2017 Seventh Circuit US Court of Appeals Case Law

Justia Opinion Summary: Bennett pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon, 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1). Ordinarily, the maximum punishment for that crime is 120 months in prison but the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA), 18 U.S.C. 924(e),…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Union (IUOE) challenged Wisconsin’s right-to-work law, which provides: No person may require, as a condition of obtaining or continuing employment, an individual to do any of the following: … Become or remain a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Bogdanov pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to transport stolen goods in interstate commerce, 18 U.S.C. 2314, and one count of substantive violation of the same law, stemming from his family’s multi‐million dollar…

Justia Opinion Summary: Baker, sued (Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(4)(B)) to obtain records connected to an FBI investigation into a protection racket run by Chicago police officers. The FBI gave him redacted records. He…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Environmental Protection Agency designated Williamson County, Illinois, as a nonattainment area for national air quality standards for sulfur dioxide. The rule is not limited to Williamson County; it makes attainment…

Justia Opinion Summary: Tyson pled guilty as a felon in possession of a firearm. The plea agreement included a stipulation that, under U.S.S.G. 2K2.1(a)(2), the applicable base offense level was 24; Tyson had a prior federal conviction for…

Justia Opinion Summary: Wilson-Trattner dated Roeger, a Hancock County Sheriff’s Department deputy. The relationship became combative. On one occasion Roeger threw Wilson-Trattner against a wall and choked her; other incidents involved lewd and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs filed a putative class action against Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork, alleging that Kolbe sold them defective windows that leak and rot. Plaintiffs brought common-law and statutory claims for breach of express and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Cojocari, a citizen of the former Soviet republic of Moldova, sought asylum, 8 U.S.C. 1158(b)(1)(A); withholding of removal, 8 U.S.C. 1231(b)(3)(A); and protection under the United Nations Convention Against Torture. His…

Justia Opinion Summary: A man entered a Rock Falls bank and handed the teller (Miller) a robbery note. Miller handed over $1,870. Miller immediately filled out a form, describing the robber's appearance and clothing. Police thought, based on…

Justia Opinion Summary: Seventh Circuit Rules 3(c)(1) and 28(a) require the same jurisdictional information for docketing and briefing. With an exception for pro se submissions, the court screens all filed briefs to ensure that they include all…

Justia Opinion Summary: Mabie was unhappy with police response to a burglary at his place of business and started sending vulgar and threatening messages to officers. He was convicted of sending threatening letters through the mail, 18 U.S.C.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Hyatt and Local 1 are parties to a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that prohibits the hotel’s managerial employees from performing work normally performed by bargaining-unit employees absent an emergency. The CBA…

Justia Opinion Summary: Perry bought shotgun shells at a Wal‐Mart. Hours later, police were dispatched to a restaurant, where Perry was arguing with his ex‐girlfriend, Tice. The officers asked Perry to leave. Perry complied, but returned,…

Justia Opinion Summary: From 2003-2006, while employed as Director of Application for the American Hospital Association (AHA), Sayyed directed overpriced contracts to companies in exchange for kickbacks. Sayyed eventually pled guilty to mail…

Justia Opinion Summary: Chicago Police Officers pulled over 18-year-old Jackson for a missing front license plate. The officers claim that Jackson fired a weapon toward the squad car and ran away. The officers shot him three times in the back;…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Illinois Department of Public Health furnishes funds to organizations that provide health services, including the Broadcast Ministers Alliance, Access Wellness and Racial Equity, and Medical Health Association,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The plaintiff reached an oral agreement to settle a litigation arising out of a home mortgage loan, but the defendants insisted that as part of the settlement he would have to release any claims he had against another…

Justia Opinion Summary: Indiana’s alcohol regulatory scheme, like that of many states, divides the market into three tiers of the distribution chain (producers, wholesalers, and retailers) and three kinds of alcohol (beer, liquor, and wine).…

Justia Opinion Summary: Meadows worked for the Rockford Housing Authority (RHA), and leased, for $10 per month, an RHA apartment in a high-rise occupied by elderly and disabled tenants. RHA tenants complained that someone else was living in…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2002, Jones was convicted of possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute, 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B).; he was sentenced to 262 months’ imprisonment and eight years’ supervised release. The district…

Justia Opinion Summary: King obtained personal identifying information for more than 100 people, including the Director of the National Security Agency, then created and attempt to use 185 credit and debit cards. He also prepared and submitted…

Justia Opinion Summary: Hunt worked as a truck driver. In 2010, he signed an Independent Contractor Operating Agreement with Moore Brothers, a small Norfolk, Nebraska company. Three years later, Hunt and Moore renewed the Agreement. Before the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Drake was involved in a car accident with Burley, who offered to settle the matter with Drake’s automobile insurer, Horace Mann Insurance. The offer expired before Horace Mann accepted it, however, and Burley sued Drake…

Justia Opinion Summary: Aguilar, an inmate, filed a pro se complaint under 42 U.S.C. 1983, alleging that he was confined for 90 days without a hearing based on a purported violation of extended supervision, in violation of his rights under the…

Justia Opinion Summary: General Motors (GM), represented by the Mayer Brown law firm, entered into secured transactions in which JP Morgan acted as agent for two different groups of lenders. The first loan (structured as a secured lease) was…

Justia Opinion Summary: Freight entering the port of Savannah was trucked to Schneider Logistic’s building, unloaded on one side, sorted, and reloaded on the other side of the building onto outgoing trucks; such reloading is called…

Justia Opinion Summary: Jones lived with Kelley. Kelley’s daughter (MK) went to a neighbor to call the police to report that Jones sexually assaulted her. Westville police officers went to the scene. Kelley stated that she was afraid of Jones;…

Justia Opinion Summary: On June 15, 2013, Johnson was shot by police while running down a Chicago alley. He died of his injuries. On March 23, 2015, Johnson’s mother, Liberty, filed suit under 42 U.S.C. 1983, naming the city and unknown…

Justia Opinion Summary: Milwaukee police arrested Moseley at his house after M.K. accused him of domestic violence. While searching Moseley’s apartment, officers found handcuffs, rope, and other items associated with sexual bondage and seized…

Justia Opinion Summary: Lexington Insurance denied a claim by its insured, Double D Warehouse, for coverage of Double D’s liability to customers for contamination of warehoused products. One basis for denial was that Double D failed to document…

Justia Opinion Summary: Nightingale provided home health care and received Medicare reimbursements. The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) visited Nightingale’s facility and concluded that Nightingale had deficiencies that placed…

Justia Opinion Summary: In rural Brown County, most buildings depend on septic systems. Simpson, who installed and repaired septic systems, received a letter demanding immediate repair of the septic system on Simpson’s mother’s property and…

Justia Opinion Summary: McGaugh has a Merrill Lynch Individual Retirement Account (IRA). In 2011, he requested that Merrill Lynch use money from that IRA to purchase 7,500 shares of FPFC stock. Merrill Lynch refused. McGaugh initiated a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Smith was transported from the Rock Island County Jail to the federal courthouse for arraignment. U.S. marshals took Smith to an interview room to meet his lawyer. The Marshals Service inspects the interview rooms…

Justia Opinion Summary: Leonard was appointed to defend Ogoke, who was charged with wire fraud. Ogoke’s codefendant, Okusanya entered into a cooperation plea agreement. Based on the government's motion in limine, Judge Guzmán entered an order…

Justia Opinion Summary: Workers in Waupaca foundries alleged violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), 29 U.S.C. 201, by not treating the time that workers spend changing clothes and showering on-site after a shift to be compensable…

Justia Opinion Summary: Halbach disappeared on Halloween 2005. Her family contacted police after she did not show up at the photography studio where she worked and her voice mailbox was full. Officers focused on the Avery Auto Salvage yard in…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2010, the Indianapolis Colts NFL professional football team established an online marketplace for owners of season tickets to transfer their season ticket rights upon payment of a fee equal to 30 percent of the sale…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Sisters own Blue Island buildings: a convent, a church, and a boarding school that closed long ago. The buildings were used as a public high school until 2009. Affordable wanted to use the buildings as a recovery…

Justia Opinion Summary: Lombardo, a long-time member of the Chicago Outfit, the lineal descendant of Al Capone’s gang, is serving a life sentence on his convictions for racketeering, murder, and obstruction of justice. After the Seventh Circuit…

Justia Opinion Summary: From 2008-2012, Stuckey worked as an AutoZone manager and was transferred between Chicago-area stores several times. None of the transfers entailed any loss in pay, benefits, or responsibilities. In 2012 he was…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2002, Barnett was charged with felony battery. At the time, Indiana courts established an “omnibus date” for substantive amendments to charges. The court set Barnett’s omnibus date so the last day for substantive…

Justia Opinion Summary: Owens, an Illinois state prisoner, filed suit under 42 U.S.C. 1983, alleging that nearly two dozen prison employees deliberately ignored his medical needs and retaliated against him for filing grievances and lawsuits. He…

Justia Opinion Summary: Lunn was convicted of five counts of bank fraud, 18 U.S.C. 1344, based on his operation of a Chicago investment advisory firm that advised mostly high-net-worth clients. The charges arose from Lunn’s conduct surrounding…

Justia Opinion Summary: Betts‐Gaston and Ross formed a company that defrauded homeowners and mortgage lenders. They found homeowners facing foreclosure and convinced them to sign documents that deeded their homes to a trust; arranged for straw…

Justia Opinion Summary: Fulton received an unsolicited fax from Bisco and sued for damages under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, 47 U.S.C. 227. Before Fulton moved for class certification, Bisco tried to moot its claim by tendering an…

Justia Opinion Summary: Hanson provides public refrigerated warehousing and transportation services. It employs dozens of workers in Michigan and Indiana. Teamsters Union Local 142 filed a petition to be the exclusive collective‐bargaining…

Justia Opinion Summary: Nicholson has been a Peoria police officer since 1991. In 2003, she became the Asset Forfeiture investigator. Five years later, Nicholson had serious issues with fellow officer Wilson, whom she accused of using…

Justia Opinion Summary: Ijbara owned a strip mall in Oak Lawn, Illinois, but defaulted on his mortgage payments, precipitating a foreclosure. He blamed Oak Lawn officials for waging a campaign of regulatory harassment that included frivolous…

Justia Opinion Summary: Ferrill was hired as Edgewood Elementary School's principal for an initial two-year term with an automatic third-year rollover unless the Board of Education opted out. Ferrill is black; the district serves predominantly…

Justia Opinion Summary: Tibbs, an administrative assistant in the Illinois court system, was suspended the day she returned to work after taking leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, 29 U.S.C. 2601. She was then fired after she chose…

Justia Opinion Summary: A jury convicted Smith, a Putnam County police officer, of violating 18 U.S.C. 242, by subjecting two men to the intentional use of unreasonable and excessive force, and violating their civil rights. Smith’s fellow…

Justia Opinion Summary: Because the state proposed to use federal highway funds to widen Wisconsin Route 23, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) issued an environmental impact statement (EIS). USDOT made a record of decision (ROD)…

Justia Opinion Summary: Coleman was hired to work at Carmen High School and was fired about three weeks later, based on allegations of sexual harassment. Coleman filed a pro se suit, alleging racial discrimination. The suit ended with a…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2011, Jackson was convicted and Kelly pleaded guilty to cocaine-related charges. The Seventh Circuit remanded Jackson's 360-month sentence for consideration under the Fair Sentencing Act (FSA) based on the Supreme…

Justia Opinion Summary: An individual attempted to purchase prescription drugs from Jennings in Hudson, Wisconsin. Jennings put a gun to his head; Jennings’ girlfriend stole the purchaser’s money from his truck. After the victim reported the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Tsegmed, a citizen of Mongolia, overstayed a nonimmigrant visa and has lived in the U.S. since 2004. In 2008, after his second DUI arrest, the government placed him in removal proceedings. He sought asylum, withholding…

Justia Opinion Summary: Herrera-Ramirez is a citizen of Mexico but has lived in the U.S. since she was six years old. She is married and has four U.S.-citizen children. She was at a Milwaukee bar when her friends got into a fight with other…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs brought a class action under 42 U.S.C. 1983, alleging that the practices of the Marion County Sheriff’s Department and the Consolidated City of Indianapolis and Marion County caused them to be detained in jail…

Justia Opinion Summary: Between 2003 and 2011, Jackson operated three Cicero, Illinois daycares in succession, housed in a building next to the Ark of Safety Apostolic Faith Temple where he served as pastor. Subsidies from the State of…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Seventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of two prisoner cases for failure to prosecute. Dupree had sued Illinois prison staff under 42 U.S.C. 1983 for allegedly prolonging his incarceration. Proceedings were…

Justia Opinion Summary: Reed operated companies that he claimed would make loans of $50 million to $1 billion to entrepreneurs. Reed charged advance fees of $10,000 to $50,000 to apply for these loans. Reed’s companies actually had no funds to…

Justia Opinion Summary: Mejia pled guilty as a felon in possession of a firearm without a plea agreement. He did not admit any factual allegations beyond the essential elements of the 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1) charge. He declined to discuss the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Officers executed a search warrant at Minney’s apartment. The warrant listed items to be seized: a Panasonic television, a Sony television, a Nintendo Wii, an Xbox 360, and 10 Xbox games. While searching Minney’s…

Justia Opinion Summary: Lopez, a citizen of El Salvador, entered the U.S. without inspection around 1996. In 1997, he was convicted of felony possession of marijuana. In 2015, DHS charged Lopez as removable as an alien present in the U.S.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Klemis sold heroin. One of his young customers overdosed on heroin in Klemis’s driveway and nearly died. McKinney, age 19, another regular customer and occasional driver for Klemis, fatally overdosed on heroin supplied…

Justia Opinion Summary: After leaving rehab, Sweeney asked Wilson if he “wanted to get high one more time.” Wilson agreed and called Waldrip, who supplied the heroin, then left. Sweeney drove Wilson to purchase supplies for injecting heroin.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Menominee Tribal Officer Nickodem was summoned to a school, concerning seven-year-old T. T. told a school counselor that her one-year-old brother had a head injury and that her mom’s boyfriend beat her mom and hurt her…

Justia Opinion Summary: FBI agents investigating online pornographic images executed a search warrant on a Shutterfly photo-share site that had about 50 members, including “Jimmy D.,” who had posted 2,000 images. An agent determined that most…

Justia Opinion Summary: Lockett was arrested while carrying a bag containing individually wrapped bags of heroin and cocaine. He pled guilty to two counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1)—one…

Justia Opinion Summary: Chagoya‐Morales, a citizen of Mexico, illegally entered the U.S. In 2008, he was convicted of aggravated robbery. In 2009, he was deported. Chagoya‐Morales did not obtain permission to reenter. In 2015, Chicago Police…

Justia Opinion Summary: Methodist and Saint Francis are the two largest hospitals in Peoria, Illinois. Saint Francis is considerably larger and more profitable. Methodist filed suit, charging Saint Francis with violating the Sherman Act by…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff began his military career in 1983, serving in the Indiana National Guard, the Army, and the Army Reserve. He was a Captain and served in combat in Iraq. In 2007-2011 he sustained several injuries and was…

Justia Opinion Summary: Garcia, a Honduran national, came to the U.S. in 2003. He was ordered removed in absentia and eventually departed in 2005. Garcia claims that he encountered persecution upon his return to Honduras because of his…

Justia Opinion Summary: Fuentes pleaded guilty to illegal reentry by a deported alien, 8 U.S.C. 1326(a) and (b)(2), and was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment. The Seventh Circuit affirmed, stating that Fuentes had waived his argument that…

Justia Opinion Summary: Higher Society, a nonprofit advocating for the legalization of marijuana, wants to hold a rally on the steps of the Tippecanoe County Courthouse in Lafayette, Indiana. In 1999, in response to controversy over a nativity…

Justia Opinion Summary: While working on his employer’s roof, Cripe was exposed to fumes from PUR‐FECT LOK® 834A, a glue made by Henkel. and containing methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI). Cripe claims that exposure to MDI caused him…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1952, the patent for a “Composite Fire Door,” issued to Owens‐Illinois. The patent claims never specifically mention asbestos, but describe a fire door with a “core of inorganic, rigid, fireproof, lightweight material…

Justia Opinion Summary: Design Basics claims rights to about 2700 home designs and sued Lexington for copyright infringement, contending that Lexington built homes that infringed four Design Basics’ designs. The district court granted Lexington…

Justia Opinion Summary: ATF confidential informant Potts recruited Mayfield for an armed robbery of a fictional cocaine stash house and introduced Mayfield to undercover Agent Gomez, posing as a disgruntled drug courier. Gomez instructed…

Justia Opinion Summary: Moshiri, other physicians, and hospital administrators were charged (42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b(b)) based on a kickback scheme. The former director of the podiatry residency program (Noorlag) testified that teaching contracts…

Justia Opinion Summary: Federal agents placed court‐authorized wiretaps on Gallo's phones. They intercepted a call between Montez and Gallo, and another between Montez and Gallo’s brother. The government charged multiple individuals, including…

Justia Opinion Summary: Douglas pleaded guilty as a felon possessing a firearm, 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1). The judge found that at least three of Douglas’s 16 other felony convictions were “violent felonies” under the Armed Career Criminal Act, 18…

Justia Opinion Summary: Sanchez-Lopez pleaded guilty to unauthorized presence in the U.S. after removal, 8 U.S.C. 1326(a), and was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment—90 days above the guidelines range. The district court stated that, in an…

Justia Opinion Summary: An officer stopped a car for expired license plates. Barry, the driver, did not have registration papers, and professed not to know who owned the car or where he was going. Fadiga, the passenger, replied that “a friend”…

Justia Opinion Summary: Paulette helped found an East St. Louis, Illinois street gang during the late 1980s. By 2012 he and the gang were trafficking large amounts of drugs. Paulette led the gang and managed its drug trade, even controlling the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Ashton, a transgender high school senior, requested to use the boys’ restroom while at school. The Kenosha School District denied the request, indicating that Ashton’s mere presence would invade the privacy rights of his…

Justia Opinion Summary: Davis sued, asserting malpractice and breach of contract claims, and federal Fair Housing Act (FHA) and Civil Rights Act claims, arising out of Fenton’s legal representation of Davis in a mortgage foreclosure action in…

Justia Opinion Summary: During October 2008 the Trust lost $3.6 million trading futures contracts. Contending that errors by Dorman, a futures commission merchant, caused some of these losses, in October 2011 the Trust asked the Commodity…

Justia Opinion Summary: Dr. Parungao began practicing surgery at Galesburg Cottage Hospital in 2006. He accepted employment with Knox Clinic, which supplies doctors for the hospital. Knox told Dr. Parungao in 2013 that it was discharging him…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2012, Jefferies, a securities and investment-banking firm, hired Frawley as its vice chairman and global head of metals and listed products. On the same day, Jeffries hired Webb, a sales executive in the global metals…

Justia Opinion Summary: An illegal immigrant, Sanchez conceded his removability at a hearing before an immigration judge, but applied for cancellation of removal under 8 U.S.C. 1229b(b), which required that he show that he had been physically…

Justia Opinion Summary: The “Old Mill” in Belgrade, Serbia, was confiscated, allegedly from plaintiffs' ancestors, in 1945, without compensation, and later sold to private developers. Prigan now holds title and, with Carlson, renovated the Old…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1984, Ben-Yisrayl was convicted in Indiana state court of capital murder, rape, criminal confinement, and burglary. The case bounced back and forth for many years in the state courts as the death sentence and other…

Justia Opinion Summary: Illinois inmate Davis sued prison officials under 42 U.S.C. 1983, asking the court to recruit counsel. He stated that he had tried to secure counsel, referring to a letter from a law firm corroborating his efforts; no…

Justia Opinion Summary: Radford boarded a train in Flagstaff, to deliver heroin to Toledo. The train stopped in Galesburg. Officer Mings, who goes to the station daily to study passengers, noted indicators of drug trafficking. Radford had…

Justia Opinion Summary: Wheeler pleaded guilty to an attempt to commit Hobbs Act robbery, 18 U.S.C. 1951(a)), and to discharging a gun during that crime, 18 U.S.C. 924(c)(1)(A)(iii). The plea did not reserve any issue for appeal. The court…

Justia Opinion Summary: Seventh Circuit affirms award of permanent disability benefits for fibromyalgia. Kennedy was hired by Lilly in 1982 and became an executive director in Lilly’s human resources division, with a monthly salary of $25,011.…

Justia Opinion Summary: On remand, court was entitled to rely upon the record established at the original sentencing concerning the Guidelines range. Armand pleaded guilty to distributing crack and powder cocaine, 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1). Applying…

Justia Opinion Summary: Dismissal for failure to exhaust collective bargaining agreement (CBA) grievance process was improper where it was unclear that CBA required resort to that process for claims under Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Vega…

Justia Opinion Summary: Substantial evidence supported finding that hospital’s contracts with physicians violated Anti-Kickback statute. Novak and Nagelvoort participated in a scheme under which Sacred Heart Hospital paid illegal kickbacks to…

Justia Opinion Summary: Seventh Circuit upholds award of attorneys’ fees to some plaintiffs and of costs to some defendants in civil rights case. Ghidotti, an employee of Reliable Recovery, attempted to repossess a car from Baker’s…

Justia Opinion Summary: Seventh Circuit finds that 10 years of prison segregation raised serious constitutional concerns. In 1989, Isby was incarcerated for robbery resulting in serious bodily injury. Months later, Isby hit a prison counselor.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appeal of dismissal of challenge to city’s order requiring that police officers cover tattoos was rendered moot by city’s revocation of the order. Plaintiffs, military veterans employed as Chicago police officers, have…

Justia Opinion Summary: Dead Man’s Act barred testimony regarding now-deceased employer’s response to being told employee would file a worker’s compensation claim. Plata sued Eureka under 42 U.S.C. 2000e, claiming that he was fired in…

Justia Opinion Summary: Employee stock options, when exercised, constitute compensation, on which the employer must remit taxes under the Railroad Retirement Tax Act. Beginning in 1996, the railway began including stock options in the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Challenge to sentencing as an armed career criminal, based on Supreme Court’s holding in “Johnson,” is precluded by waiver in plea agreement. Carson robbed a convenience store by pulling a gun on the cashier. After he…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appeal, following dismissal of civil rights suit against judges that presided over plaintiff’s divorce, was frivolous. After her former husband was awarded custody of their son, Myrick brought suit under 42 U.S.C. 1983,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Inmate’s allegation that prison dentist intentionally sutured inmate’s gum without removing pieces of broken drill bit was sufficient to withstand screening. While Dr. Craig was extracting a wisdom tooth from Echols, an…

Justia Opinion Summary: Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), an effective consent to automated calls is one that relates to the same subject matter covered by the challenged messages. Akira, a retailer, engaged Opt for…

Justia Opinion Summary: Enhancement for possession of a firearm capable of accepting a large-capacity magazine was appropriate, despite defendant’s claim that he only constructively possessed the gun at issue. After a police officer observed an…

Justia Opinion Summary: School district was not required to accommodate an administrator, whose disability precluded being “in the vicinity of potentially unruly students.” Brown was an assistant principal for Milwaukee Public Schools until she…

Justia Opinion Summary: Unreliable corporate meeting minutes were properly excluded in tax fraud trial. Petrunak was the sole proprietor of Abyss, a fireworks business regulated by ATF. In 2001, ATF inspectors inspected Abyss and reported…

Justia Opinion Summary: Taxpayer, having challenged a penalty in a pre-assessment hearing, may not again contest its liability in a CDP hearing. The employer had an employee‐benefit plan with one employee-participant and took tax deductions for…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Seventh Circuit upheld Milwaukee's residency requirement for law enforcement and emergency personnel. Milwaukee’s corporate charter previously required all city employees to live within city limits. In 2013, the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Order that juveniles submit to psychological evaluation before court ruling on motion to transfer for adult prosecution is not subject to immediate appellate review. Juveniles allegedly robbed a pharmacy. They were…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Seventh Circuit affirmed denial (without an evidentiary hearing) of a petition under 28 U.S.C. 2255, which had claimed that Spiller’s counsel was constitutionally ineffective during the plea-bargaining process after…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Seventh Circuit affirmed denial of asylum, withholding of removal, and relief under the Convention Against Torture for Silais, a Haitian citizen and opposition political party member, who had arrived in the U.S. in…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Seventh Circuit reversed summary judgment for the defendants in a suit by Johnson, an inmate of the Rushville Treatment and Detention Facility for persons believed prone to sexual violence, claiming that staff had…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Seventh Circuit directed the district court to dismiss, as moot, a lawsuit by a Chicago-area family-owned firm, challenging the “contraception mandate” under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Tabb was not entitled to relief from his convictions for attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and attempted aggravated vehicular hijacking, although he produced evidence calling into question…

Justia Opinion Summary: Trask was gambling at the Horseshoe Casino when she picked up a $20 bill from the floor. The customer who had dropped the money thought he had been short-changed and reported the loss. Casino personnel reviewed security…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Seventh Circuit affirmed denial of defendant’s motion to suppress evidence gathered pursuant to search warrants executed on his home. Defendant cared for young children at his Wisconsin home. After a parent reported…

Justia Opinion Summary: At the emergency room of Ingalls Memorial Hospital, Ford was treated by Dr. Parks‐Ballard, a Family Christian Health Center employee. A 2015 federal complaint alleged that Parks-Ballard failed to properly diagnose and…

Justia Opinion Summary: In the 1990s, Terzakis met Berenice Ventrella, the trustee for a family trust with extensive real‐estate holdings. Terzakis managed and developed real estate and eventually managed some of Berenice’s property. In 2007,…

Justia Opinion Summary: After defendant was dismissed from an investment firm, he launched a finance company in Wilmette, Illinois, then used investors’ money for personal purposes, including paying his gambling debts. Defendant pleaded guilty…

Justia Opinion Summary: Musa owns and operates a restaurant in Milwaukee. The IRS determined that Musa made misrepresentations on his tax returns, including underreporting his federal income taxes by more than $500,000 for the years 2006-2010. …

Justia Opinion Summary: Medical College of Wisconsin, a nonprofit corporation, received a refund of Social Security (FICA) taxes after the IRS ruled that medical residents were exempt from them until April 2005. The IRS added to the refund…

Justia Opinion Summary: Hirschbach, a trucking company, offered Turner, an African-American, a job as a driver contingent on his completion of orientation and a drug test. Turner claims that throughout orientation, the evaluator stared at him…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Easons' children were removed from their custody. One child, at the age of 10 months, had multiple leg fractures that the Easons could not explain. A social worker found that the Easons had also neglected their…

Justia Opinion Summary: Blagojevich was convicted of 18 crimes committed while he was Governor of Illinois and sentenced to 168 months’ imprisonment. In 2015, the Seventh Circuit vacated five of the convictions but affirmed the others and…

Justia Opinion Summary: After Brown was charged with sexually abusing his children, before trial, the court three times allowed Brown’s appointed counsel to withdraw because Brown would not cooperate. Brown appeared pro se but after “multiple…

Justia Opinion Summary: Medical service providers referred plaintiffs’ debts to defendants, who sent letters, demanding payment of the principal plus 5% interest. Plaintiffs claimed that this violated 15 U.S.C. 1692g(a)(1), the Fair Debt…

Justia Opinion Summary: Smego, a civilly committed sex offender at Rushville, sued his treatment team, alleging that another resident sexually assaulted him and that defendants forced Smego to continue group therapy with his alleged assailant…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2008, Chicago Abstract was sued in state court by a title insurance company and financial firms. Chicago Abstract tendered these lawsuits to its “errors and omissions” liability insurer, TIAC. TIAC could defend…

Justia Opinion Summary: Nance shot and killed her husband, Timothy, in the shower. Four days later, Nance reported him missing. Fond du Lac detectives interviewed Timothy’s family, his new girlfriend, friends, and Nance’s sister, Ewell. They…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Madison Police Department established a focused deterrence program to increase surveillance of repeat violent offenders. Alston, one of 10 repeat violent offenders originally selected for the program, filed suit…

Justia Opinion Summary: Howell, a veteran and school teacher in his early sixties, has had multiple shoulder surgeries, including complete replacement of his right shoulder. He was able to stretch his right arm, to write on a blackboard, and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Weiss, a Wisconsin inmate, filed suit under 42 U.S.C. 1983, claiming that Department of Corrections employees failed to prevent an assault by his cellmate that resulted in a broken ankle for Weiss and that they left his…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2004, Arnold and Villarreal exchanged marriage vows in California in a ceremony solemnized by a priest and a rabbi. They failed to file their marriage license with the county recorder within 10 days as required by…

Justia Opinion Summary: Hirmiz, a Travelodge Hotel front‐desk clerk, was fired after being caught on video sleeping in the lobby while a fight broke out among guests. He sued under the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. 12101, claiming…

Justia Opinion Summary: Barragan‐Ojeda, an 18-year-old citizen of Mexico, entered the U.S. without authorization in 2013. He was apprehended at the border and requested asylum. Before an immigration judge, he claimed that a Mexican criminal…

Justia Opinion Summary: Hively, who is openly lesbian, 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…

Justia Opinion Summary: Each of the defendants, registered sex offenders living in Wisconsin, left the state and failed to register in a new state. Both were indicted under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, 18 U.S.C. 2250.…

Justia Opinion Summary: While riding in a car, Stechauner’s sawed-off shotgun accidentally fired and hit Stechauner in the leg. At the hospital, a nurse reported that he had a bag of bullets. Officers entered Stechauner’s hospital room, where…

Justia Opinion Summary: Keefer’s badly beaten body was found by police in Keefer’s Rock Falls backyard on November 27, 2006. A jury convicted Johnson of Keefer’s murder. Johnson admits he beat Keefer the night before, in the same backyard, but…

Justia Opinion Summary: Prather, age 31, tore his Achilles tendon. His surgery to repair the injury was uneventful. He returned to work. Four days later he collapsed, went into cardiopulmonary arrest, and died as a result of a blood clot in the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Neto, a Brazilian businessman, entered into a trust agreement with Wells Fargo in 2009 to purchase an aircraft for his business. Wells Fargo borrowed $6 million from 1st Source, pledging the aircraft as collateral. Neto…

Justia Opinion Summary: Portfolio alleges that in 1993, Pantoja incurred a debt for annual fees, an activation fee, and late fees for a Capital One credit card that he applied for but never actually used. In 2013, long after the statute of…

Justia Opinion Summary: Mains executed a mortgage on his home with WAMU in 2006 and made timely payments for about two years. WAMU failed in 2008; the FDIC became its receiver. Chase purchased Mains’s mortgage. Mains fell behind on his…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2003, a 7-year-old Israeli girl was killed, her 3-year-old, American-citizen sister permanently disabled, and six Israeli members of their family were injured emotionally, when their minivan was shot up on a Jerusalem…

Justia Opinion Summary: Marian Catholic High School subjects its students to random drug tests. Although it is run by the Archdiocese of Chicago, it receives federal funds for this program. Students who test positive for illegal drugs are…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2011 the southern half of Sudan (predominantly Muslim) broke away to form the Republic of South Sudan, the population of which practices Christianity or African traditional religion. Arej, born in South Sudan, was…

Justia Opinion Summary: Whitfield's 2002, 2003, and 2007 prison disciplinary proceedings resulted in the revocation of 16 months of good-conduct credit Whitfield had earned. Whitfield diligently, but unsuccessfully, filed administrative…

Justia Opinion Summary: Lynn was convicted of conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, in 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1), 846 and 18 U.S.C. 2; and conspiracy to possess pseudoephedrine, 21 U.S.C. 841(c)(2), 846 and 18 U.S.C. 2. The court imposed a…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a sting operation, Hilliard was charged with 10 counts relating to several controlled sales of heroin, a heroin‐for‐guns trade, and a gun and heroin found during the execution of a search warrant at his home.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff filed suit alleging that defendants jointly employed as a supervisor, Brian Cooper, a man with a known history of sexually harassing, verbally abusing, and physically intimidating his female subordinates.…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Yusevs, who overstayed their non-immigrant visas and have lived in the U.S. since 2005, asserted that they had been members of the United Macedonian Organization Ilinden, a banned party devoted to the rights of…

Justia Opinion Summary: Delgado, a citizen of Mexico, entered the U.S. without inspection three times, most recently in May 1999. In December 2009, he was convicted in Illinois state court of felony possession of cocaine with intent to deliver…

Justia Opinion Summary: After pleading guilty to three federal drug and money‐laundering offenses, Jimenes was sentenced to 151 months’ imprisonment and five years’ supervised release. The Seventh Circuit affirmed, rejecting Jimenes’s argument…

Justia Opinion Summary: On June 30, 2015, Dutcher announced on Facebook that he planned to assassinate President Obama. He then drove to La Crosse, Wisconsin, where the President was scheduled to speak on July 2. Once in La Crosse, Dutcher…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1999, the Dribbens purchased a home from the Favres on 42 acres in a four‐parcel development near Saint Louis, Missouri. Davidson represented the Favres in that purchase. Davidson was also one of the developers and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Under the Illinois Public Relations Act, 5 ILCS 315, a union representing public employees collects dues from its members, but only “fair share” fees (a proportionate share of the costs of collective bargaining and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Simic received a ticket for driving while texting on her cell phone, in violation of a Chicago ordinance. Simic failed to pay the $100 ticket and the city took steps to collect a fine. Simic then sued, seeking…

Justia Opinion Summary: While lifting a heavy door at his prison job in 2008, Cesal heard a “snap” in his back and felt pain in his leg and hip. He sought treatment from the prison’s medical staff but was dissatisfied with their response. He…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2007, Shannon pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography and was sentenced to 46 months’ imprisonment and lifetime supervised release. The Seventh Circuit affirmed. In 2010, Shannon was released and began…

Justia Opinion Summary: Hazama, a U.S. citizen, is married to Ghneim, a citizen of the Palestinian Authority, currently residing there. Hoping to obtain a permanent resident visa for Ghneim, Hazama filed a Petition for Alien Relative with…

Justia Opinion Summary: Collins, a regular heavy drinker, had suffered alcohol withdrawal, and kept a bottle of Librium to treat withdrawal and anxiety. Collins had Librium with him when he was arrested for DUI. The jail physician, Dr.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Ulloa, a citizen of Mexico, married Morfin, a U.S. citizen. Morfin sought approval for his permanent residence, but Ulloa was present in the U.S. without authority and was required to return to Mexico to obtain a visa…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2009, Dr. Burton was hired as a professor at the University of Wisconsin‐Platteville. She was promoted to associate professor. Burton subsequently received a complaint from a student who claimed that another professor…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant appealed his 24 month prison sentence after pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud. Defendant's conviction stemmed from his participation in a scheme to defraud companies that were interested in obtaining…

Justia Opinion Summary: Turnoy sold insurance to Shiner’s in‐laws for decades. After Shiner, a Chicago lawyer, demanded that Turnoy split commissions on their new policies, Turnoy sent him a check for $149,000. Rejecting $149,000 as too little,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Jacob has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder and requires an Individualized Education Plan. He repeated kindergarten in a general education classroom with additional…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner, serving a 110 year sentence for two murders he committed when he was 16 years old, filed a 28 U.S.C. 2244(b)(3) application seeking authorization to file a second or successive petition for a writ of habeas…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2010, Moore stole a BMW after showing the driver a gun. He was captured by Chicago police after he crashed into another vehicle during a high-speed chase. A jury was unable to reach a verdict on a charge of…

Justia Opinion Summary: Crutcher was incarcerated for robbery, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, aggravated discharge of a firearm at an occupied vehicle, and mob action. Crutcher was released but returned to prison for domestic battery.…

Justia Opinion Summary: After the IRS assessed tax deficiencies and penalties, the taxpayers filed a pro se petition for review. Acting on advice from Niehus, a lawyer who was not authorized to practice in Illinois, the couple stipulated that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The DEA received a tip that Carraway was distributing narcotics in East St. Louis. Agents arranged controlled purchases of crack cocaine from Carraway’s distributors and received authorization to wiretap Carraway’s…

Justia Opinion Summary: Inmate Diggs injured his knee in a fight in 2006 and complained to medical staff about knee pain and instability 14 times. In 2009, Dr. Ghosh, the prison’s medical director, recommended that Diggs be assigned to a…

Justia Opinion Summary: APS is a broker for the purchase and sale of accounting practices, working through brokers who are treated as independent contractors and are assigned exclusive sales territories. Burford became an APS broker in 2003,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Netzer, a debtor in bankruptcy, asked the court to discharge a $9,200 debt to Wisconsin’s Office of Lawyer Regulation, imposed as costs in a disciplinary proceeding. The bankruptcy court concluded that the debt is a…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2012, NITEL filed this breach of contract suit in an Illinois state court against PNC Bank. PNC Bank removed to federal court and the district court granted summary judgment for PNC Bank. This appealed stemmed from…

Justia Opinion Summary: A year after CSX successfully petitioned the ICC to end CSX's obligation to provide common-carrier rail service on a portion of track in Putnam County, Indiana, CSX notified ICC that it had abandoned that segment. CSX…

Justia Opinion Summary: Minhas defrauded customers of his Chicago travel agencies and airlines through a scheme in which he collected payment for airline reservations that he canceled without his customers’ knowledge, by manipulating the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff filed suit alleging that various state officials acted unlawfully in refusing to release him on electronic surveillance because he lacked a Lake County residence. The district court dismissed plaintiff's claims…

Justia Opinion Summary: Berry worked for Telamon from 2005-2011, under Consulting Agreements between Telamon and Berry’s one-woman company. Berry’s responsibilities expanded beyond those described in the Agreements. She became Telamon’s senior…

Justia Opinion Summary: Mulvania, arrested for domestic battery, refused to exit the vehicle at the jail. Officers moved her. Mulvania’s speech was slurred, she screamed obscenities, and was physically combative. Mulvania claims she was…

Justia Opinion Summary: Illinois’ Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) subsidizes childcare services for low-income and at-risk families. The program pays about 60,000 childcare providers. The Home Services Program (HSP) pays about 25,000…

Justia Opinion Summary: A subcontractor, CSC, installed the windows defectively at Metro's Chicago condominium. The building sustained significant water damage following a 2006 storm. The unit owners incurred personal-property damage. In 2009…

Justia Opinion Summary: The law firm’s contract with XO Communications provided that the contract would be automatically renewed “for a similar term and at the same rates.” A customer who did not want to renew was required to notify XO at least…

Justia Opinion Summary: Rasho, an Illinois inmate since 1996, has a history of mental illness. After he stopped taking his medication and had escalating symptoms, he was transferred to Pontiac’s Mental Health Unit, where he remained until 2006,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Robbing Community Financial Service Center in Milwaukee, Ferrell tackled the security guard, pointing his firearm at the guard’s face. Cook entered, wearing a mask, and approached the teller, who was in on the robbery…

Justia Opinion Summary: Gill was in a crowd outside a Milwaukee club when shots were fired, killing Crawley. Detectives collected security videos and interviewed witnesses. Gill’s mother told detectives that Gill had cognitive impairments. …

Justia Opinion Summary: McGreal began working as an Orland Park police officer in 2005. Conflict between McGreal and the department arose in 2009, which culminated in McGreal’s firing in 2010. McGreal alleges that he was fired because of his…

Justia Opinion Summary: The district court certified eight classes, consisting of persons in Illinois and Missouri who take eye drops manufactured by six pharmaceutical companies for treatment of glaucoma. Plaintiffs claimed that the…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2009, following a court-authorized interception of phone calls involving suspected drug traffickers, Milwaukee police obtained consent from Cannon’s son to search their home, found $14,000 in cash, and arrested…

Justia Opinion Summary: Drs. Gupta and Wahi operated Illinois nutrition clinics. In 2011 they were indicted for mail fraud, healthcare fraud, and conspiracy to defraud Medicaid, private insurers, and patients. Gupta fled the country, but Wahi…

Justia Opinion Summary: Rockford police responded to a report that two individuals were asleep in a running, parked car in a McDonald’s drive-thru. Officers saw a bottle of vodka in the front seat and tried to wake the driver, Dickson. Another…

Justia Opinion Summary: Whitaker worked for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, processing applications for benefits and answering phones. In 2009, Whitaker filed a disability form regarding her chronic back pain. She received…

Justia Opinion Summary: Jenkins was charged with Kidnapping, 18 U.S.C. 1201(a), and Using or Carrying a Firearm to Commit a Crime of Violence, 18 U.S.C. 924(c)(1)(A)(ii). Jenkins agreed to cooperate and entered into a proffer agreement, which…

Justia Opinion Summary: Glisson was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer. His larynx, part of his pharynx, portions of his mandible and 13 teeth were removed. He was fitted with a voice prosthesis, and received postoperative radiation treatment.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Five defendants were arrested as they were preparing to execute a planned robbery of a fictitious narcotics “stash house.” They had been recruited by an undercover agent, posing as a drug courier seeking to rob a…

Justia Opinion Summary: The property owners, participants in the “Section 8” federal rental assistance program (42 U.S.C. 1437f(a)), sued the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority for allegedly breaching the contracts that…

Justia Opinion Summary: In consolidated cases, the debtors obtained Federal Housing Administration-insured residential mortgage loans and subsequently defaulted due to financial hardship. The law firms represented the loan servicing agents in…

Justia Opinion Summary: Wright was arrested by Calumet City police, without a warrant, based on the murder of one individual and the shooting of others. Wright admitted to having a gun. At a minimum, he was to be charged with felony unlawful…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Indianapolis Airport Authority sued Travelers Property Casualty over Travelers’ partial denial of a claim for coverage arising from an airport construction accident that occurred in 2007. On motions for summary…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2013, Roake, an off-duty Forest Preserve District of Cook County police officer, took champagne to a department police station to celebrate the New Year, allegedly with permission from a sergeant. In January 2014,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Millers, from Lafayette, Indiana, shot and killed two police officers and one civilian in Las Vegas. They died in an ensuing shootout. Days later, Bradbury, a Lafayette resident, placed a message on Facebook,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Lake, a prisoner at Illinois’ Hill Correctional Center, claimed, in his suit under 42 U.S.C. 1983, that Dr. Jackson, the prison’s dentist had refused to send him to an outside dentist to extract a decayed tooth that was…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2006, Peterson was convicted of distributing crack cocaine, 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1). He served eight years in prison. Within two weeks after the start of his term of supervised release, Peterson was arrested for drunk…

Justia Opinion Summary: Harper, an Illinois prisoner, sued a prison doctor and a nurse under 42 U.S.C. 1983 for deliberate indifference to his pain following nine abdominal surgeries, the management of his diet, and inattention to a possible…

Justia Opinion Summary: Fitzpatrick, a citizen of Peru, had lived in the U.S. for three years when she applied for an Illinois driver’s license; she displayed her green card and her Peruvian passport, but checked a box claiming to be a U.S.…

Justia Opinion Summary: An officer saw cars maneuvering around a car parked in a McDonald’s drive‐through lane, with Long asleep in the driver’s seat. The car was in drive. The officer knocked on the window. When Long opened the door, the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Kenosha Detective Strelow received an anonymous tip that an African-American man in a yellow shirt was selling heroin on a specific corner. Without corroborating the tip, Strelow and Detective Beller, drove to that…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2005, while serving in the Army National Guard, Bird injured a tendon in his right shoulder. He was operated on in 2006. He reported to Veterans Affairs doctors that he suffered hearing loss, migraines, and stiffness…

Justia Opinion Summary: The defendants were indicted for committing and conspiring to commit wire fraud, 18 U.S.C. 1343 & 1349, by extracting money from lenders (including Bank of America) that had financed the sale of defendants' Gary, Indiana…

Justia Opinion Summary: Police found Moore’s body in a parking lot next to a bloody garbage can. Before Moore was identified, Officer Blackman told Detective Brownfield that, at 2 a.m., he had seen a black male, 6’1”, 185 pounds, in his…

Justia Opinion Summary: Patton was a major Chicago-area drug dealer. ATF Agents eventually arrested Patton during an unrelated firearms investigation. Patton confessed and agreed to cooperate with the ATF. Patton assisted the ATF for about a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Susinka filed a third application for permission to file a successive motion under 28 U.S.C. 2255 to vacate his 20‐year sentence for participating in a RICO conspiracy, citing the Supreme Court’s 2016 holding in Hurst v.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Until 1997, Illinois residents could only purchase power from a public utility, with rates regulated by the ICC. The Electric Service Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law allows residents to buy electricity from their…

Justia Opinion Summary: Cox, the trustee in the Central Illinois Energy Cooperative bankruptcy, appealed a bankruptcy court ruling after it was affirmed by the district court. In the meantime, the parties mediated a settlement and the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Hoffman had nude pictures of his girlfriend’s six-year-old daughter on his phone. Although the child testified about multiple instances of sexual conduct, Hoffman was convicted of one count of exploitation of a child…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1994 Brown was convicted of four sex offenses and sentenced to prison. His projected release date was July 2009, followed by three years of mandatory supervised release. On that date, the Illinois Department of…

Justia Opinion Summary: Illinois prisoner Bell filed a civil rights suit, asserting unsafe conditions at the prison, and an application to proceed in forma pauperis. The court denied his application because Bell did not attach his inmate…

Justia Opinion Summary: Garcia‐Hernandez entered the U.S. from Mexico without inspection in 2000. In 2010, Talavera, the mother of his children, obtained an order of protection against him. Weeks later, Garcia‐Hernandez was charged with…

Justia Opinion Summary: During an altercation at his home, Nichols threatened someone with a weapon. Officers took him into custody. Nichols consented to a search of his property, during which officers found a handgun and ammunition. Nichols,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Delatorre was a member of the Insane Deuces street gang. Rivera, a gang member acting as a confidential informant, recorded several meetings and conversations, providing evidence of at least four murders, 11 attempted…

Justia Opinion Summary: Rivera and others robbed Brew City Tap; three of them were armed, two with BB guns and one with a .40‐caliber handgun. They left with $857.25. Four days later, they robbed Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park, netting more…

Justia Opinion Summary: Bey, a self-described “Aboriginal Indigenous Moorish-American,” sought to enjoin state and county officials from taxing his Marion County real estate, a refund of taxes he has paid, and $11.5 billion in compensation. The…

Justia Opinion Summary: A patrolman stopped a car hauler on a New Mexico highway because a digit on its license plate was unreadable. The officer noticed that a car, secured on the trailer, lacked a license plate. He asked to see its paperwork.…

Justia Opinion Summary: In the first case in “a long‐running and acrimonious business dispute,” Lardas claimed fraudulent inducement and breach of contract, arising from a settlement agreement, which Lardas argued was intended to deprive her…

Justia Opinion Summary: SAB, 61-year-old Ethiopian citizen, was formerly a member of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), which conducted a ‘low level guerrilla campaign against the Ethiopian security forces’.” SAB came to the U.S. in 2004 on a…

Justia Opinion Summary: PFAC is the collective‐bargaining representative for more than 1,200 part‐time faculty members at Columbia College Chicago. The parties agreed to continue under a 2006-2010 collective bargaining agreement while they…

Justia Opinion Summary: Dr. Kohli, a board-certified neurologist with extensive training in the treatment of chronic pain, operated the Kohli Neurology and Sleep Center in Effingham, Illinois. Irregularities in the practice eventually caught…

Justia Opinion Summary: Richard, Father, Mother, and sister (Kathryn) formed the family Corporation in 1990. Under its articles of incorporation and bylaws, each family member served as a lifetime director. Mother died in 2000. In 2010, the…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2008, Wenger was murdered after trying to buy drugs. Bullet casings were found near Wenger’s body, but not other physical evidence was recovered. Investigators relied on information from community members and from…

Justia Opinion Summary: Dana operates a Summit, Illinois truck‐tank washing facility. Dana employees drain residual product from the truck’s metal tank; insert a mechanical spinner that rotates scrubbers, dousing it with soap or solvents; then…

Justia Opinion Summary: Hollins pleaded guilty to distributing cocaine base, 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B), and was sentenced to 92 months’ imprisonment and eight years of supervised release. After her release, Hollins tested positive for…

Justia Opinion Summary: Tatum was charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide by use of a dangerous weapon. The case was set for a jury trial on November 29, 2010. On August 12, at Tatum’s request, counsel moved to withdraw.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs alleged that, beginning in 1997, Swiech Group looted Krakow Business Park’s assets, diluting the value of the firm and of their shares. All of the claimed actions, including sham contracts, took place in…

Justia Opinion Summary: In the 1990s, the EPA and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources investigated the Lower Fox River's contamination by polychlorinated biphenyls and developed a cleanup plan under the Comprehensive Environmental…

Justia Opinion Summary: On the day he was moved to a new unit at the Terre Haute prison, Miller told a circulating guard, Rogers, that he had a brain tumor and was entitled to a lower bunk. Rogers replied that Miller must follow his assignment…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2009, the Social Security Administration notified Casey that he needed to repay about $334,000 in disability benefits he should not have received. Casey unsuccessfully sought a waiver. Six months later, Casey…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1998 Maryetta was raped, strangled to death, and left in an abandoned garage. In 2004 Milwaukee police arrested Avery, who was convicted of first-degree homicide. Avery spent six years in prison before DNA evidence…

Justia Opinion Summary: Margaret’s husband, Bart, was general counsel for a Chicago-area real estate developer. He embezzled $1.2 million from his employer while the two were married. To evade detection, he attempted to replenish the stolen…

Justia Opinion Summary: Indiana’s 2015 Vapor Pens and E-Liquid Act regulates the manufacture and distribution of vapor pens and the liquids used in e-cigarettes, Ind. Code 7.1-7- 1-1. The Act has extraterritorial reach and imposed detailed…

Justia Opinion Summary: Schenian used and sold illegal drugs. While in jail on drug and firearm charges, he had his girlfriend smuggle drugs to him. His plea bargain included an agreement that the prosecutor would recommend a sentence of 144…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff sells personal care kits. Plaintiff’s products include a line of “Minimergency Kits,” which come in small fabric bags designed to look like men’s Dopp Kits (a now-cancelled trademark for travel kits, originally…

Justia Opinion Summary: A resident of Elkhart’s housing for low-income elderly people and disabled adults was strangled to death. Canen and Royer, recipients of disability benefits, were also residents. They were convicted of felony murder in…

Justia Opinion Summary: BMS provides administrative services to bankruptcy trustees. It uses Rabobank as the depositary for banking services that BMS provides through its software. Crane, the trustee in the Integrated bankruptcy, hired BMS;…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner and his associates sold cocaine base to a police informant, Hurd, and were charged in Indiana state court. The county clerk erroneously included Hurd’s name on a public filing. Weeks later, Hurd waskilled.…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2007, Dr. Eli examined Indiana inmate James, diagnosed his ingrown toenail as infected, ordered antibiotics, and referred him to a foot specialist. A week later, Eli prescribed additional drugs because of continuing…

Justia Opinion Summary: After the 2013 robbery of a Milwaukee auto repair shop, one of the participants, Green, called the ATF and became a confidential informant. Green did not initially admit to the auto shop robbery, but provided information…

Justia Opinion Summary: Illinois’ Rushville Treatment and Detention Facility houses persons adjudged to be sexually violent; many have completed prison sentences for sexually violent acts but are considered too dangerous to be released into the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Cisneros pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, 21 U.S.C. 846. Cisneros was a high-ranking member of the Latin Kings and was involved in a large-scale drug trafficking operation…

Justia Opinion Summary: Flambeau adopted an employee wellness program, requiring its employees, as a condition of receiving employer-subsidized health insurance, to fill out a medical questionnaire and to undergo biometric testing. One employee…

Justia Opinion Summary: If a LaSalle Bank custodial account had a cash balance at the end of a day, the cash would be invested in (swept into) a mutual fund chosen by the client. The Trust had a custodial account with a sweeps feature. After…

Justia Opinion Summary: JPMorgan offers to manage clients’ securities portfolios. Its affiliates sponsor mutual funds in which the funds can be placed. Plaintiffs in a putative class action under the Class Action Fairness Act, 28 U.S.C.…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1998, Kashamu and others were charged with conspiracy to import heroin, 21 U.S.C. 963. Kashamu, refusing to appear (which would have required his presence in the U.S.), insisted that the crimes were committed by his…

Justia Opinion Summary: Gubala subscribed to Time Warner’s cable services in 2004 and, as required, provided Time Warner with his date of birth, address, telephone numbers, social security number, and credit card information. In 2006, he…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2007 Sentinel Management Group collapsed. Sentinel managed short-term cash investments for futures commission merchants, individuals, hedge funds, and other entities. Its bankruptcy left customers and creditors in the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Banegas, a then-38-year-old citizen of Honduras, entered the U.S. in 2005, without authorization. In removal proceedings, initiated in 2014, he applied for withholding of removal and for protection under the Convention…

Justia Opinion Summary: Builders Bank is insured and regulated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), which conducts a “full‐scope, on‐site examination” every 12-18 months, 12 U.S.C. 1820(d). After a 2015 examination, the FDIC…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2010 the Seventh Circuit invalidated a Chicago ordinance prohibiting possession of handguns. The city then established a regime that required one hour of range training as a prerequisite to obtaining a permit to…

Justia Opinion Summary: A police informant, wearing a hidden camera, bought heroin and methamphetamine from Winfield during four controlled buys at Winfield’s apartment. Each time, the informant saw additional drugs and paraphernalia in the…