separate cases to unlawfully possessing a firearm as a felon, 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1). To calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range in each case, the district court began with…

Justia Opinion Summary: Walker, convicted in 2006 of robbery, was adjudicated a habitual offender pursuant to Indiana Code 35-50-2-8. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison; 20 of those years were attributable to his habitual-offender status.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Chicago Police officers executed a warrant and found a loaded pistol, a second gun, a plastic baggie containing 17 grams of heroin, a digital scale, and documents in Thomas’s name. Thomas was arrested. He moved to…

Justia Opinion Summary: Michael and Christine Wu each have an individual retirement account (IRA); each contributed $200,000 after selling their home in 2007. For that tax year their maximum allowable deduction for IRA contributions was $4,000,…

Justia Opinion Summary: During a “shakedown” of several cells, Stateville guards handcuffed Anderson behind his back and ordered him to walk down a flight of stairs to wait in a holding area while his cell was searched. These stairs were…

Justia Opinion Summary: Lane, an African-American, began working as a hospital security guard in 1999. He had an unblemished employment record until August 2012, when a 17‐year‐old male autistic patient started hitting and kicking his…

Justia Opinion Summary: High‐ranking Latin Kings gang members pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and extortion (Zamora) and (Gutierrez) to racketeering conspiracy and to possessing an illegal drug with intent to distribute it. The judge…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2001, 15‐year‐old Stacy opened the door of her Dale, Indiana home to Ward, ostensibly looking for a lost dog. Stacy let him in. Her sister, who was upstairs, heard screams. Looking down, she saw Stacy on the ground…

Justia Opinion Summary: Officer Sell saw a car turn right from the center lane on a three-lane road and then drive through private property to avoid a red light. Using his computer, Sell saw that the car was registered to McPhaul, whose license…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Seventh Circuit denied petitions for initial hearing en banc in appeals concerning Wisconsin’s law requiring voters to have qualifying photo identification. The court noted that Wisconsin will start printing absentee…

Justia Opinion Summary: Vasquez-Hernandez pleaded guilty to a drug conspiracy. 21 U.S.C. 846, and admitted transporting 200 kilograms of cocaine, worth about $5 million, on behalf of the Sinaloa Cartel, and to receiving an additional 76…

Justia Opinion Summary: Cisneros came to the U.S. in 1988 at age 17 and stayed after the expiration of his visa. In 1995, he married U.S. citizen; his status was adjusted to lawful permanent resident. They divorced in 2002. Cisneros…

Justia Opinion Summary: In the 1980s, a wilderness guide, Maine developed and bottled an all-natural bug repellant under the mark “BUG OFF.” She did not conduct trademark searches. Maine sold BUG OFF at craft fairs, by catalog and website, and…

Justia Opinion Summary: GreatBanc, the fiduciary for Personal-Touch home-health-care employee stock ownership plan, facilitated a transaction in which the Plan purchased shares in the company from the company’s owners with a loan from the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Arias came to the U.S. without authorization in 2000. She has raised three children here and has consistently paid income tax. Her longtime employer calls her an “excellent employee.” Her sole criminal conviction,…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2002, Nina Buckner was found brutally murdered in her home. Forensic testing confirmed that the blood on a hammer and knife found at the scene belonged to Buckner; the blood was also found on King’s clothes. Buckner’s…

Justia Opinion Summary: Weldon, Fields, and Roth pooled $120 to buy heroin from Weldon’s drug dealer. Roth drove. Weldon got out of Roth’s car, walked to the dealer’s car, gave the dealer the $120, and returned with the heroin. At Roth’s home,…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2013, Santashbekov applied for asylum claiming that he faced persecution for his political activism as a member of the youth wing of the Ata Meken party in his native Kyrgyzstan, 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(42), 1158(b)(1)(A).…

Justia Opinion Summary: Sutton has been convicted of violent crimes in multiple separate Illinois prosecutions, including 1991 and 1997 convictions for attempted aggravated criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual assault. The…

Justia Opinion Summary: For 60 years, a butcher shop operated on property in Black Earth that is zoned for commercial use, as a legal nonconforming use. In 2001, BEM purchased the property. After 2009, the volume and frequency of slaughter…

Justia Opinion Summary: Salgado unlawfully entered the U.S. in 1996 and stayed continuously for 20 years. He has children, born in 2001 and 2003, who are U.S. citizens. In 2005 Salgado was convicted in Wisconsin of possessing cocaine. In 2013,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Illinois prisoner Petties was climbing stairs when he felt a “pop” and extreme pain in his ankle. At the prison infirmary, the examining physician prescribed Vicodin and crutches and a week of “lay-in.” The medical…

Justia Opinion Summary: Hillmann began working for the Chicago Parks District in 1973. Later he became a Department of Streets and Sanitation truck driver. In 1984 he developed cervical radiculopathy, a work-related injury. In 1995 he entered…

Justia Opinion Summary: A 49-count indictment charged 51 Outlaws Motorcycle Club members with racketeering, mail and wire fraud, money laundering, drug trafficking, extortion, running an illegal gambling business, witness tampering, and…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Fergusons proposed to repay their farm debts under Bankruptcy Code Chapter 12, including a $300,000 loan from First Community Bank, secured by a mortgage plus a lien on farm equipment and crops, and a $176,000 loan…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1996, a jury convicted Poe of narcotics‐related offenses, including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise (CCE), 21 U.S.C. 848(c). In 1999, the Supreme Court decided Richardson v. United States, rendering the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Armstrong filed suit under 42 U.S.C.1983, claiming that Belleville police needlessly used a Taser against him. Armstrong did not reply to defendants’ summary judgment motion. The court entered judgment. Armstrong did not…

Justia Opinion Summary: In order to receive federal housing funds (42 U.S.C. 2000d; the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3601; and “42 U.S.C. 608(e)(5), 5304(b)(2), and 12705(b)(15)), the City of Chicago must certify that it is in compliance with…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Union erected a giant inflatable rat and an inflatable fat cat during a labor dispute in Grand Chute, Wisconsin. Both are staked to the ground in the highway median, to prevent the wind from blowing them away. Grand…

Justia Opinion Summary: Ortiz worked as a freight broker for Werner Enterprises for seven years until his discharge in 2012. Werner claims that it fired Ortiz for falsifying business records. Ortiz claims that Werner fired him because of his…

Justia Opinion Summary: Miller and Wagner used and sold methamphetamine together in northwestern Wisconsin. After law enforcement learned of the couple’s illicit activity, Miller pled guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to…

Justia Opinion Summary: A year after Harrington, a drug dealer, was sentenced, by Judge St. Eve, to 264 months in prison (subsequently reduced to 212 months by a change in the sentencing guidelines) the government asked for his cooperation in…

Justia Opinion Summary: Someone used the email address gslabs@hotmail.com to contact a Vietnamese website in an attempt to buy sassafras oil, a chemical that can be used to make the illegal drug known as ecstasy. The website was being monitored…

Justia Opinion Summary: Haslam pleaded guilty to manufacturing methamphetamine, possessing unregistered silencers, and possessing a firearm in connection with a drug offense. His presentence report included as relevant conduct an incident in…

Justia Opinion Summary: O’Malley is serving 10 years in prison for violating the Clean Air Act by improperly removing and disposing of insulation containing regulated asbestos, 42 U.S.C. 7413(c)(1). After the Seventh Circuit upheld his…

Justia Opinion Summary: Rupcich was fired from her job of 25 years at a Jewel Food Store in 2012 for wheeling a 25-pound bag of birdseed in a grocery cart past the last cash register without paying for it. Rupcich said that she wheeled the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Mandell was convicted for conspiring to kidnap, and for conspiring and attempting to extort, a wealthy businessman. His plan involved a gun, and he was also convicted for possessing a gun in furtherance of a crime of…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs each purportedly owed a debt; each creditor filed suit in Cook County seeking to collect on that debt. After each plaintiff failed to appear, a Cook County Circuit Court entered a default judgment. B&G, a debt…

Justia Opinion Summary: In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Riano was a hospital corpsman in the Navy. As a civilian, he became a registered nurse. In 2004 he began working as a registered nurse for the Veterans Health Administration, While…

Justia Opinion Summary: Fuller, now 51 years old, came to the U.S. from Jamaica in 1999 with a fiancé visa sponsored by Wood, a U.S. citizen. They soon married and in 2001 had a daughter. Fuller received conditional permanent resident status, 8…

Justia Opinion Summary: Amglo’s President, Christian, visited Amglo’s Illinois facility. Employees complained to her and to the Illinois manager, Czajkowska, about low wages. Christian stated that Amglo would not raise wages. The next morning,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Paz-Giron entered the U.S. without authorization around 1985 when he was 15 years old. Between 1998 and 2001, he was convicted four times in California for driving under the influence of alcohol. He was removed to Mexico…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2011, Linda Phillips, an employee of Hoker Trucking, driving a semi‐truck in Indiana, struck a vehicle driven by Robbins, who died as a result of the injuries he sustained in the accident. The truck driven by Phillips…

Justia Opinion Summary: Whatley was convicted, under a now‐repealed Indiana law, of possessing about three grams of cocaine within 1000 feet of a “youth program center.” Whatley’s father’s home, where he was arrested, was 795 feet from the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Blount led a narcotics‐trafficking ring with Thomas serving as security. Ultimately, law enforcement broke up the ring and charged many of its participants, including Thomas, under 21 U.S.C. 846, 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1); and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Mobley pleaded guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. The court imposed a within-guidelines sentence of 137 months’ imprisonment for bank fraud, and a consecutive sentence of 24 months for identity theft,…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2005 the defendant was sentenced by Judge Reinhard to 300 months in prison for possessing a shotgun illegally. The sentence was later invalidated; in 2015 the defendant was resentenced by Judge Reinhard to 176…

Justia Opinion Summary: Rizvi and his company, Prime Builders, performed repair work for Alikhan, whose house was damaged in a fire. When the work was completed in 2009, Alikhan paid Rizvi only part of what he owed. Rizvi sued for breach of…

Justia Opinion Summary: Lozano‐Zuniga, a citizen of Mexico, arrived in the U.S. in 2002, at age 14. In 2010, after a conviction for driving under the influence, he was charged with removability under 8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(6)(A)(i), for having…

Justia Opinion Summary: In several cases, including this one, plaintiffs have asserted that medical care at the Cook County Jail falls below constitutional standards as a matter of official policy, custom, or practice. The 2008 findings from a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Clorox decided to sell the largest-sized containers of its products only to discount warehouses such as Costco and Sam’s Club. Ordinary grocery stores, including Woodman’s, could only obtain smaller packages. Arguing…

Justia Opinion Summary: Yang, now age 52, came to the U.S. from China in 2007 on a business‐visitor visa he obtained by misrepresenting that he hoped to attend a conference. Months later, he applied for asylum, asserting that his wife twice had…

Justia Opinion Summary: Duncan was arrested on outstanding warrants. Police discovered a loaded pistol near the site of his arrest. Duncan admitted that it belonged to him. He pled guilty to being a felon and unlawful user of controlled…

Justia Opinion Summary: McKenzie was killed when he fell to electrified train tracks during a gang-related fight. An Illinois jury convicted Evans of felony murder based on the felony “mob action.” Evans argued on direct appeal that independent…

Justia Opinion Summary: Deb contracted with an Indian moving company, Allied Lemuir, to move his belongings from Calcutta, India to St. John’s, Canada, but the company demanded more money and his belongings never left India. After filing suit…

Justia Opinion Summary: While working as a part-time Village of Orland Hills police officer, Kristofek cited and arrested a driver for car-insurance-related infractions. After several phone calls between the driver’s mother, local politicians,…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a 2003 shooting, Lisle was convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm and was sentenced to 37 years in prison. He sought habeas corpus relief, arguing that the state trial court admitted…

Justia Opinion Summary: The creditors of a Chapter 7 bankruptcy debtor filed an adversary complaint, arguing that assets held by the debtor’s wife and business (defendants) rightfully belonged to the estate under 11 U.S.C. 542(a). The…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2000, Morris and Smith were sitting in Morris’s car. Morris fired a handgun, killing Smith. Later that day, Smith’s body was found in a Milwaukee alley. Morris, charged with first‐degree reckless homicide while using…

Justia Opinion Summary: Franklin and Chism parked their cars in a Chicago-area lot owned by Metra, the public commuter railroad, and operated by CPS. The lot offers parking spaces to the public for $1.50 per day. CPS says the two failed to pay…

Justia Opinion Summary: Five months after Chicago police arrested Janusz, a court found that the officers’ stated reasons for approaching and arresting Janusz at a gas station were implausible. Janusz had lost his job because of the charges.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Rabinak worked full‐time as a business representative for the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters and, incidental to that position, served on the Council’s Executive Board. He received quarterly payments of $2,500 for…

Justia Opinion Summary: In each of three cases, a debtor filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, represented by counsel. During the bankruptcy proceedings, a debt collector submitted a proof of claim for a “stale” debt, for which the statute of…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1984, Jesus Muhammad‐Ali painted a portrait of the leader of the Nation of Islam, Louis Farrakhan. Ali later testified that his agreement with Farrakhan included only the portrait, not lithographs, and that Farrakhan…

Justia Opinion Summary: Chicago Police officers pulled over a car driven by Rosado for failing to use a turn signal. After stopping the car, the officers “claimed to have seen” a badge, handcuffs, and a handgun in plain view “between the brake…

Justia Opinion Summary: Hussein and Odeh ran two convenience stores in southern Illinois where they sold counterfeit goods and illegally traded cash or ineligible items for food stamps. They also filed false tax returns on behalf of their…

Justia Opinion Summary: Witter contends that in August 2007 he telephoned Skelton, an employee of his broker, TransAct, with instructions to cancel several standing orders. Skelton did not do so, and Witter lost $23,000 on the resulting market…

Justia Opinion Summary: The defendant pleaded guilty to possessing crack cocaine with intent to sell, i21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1) and was sentenced to 210 months’ imprisonment (the bottom of the guidelines range), which was reduced by 20 percent (to…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2012 Walgreens acquired a 45 percent equity stake in Alliance, plus an option to acquire the rest of Alliance’s equity for a mixture of cash and Walgreens stock. Walgreens later announced its intent to purchase the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Seventh Circuit held, in 2012, that the plaintiffs, injured by a 2007 flood in Bagley, Wisconsin, had forfeited an argument concerning Wis. Stat. 88.87, which concerns liability for negligent design and maintenance…

Justia Opinion Summary: O’Connor-Spinner, age 47, suffers from depression and several physical impairments, including degenerative disk disease, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, sleep apnea, “restrictive lung disease,” and obesity. Several…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2006, the Zoretics rented a Castilian Court condominium. Their landlord stopped paying condominium assessments and lost possession to Castilian in 2008. Castilian obtained an eviction order. The Cook County Sheriff…

Justia Opinion Summary: After the 2012 enactment of the American Energy Manufacturing Technical Corrections Act, 42 U.S.C. 6313(c)(4)), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published two final rules in 2014, aimed at improving the energy…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2012, Williams visited the Van de Venters in Monroe County, Indiana. They told Williams that their labrador retriever, Emma, would ring a bell by the door if she needed to go out and he should let her out. Williams…

Justia Opinion Summary: Police executed a search warrant on a storage unit that Miranda rented, where Miranda and Rivas worked on cars. The owner said that he saw Rivas at that unit “just about every day.” The officers found drugs, drug…

Justia Opinion Summary: Teledyne terminated Shekar’s employment; 10 days later Teledyne sought injunctive relief, alleging that Shekar had accessed or attempted to access Teledyne’s servers, containing confidential information. There was a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Ferreira, a 40‐year‐old citizen of the Dominican Republic, entered the U.S. without documentation and applied for asylum and withholding of removal based on her membership in a social group that she describes as…

Justia Opinion Summary: The plaintiffs (purchasers of containerboard) filed suit under the Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C. 1, alleging that the defendants (producers and sellers of containerboard) agreed “to restrict the supply of containerboard by…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1993 Bradford, then an Evansville police officer, was convicted in Indiana state court of murder and arson and was sentenced to 80 years in prison, where he remains. The victim, who was apparently killed by stabbing…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2003, a Wisconsin state court convicted Jordan of first‐degree reckless homicide, three counts of first‐degree endangerment, and as a felon in possession of a firearm, based on the shooting of Robinson, who was…

Justia Opinion Summary: Orona‐Ibarra, a citizen of Mexico, was removed from the United States following a 2007 Illinois drug conviction. He reentered the U.S., in violation of 8 U.S.C. 1326. He was arrested on unrelated charges in Texas and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Musunuru, a citizen of India, was the beneficiary of visa petitions filed by his previous employer, VSG, and by his current employer, Crescent. The priority date assigned to VSG’s petition allowed him to file an…

Justia Opinion Summary: From 2009-2011, Robey operated a “chop shop.” He and his associates stole cars, altered their identities using office and computer equipment, and then sold them. He was convicted by a jury. The district court sentenced…

Justia Opinion Summary: Pike County's Sny Island Levee Drainage District was organized in 1880 to protect from Mississippi River flooding and runoff. The Kansas City Southern and the Norfolk Southern operate main line railways over the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Ferguson, then 17 years old, was drunk and high when he approached a woman as she was getting into her car. He pointed a gun and demanded her keys. She hesitated. He shot the woman three times at point‐blank range.…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2008, Johnston, a horse racetrack executive, promised a $100,000 campaign contribution to then-Governor Blagojevich in exchange for his signature on a bill to tax the largest casinos in Illinois for the direct benefit…

Justia Opinion Summary: Gabriel persuaded a 17‐year‐old girl to participate in a “program” he had used previously to manipulate women for his sexual gratification. Gabriel told the girl she could “train” troubled boys to resist Satan by having…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2011 Bankers leased Chicago office space from CBRE. Another tenant, Groupon, needed more office space. CBRE asked Bankers to sublease to Groupon and relocate. Bankers and CBRE signed a Listing Agreement, including…

Justia Opinion Summary: Blackman, a “ranking official in Chicago’s Black Disciples street gang,” pleaded guilty to one count of distributing a controlled substance, 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1). The district court ordered him to serve a prison term of…

Justia Opinion Summary: Stevens, an insurance salesman, wanted to sell investment products. Because he was not registered with the SEC, Stevens needed to associate himself with a registered investment advisor, 15 U.S.C. 80b-3(a). In 2003, he…

Justia Opinion Summary: Hively began teaching as a part‐time adjunct professor at Ivy Tech in 2000. In 2013, she filed a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) claiming that she had been “discriminated against on the…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2003, Valley View and, Bedford Downs, wanted to operate “racinos,” combination horse tracks and casinos. Each would need the last harness-racing license available in Pennsylvania to do so. Valley View agreed to…

Justia Opinion Summary: A woman reported that her former boyfriend, Giddeon, had attacked and threatened to shoot her. The police searched near the home without success, but later spotted a woman (Giddeon’s sister) leaving the victim’s house…

Justia Opinion Summary: When he was 29, Ray started to chat over the Internet with a 14-year-old girl. At their first in-person meeting Ray plied Alexia with marijuana and cognac. At their second he took her to a motel (crossing from Indiana…

Justia Opinion Summary: Berg was a long‐time pit broker at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. In 1991 and 1994, Berg bought disability‐income insurance policies. In 2005, he started to experience a tremor in his arms and hands, which interfered…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1991 Cheney began working as an attorney at Kirkland. She became a partner in 1997. She suffered from a spinal disease that led her to seek ergonomic accommodations in 1994 and ultimately resulted in a three‐level…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2015, Musgraves was convicted of five crimes stemming from his life as a drug dealer-turned-informant. The Seventh Circuit affirmed the denial of Musgraves’s motion to suppress evidence (ammunition and cash, but no…

Justia Opinion Summary: A Wisconsin state prison inmate filed suit, in forma pauperis (28 U.S.C. 1915(a)), against prison doctors, alleging deliberate indifference to the plaintiff’s medical needs, in violation of 42 U.S.C. 1983, and medical…

Justia Opinion Summary: Wierzbicki owned a 40‐acre Wisconsin farm, where she lived for a time with her three minor children and their father, Griswold. In 2012 Wierzbicki gave Griswold a quitclaim deed to the farm. Fourteen months later she…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2012, U.S. Bank, which has its main office in Ohio, filed a diversity suit asking for a foreclosure judgment on the mortgage of a residential property owned by the Fullers, citizens of Illinois, and named, as a…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Koenigs filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in 2014, claiming exemptions under Wisconsin’s bankruptcy exemption statute for three annuities then worth a total of $292,185.97. The annuities had been purchased in…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2000, while working as a welder, Cole (then in his 20s) broke his left arm and wrist, requiring insertion of a metal plate and screws in his arm. He experienced pain that has still not gone away. In 2008, employed as…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1993, Figgs was convicted of murder, committed while on bond for a drug offense. His 40-year sentence was to be served consecutively to his four-year sentence for the drug offense and was to include credit for time…

Justia Opinion Summary: Robinson’s cousin, Carter, led a heroin trafficking ring, buying heroin in Chicago and selling it in Milwaukee, 2012-2014. For two months in 2014, Carter brought Robinson into the operation, just as law enforcement was…

Justia Opinion Summary: Eberts is a film producer whose credits include Lord of War (2005) and Lucky Number Slevin (2006). After a string of failed movies, in 2009, he filed for bankruptcy. He was introduced to Elliott, an Illinois novice…

Justia Opinion Summary: Elkhart Community Schools (ECS), has employed Riley, an African‐American female, as a teacher since 1980. She has an administrator’s license and is pursuing her doctorate in education. In 2010, she was named the ECS…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2009, Pyles fell down a wet staircase and injured his back while incarcerated at Menard. Since then he has experienced numbness and radiating pain. In 2012, Pyles twice saw Dr.Nwaobasi, an employee of the company that…

Justia Opinion Summary: Chicago police learned from an informant that Anthony was selling crack cocaine from his apartment and answered the door carrying a handgun during drug transactions. They obtained a search warrant. The SWAT team executed…

Justia Opinion Summary: From 2008-2010, the FBI and Chicago Police Department conducted a narcotics investigation, “Operation Blue Knight.” As the operation was wrapping up, Officer O’Donnell applied for dozens of arrest warrants, including one…

Justia Opinion Summary: Since 2004, Poullard, an African-American man, has worked at the North Chicago Veterans Affairs Medical Center as a training specialist. He received a promotion to the GS‐11 pay grade in 2006, but since then, has…

Justia Opinion Summary: Slep-Tone has filed more than 150 suits under the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. 1051, challenging the unauthorized copying and performance of its commercial karaoke files. In addition to the registered Sound Choice trademark,…