2018 Seventh Circuit US Court of Appeals Case Law
Opinions 501 - 1000 of 1093
Date: July 19, 2018
Docket Numbers: 17-2165, 17-2134
Justia Opinion Summary: The Kohn collection law firm sent Dunbar a letter seeking to collect a debt originally owed to a bank. The letter stated that the full balance due was $4,049.08 and offered to settle the debt for $2,631.90, but warned:…
Date: July 19, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3416
Justia Opinion Summary: Owens began using Testim, a topical gel containing 1% testosterone, in July 2011 when his doctor diagnosed him with hypogonadism. Owens used Testim sporadically. Although the medication guide directs users to apply a…
Date: July 18, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2978
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2007, Chavez, then 21, was diagnosed with a brain tumor and underwent five surgeries. Chavez experienced depression and anxiety. She struggled to maintain concentration to complete simple household tasks and suffered…
Date: July 13, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3377
Justia Opinion Summary: Dhakal, a member of the Nepali Congress political party, which is targeted by the Maoist party, worked with the U.S. Agency for International Development. In 2012, he received a letter from the Maoists, ordering him to…
Date: July 13, 2018
Docket Numbers: 18-1007, 18-1074
Justia Opinion Summary: Lowe’s expanded its retail home improvement stores into Mexico. Lowe’s Mexico contracted with Karum to provide private-label credit card services there. The program failed to meet expectations. Karum sued, claiming…
Date: July 13, 2018
Docket Number: 18-1074
Date: July 12, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2697
Justia Opinion Summary: Kohl’s operates more than 1000 stores, 65 percent of which are leased. In 2011, Kohl’s announced that it was correcting several years of its financial filings because of multiple lease accounting errors. Plaintiffs, led…
Date: July 11, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1061
Justia Opinion Summary: Vasquez and Miguel, convicted child sex offenders, must register as sex offenders and comply with state restrictions on where they may live. A child sex offender may not knowingly live within 500 feet of a school,…
Date: July 11, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1532
Justia Opinion Summary: Cehovic’s employer offered its employees an insurance benefit plan through ReliaStar. Cehovic had two ReliaStar policies: a basic policy with a death benefit of $263,000, and a supplemental policy with a death benefit of…
Date: July 11, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2285
Justia Opinion Summary: Knopick purchased a Jayco recreational vehicle from an independent Iowa dealer for $414,583, taking title through an LLC he alone controlled. Jayco’s two-year limited manufacturer’s warranty disclaims all implied…
Date: July 10, 2018
Docket Number: 16-3350
Justia Opinion Summary: Mitchell is a transgender person who has identified as a woman her entire life. In 2008, Mitchell received a diagnosis of gender dysphoria. She was convicted of a crime and sent to Wisconsin’s Columbia Correctional…
Date: July 10, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1311
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2009, Norweathers was charged with transporting child pornography, 18 U.S.C. 2252A(a)(1) and possessing a computer containing images of child pornography, section 2252A(a)(5)(b). The FBI had executed a search warrant…
Date: July 10, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3380
Justia Opinion Summary: Flatoff took hostages at a Neenah, Wisconsin motorcycle shop. After Flatoff threatened to start shooting, police unsuccessfully attempted an entry. Hostage Funk escaped out the back door of the shop and was shot and…
Date: July 9, 2018
Docket Numbers: 17-2004, 17-1575
Justia Opinion Summary: The bankrupt businesses had debts that far exceeded the value of their assets. Bankruptcy courts authorized the sale of their principal assets (gasoline stations and a movie theater and café). Under Illinois law, the…
Date: July 9, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2427
Justia Opinion Summary: Wallace was convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole in 2006. A few months after he entered prison, he assaulted a guard. He has been in solitary confinement ever since. Wallace lodged a proposed…
Date: July 9, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2609
Justia Opinion Summary: After Indianapolis police officers Anders and Carmack divorced, Anders stalked and threatened Carmack. The police department eventually opened a criminal investigation and placed a GPS tracking device on Anders's car…
Date: July 9, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3314
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2000, Kaminski fell down a flight of stairs, suffering a head wound that caused a traumatic brain injury and a seizure disorder. He applied under the Social Security Act for disability insurance benefits and…
Date: July 5, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2116
Justia Opinion Summary: Cortina-Chavez, a citizen of Mexico, entered the U.S. on an unknown date and place, without inspection. He was arrested for DUI in 2010. In subsequent removal proceedings, Cortina-Chavez sought cancellation of removal,…
Date: July 3, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1393
Justia Opinion Summary: On November 6, 2011, Lovelace and another inmate fought over pencils. Officers handcuffed Lovelace and walked him to a van to be taken to the segregation unit. Lovelace kicked through the van window. Lovelace claims that…
Date: July 3, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2343
Justia Opinion Summary: Allied contracted to ship railroad ties with Wisconsin Central’s parent company, Canadian National, providing that demurrage would begin to accrue after two days of unloading time. Rail carriers are statutorily required…
Date: July 3, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2750
Justia Opinion Summary: Indiana uses “drug courts” to tackle substance-abuse problems more flexibly than traditional sentencing regimes, Ind. Code 33-23-16-5. These non-traditional court programs have been shown to reduce recidivism rates in…
Date: July 2, 2018
Docket Numbers: 16-2291, 16‐3390
Justia Opinion Summary: Lieutenant Perales (Hispanic) asked Officer Robinson (biracial) why he did not shave his facial hair in compliance with Department policy. Robinson’s doctor’s note was deemed inadequate. Robinson has folliculitis, a…
Date: June 29, 2018
Docket Number: 16-1989
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2006 Conway contracted to sell land in Broadview to Donahue, who assigned the contract to Chicago Joe’s Tea Room, LLC. Chicago Joe’s sole manager applied for the required special-use permit. Broadview denied the…
Date: June 29, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1876
Justia Opinion Summary: Capps sued six law enforcement officers under 42 U.S.C. 1983, for failure to intervene in an unlawful search and for use of excessive force. The parties attempted to negotiate a settlement: the defendants offered…
Date: June 28, 2018
Docket Numbers: 17-2111, 17-2042
Justia Opinion Summary: The Union sought to represent Jam’s employees, part-time stagehands who handle equipment at various venues; their employment is sporadic. On September 30, 2015, Jam and the Union identified the potential bargaining unit…
Date: June 27, 2018
Docket Number: 16-3536
Justia Opinion Summary: Moose solicited investors with a stock tip; instead of investing all the $680,000 he received from 16 investors, Moose invested only $200,000. The remaining $480,000 he took for himself. Without a plea agreement, Moose…
Date: June 27, 2018
Docket Number: 16-4209
Justia Opinion Summary: McCaa suffers from mental illnesses, with a history of suicide attempts. In his 42 U.S.C. 1983 suit, he alleged that prison officials and staff were deliberately indifferent to his self‐harm on four occasions. After…
Date: June 27, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3403
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1995, Orchard purchased the Warmke Parcel, 13 acres of wetlands, for residential development. Orchard requested a determination from the Army Corps of Engineers that the wetlands were not jurisdictional “waters of the…
Date: June 27, 2018
Docket Number: 18-1155
Justia Opinion Summary: Khowaja was an Immigration Enforcement Agent, 2008-2012. He then began employment as an FBI Special Agent on a two-year probationary term. Khowaja’s lack of judgment was frequently cited as a concern by his immediate…
Date: June 26, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1952
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff filed suit under 42 U.S.C. 1983 and 1985, alleging that several state judges and officials have been unfair to him in divorce and child custody proceedings. The Seventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of the…
Date: June 26, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2275
Justia Opinion Summary: This appeal arose after the district court approved a settlement in an action alleging that Target violated consumer protection laws by making false claims about the efficacy of glucosamine dietary supplements.…
Date: June 26, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3351
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff filed suit against TCSPP, alleging breach of contract and negligence after the school disciplined plaintiff for posting an image to her personal Instagram account that TCSPP considered offensive. Plaintiff…
Date: June 25, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1711
Justia Opinion Summary: Deppe, a punter, enrolled at Northern Illinois University (NIU), a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I school, in 2014 without an athletic scholarship. Deppe decided to “red shirt” his first year; he…
Date: June 25, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1855
Justia Opinion Summary: Sutula‐Johnson sold office furniture. In 2010, OfficeMax adopted a compensation plan that paid a commission rate depending on the sale’s profit. Commissions were earned either when a customer paid or 90 days after the…
Date: June 25, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2199
Justia Opinion Summary: After pleading guilty in 2007 to possessing digital images of child pornography, 18 U.S.C. 2252A(a)(5)(B), Canfield was sentenced to 78 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release, with conditions…
Date: June 25, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3163
Date: June 21, 2018
Docket Numbers: 17-1402, 16‐4083
Justia Opinion Summary: The Defendants were charged with conspiring to distribute cocaine, plus six other counts. The court gave a multiple conspiracies jury instruction and refused to give a proposed “meeting of the minds” instruction. The…
Date: June 21, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3137
Justia Opinion Summary: Fiorentini is the owner and president of a small technology company. When cancer treatment left him unable to perform his job, he received total disability benefits under a Paul Revere policy. Five years later, after…
Date: June 21, 2018
Docket Number: 18-1193
Justia Opinion Summary: When Goplin began working at WeConnect, he signed the “AEI Alternative Entertainment Inc. Open Door Policy and Arbitration Program,” which referred to AEI throughout; it never mentioned WeConnect. Goplin brought a…
Date: June 20, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1270
Justia Opinion Summary: Harden was convicted of conspiring to distribute heroin, the use of which resulted in the death of Schnettler, and was sentenced to life in prison under 21 U.S.C. 841(b)(1)(B). That provision imposes sentencing…
Date: June 20, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1276
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2003, Pain Center contracted with SSIMED for medical-billing software and related services. In 2006, the parties entered into another contract, for records-management software and related services. In 2013, Pain…
Date: June 20, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2053
Justia Opinion Summary: Kenosha used Comsys as its information-technology department. Comsys had its offices inside City Hall and stored its electronic information on the City’s servers. Their contract automatically renewed from year to year…
Date: June 20, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2685
Justia Opinion Summary: Simpkins began working for DuPage Housing Authority (DHA) in 2009 under an “Independent Contractor Agreement” for “general labor” to rehabilitate vacant properties to make them suitable for occupants. In 2011, the rehab…
Date: June 20, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2898
Justia Opinion Summary: Norton was part of a cocaine and heroin distribution conspiracy, driving to Chicago and Akron to move drugs and proceeds, and distributing drugs at his Indiana home. Law enforcement recruited a conspiracy member to…
Date: June 19, 2018
Docket Number: 16-1335
Justia Opinion Summary: The University fired Carmody, an information technology manager, after printed copies of a professor’s privileged emails suspiciously ended up in Carmody’s home newspaper box. The emails allegedly exposed inconsistencies…
Date: June 19, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1633
Justia Opinion Summary: Joint Logistics (JL) hired Oliver, an African-American, as a truck driver in 2012, subject to a Collective Bargaining Agreement, which outlined two seniority units: the Motor Vehicle Repair Employees and the Motor…
Date: June 19, 2018
Docket Numbers: 17-1786, 17-1645
Justia Opinion Summary: Kennedy had decades of experience working for Schneider Electric and taught classes, part-time, in electrical and industrial safety at Prairie State community college. Schneider requires its employees to obtain advance…
Date: June 19, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2687
Justia Opinion Summary: Milliman, then a McHenry County Sheriff’s Department (MCSD) deputy, gave a deposition in which he accused Sheriff Nygren of corruption, bribery, securing fraudulent loans, trafficking illegal aliens, and soliciting two…
Date: June 19, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2764
Justia Opinion Summary: Sentencing judges ordinarily “group” counts of conviction when they involve “substantially the same harm,” U.S.S.G. 3D1.2. In 2014, the Seventh Circuit ruled (Sinclair) that when facing a particular combination of…
Date: June 18, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1936
Justia Opinion Summary: 1997 Wisconsin Act 292, designed to address the effects of prenatal substance abuse, brings unborn children and their mothers within the jurisdiction of the juvenile courts if the mothers exhibit a habitual lack of…
Date: June 15, 2018
Docket Number: 16-1927
Justia Opinion Summary: Flanagan sued under Title VII, 42 U.S.C. 20003, alleging that two coworkers threatened her life because she previously successfully sued their shared employer, the Cook County Adult Probation Department, for…
Date: June 15, 2018
Docket Number: 16-2400
Justia Opinion Summary: Weaver was arrested for the murder of Sanders. The court disqualified Weaver’s attorney because he represented a potential state witness. Callico testified that he and Sanders sold drugs together and that on April 4,…
Date: June 15, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1750
Justia Opinion Summary: Under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act, “Class III” medical devices are those that support or sustain human life, that are of substantial importance in preventing impairment of human health, or that present a potential,…
Date: June 15, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2252
Justia Opinion Summary: Arla, a Denmark-based global dairy conglomerate, launched a $30 million advertising campaign aimed at expanding its U.S. cheese sales, branded “Live Unprocessed.” The ads assure consumers that Arla cheese contains no…
Date: June 15, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3492
Justia Opinion Summary: The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that full-time staff members who also teach part-time (50-75 individuals, “FTST”) were included in the Part-Time Faculty Association at Columbia College Chicago (PFAC)…
Date: June 14, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1227
Justia Opinion Summary: Jones, a Calumet City alderman, wants to be mayor. His supporter, Grant, tried to prevent the incumbent, Qualkinbush, from running for reelection in 2017 by circulating a referendum to set a three-term limit on the…
Date: June 13, 2018
Docket Numbers: 17-1776, 17-1580
Justia Opinion Summary: Dyer was charged in a fraudulent real estate (farmland) investment scheme. Dyer represented himself, with standby counsel. The judge admonished Dyer in the presence of the jury, that he must “follow the same rules of…
Date: June 13, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2988
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2001, McMahan and his wholly owned corporation participated in a tax shelter called “Son of BOSS” that “is a variation of a slightly older alleged tax shelter,” BOSS, an acronym for ‘bond and options sales strategy.’”…
Date: June 13, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3487
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2010, Hungarian survivors of the Holocaust filed a purported class action in the Northern District of Illinois, alleging that in 1944 the Hungarian national railway transported Fischer and up to 500,000 other Jews…
Date: June 13, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3524
Justia Opinion Summary: Linda worked for Children’s Hospital for 37 years, covered by its employer-funded Pension Plan. In 2015, Linda faced recurring cancer, and, at age 60, retired. The Plan describes a normal retirement pension, an early…
Date: June 11, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3586
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2007, Canadian National Railway (CN) sought approval from the Surface Transportation Board of its acquisition of the EJ & E rail line near Chicago. The Board considered the impact of the acquisition on 112 railroad…
Date: June 8, 2018
Docket Number: 16-3848
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs claim that they faced racial discrimination while working as Environmental Service Technicians (EVS techs) at Advocate, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. 2000e; 42 U.S.C. 1981. In…
Date: June 8, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1828
Justia Opinion Summary: Ramos, filed a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) regarding her severance agreement's broad release of claims and covenant not to sue, with exceptions for “rights that Employee cannot lawfully…
Date: June 8, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3163
Date: June 7, 2018
Docket Numbers: 17-2282, 17-2724
Justia Opinion Summary: When the district court sentenced Cross (2000) and Davis (1992), the then-mandatory sentencing guidelines prescribed an elevated sentence for career offenders. A defendant qualified as a career offender upon his third…
Date: June 6, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2073
Justia Opinion Summary: A confidential informant told Officer Hronopoulos that Wheeler had guns in his Chicago apartment. This informant had previously given good information, so Hronopoulos drove the informant by Wheeler’s apartment to confirm…
Date: June 6, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2244
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2003, Williams, behind on paying SCCA condominium association fees, filed the first of five, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy petitions so that creditors were stayed from initiating collection. Her scheme was to not make…
Date: June 5, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1036
Justia Opinion Summary: Wisconsin proposes to renovate 7.5 miles of Highway 164 (formerly Highway J), a two-lane Washington County road, with repaving, reconstruction near hill crests to improve visibility, widening lanes and shoulders,…
Date: June 5, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1326
Justia Opinion Summary: Fryer and the Alliance for Water Efficiency collaborated on a study about drought. The Alliance worked on funding. Fryer circulated a draft of the report. The Alliance expressed concern with the methodology and sued…
Date: June 5, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1747
Justia Opinion Summary: As CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, Byrd-Bennett worked behind the scenes to assure that companies headed by Solomon and Vranas received lucrative contracts. In exchange, Solomon and Vranas agreed that they would pay…
Date: June 4, 2018
Docket Numbers: 17-1814, 17-1809, 17-1926
Justia Opinion Summary: JCI is a manufacturing company with its principal place of business in Illinois. The Shein Law Center is a law firm based in Pennsylvania. Simon Greenstone Panatier Bartlett is a law firm based in Texas, with offices in…
Date: June 4, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1990
Justia Opinion Summary: Dalton’s doctor implanted Teva’s Intrauterine Device (IUD) in her uterus for long-term birth control. Dalton became dissatisfied with the IUD and asked her doctor to remove it. The doctor did so by grasping its strings…
Date: May 31, 2018
Docket Number: 16-3568
Justia Opinion Summary: Macias, a six-year-old citizen of Mexico, entered the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident in 1976. In 1990, he was convicted of attempted aggravated criminal sexual assault, aggravated battery, and burglary. While in…
Date: May 31, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3221
Justia Opinion Summary: Mayle, an adherent of “non-theistic Satanism,” sued to enjoin the printing of the national motto, “In God We Trust,” on U.S. currency. The Seventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of his complaint, rejecting claims under…
Date: May 30, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2498
Justia Opinion Summary: In July 2014, Allen‐Gregory filed a putative class action alleging that Fortville violated class members’ due process rights by terminating their water service without a hearing. Fortville revised its procedures,…
Date: May 30, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3277
Justia Opinion Summary: Schock resigned from Congress in 2015, after disclosures about trips he took at public expense, the expense of his elaborate office furnishings, and how he had applied campaign funds. Schock was charged with mail and…
Date: May 29, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1727
Justia Opinion Summary: Schmidt admitted to murdering his wife but tried to rely on the Wisconsin-law defense of “adequate provocation” to mitigate the crime from first- to second-degree homicide. A state trial judge held a pretrial hearing on…
Date: May 29, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2062
Justia Opinion Summary: Charged with two counts of financial institution fraud, making a false statement to a financial institution, and bankruptcy fraud (18 U.S.C. 1344, 18 U.S.C. 1014) for submitting false documents concerning his sale of…
Date: May 25, 2018
Docket Numbers: 15-2212, 15‐2929, 15‐3615
Justia Opinion Summary: Gnatyuk entered the U.S. on a visitor’s visa in 2003. His wife, Melnik, arrived a year later but was apprehended on entry because she presented a fraudulent passport. She requested asylum and passed a credible fear…
Date: May 25, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1945
Justia Opinion Summary: Geraci owns and lives in a unit at Union Square. After an incident in a Union Square’s elevator, involving another individual and several dogs, Geraci sought psychological treatment and was diagnosed with post‐traumatic…
Date: May 25, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2355
Justia Opinion Summary: Derek Boogaard was a professional hockey player with the Minnesota Wild. Team doctors repeatedly prescribed Derek pain pills for injuries. He became addicted. In 2009 the NHL placed Derek into its Substance Abuse and…
Date: May 23, 2018
Docket Number: 16-3845
Justia Opinion Summary: Groce faced nine counts: three for sex trafficking; conspiracy to engage in interstate transportation for prostitution; interstate transportation for prostitution; maintaining a drug house; using or carrying a firearm in…
Date: May 23, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2865
Justia Opinion Summary: Landlord sued in 2005, contending that Joliet had interfered with the way in which it set rents apartments under the mark-to-market program for rates at subsidized apartments and violated the Fair Housing Act (FHA), 42…
Date: May 22, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3149
Justia Opinion Summary: Prolite Building Supply bought Ply Gem windows, which it resold to Wisconsin builders. Some homeowners were not satisfied with the windows, which admitted air even when closed. Contractors stopped buying from Prolite,…
Date: May 21, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1998
Justia Opinion Summary: Ramos-Braga's São Paulo neighborhood was controlled by a gang (PCC), which tried to recruit him and attacked him many times. Police did not help but beat him when he made reports. After a beating hospitalized him for two…
Date: May 18, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2577
Justia Opinion Summary: Indiana juvenile courts may establish juvenile facilities; the judge must appoint staff and determine budgets. The county must pay the facility's expenses from general funds. The Allen Superior Court established a…
Date: May 18, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3177
Justia Opinion Summary: Presiding over Wade’s 2008 sentencing for possessing child pornography, Judge Gilbert imposed a sentence of just 36 months, although the guidelines recommendation was 120 months’ imprisonment. Judge Gilbert also granted…
Date: May 17, 2018
Docket Number: 16-3282
Justia Opinion Summary: Laux broke into his ex‐wife’s home and murdered her with a crowbar. An Indiana jury decided that the aggravating circumstance that he committed murder during a burglary outweighed the primary mitigating circumstance that…
Date: May 16, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2631
Justia Opinion Summary: Van Cannon pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a felon, 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1). He was sentenced under the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA), which imposes higher penalties on section 922(g) violators who have three…
Date: May 15, 2018
Docket Numbers: 16-4037, 16-3927
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2009, Tobey placed an order with an internet site advertising “videos of young girls.” When the videos arrived at Tobey’s Florida home, he signed for them and was arrested by U.S. Postal Inspectors as part of a sting…
Date: May 14, 2018
Docket Number: 16-2437
Justia Opinion Summary: Learn died after Perrone injected her with cocaine in 2008. Perrone pleaded guilty to unlawful drug distribution and stipulated that his distribution of the cocaine caused Learn’s death, claiming that they had made a…
Date: May 14, 2018
Docket Number: 16-3970
Justia Opinion Summary: Romeoville Police received a call from a Wisconsin mother who stated that her 15-year-old daughter (April) left Wisconsin with an unknown man and called her from a motel, wanting to come home. Officers went to the motel,…
Date: May 14, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2431
Justia Opinion Summary: SP operates Dayton International Airport parking facilities and is headquartered in Chicago. Plaintiffs allege that they used these parking lots and received receipts that included the expiration date of their credit or…
Date: May 10, 2018
Docket Number: 16-3846
Justia Opinion Summary: Manley, a school board member, was not up for reelection but her allies were when she had a verbal altercation with a student who was leaf-letting for Manley’s political opponents outside a high school play. The student…
Date: May 10, 2018
Docket Number: 16-4182
Justia Opinion Summary: Tucker and co-defendants were charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin, with an allegation that a 2009 death resulted from the use of heroin distributed by the conspiracy. Tucker’s co-defendants pleaded guilty.…
Date: May 9, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1918
Justia Opinion Summary: Mimms, an Indiana-licensed physician, prescribes controlled substances to patients. Several times, CVS Pharmacy employees informed Mimms’s patients that they would not fill their prescriptions. Mimms sued, alleging…
Date: May 9, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2564
Justia Opinion Summary: Quinn applied to become an Indianapolis firefighter. He passed the written examination, oral interview, and Certified Physical Agility Test and was placed on a ranked list for hiring consideration. The Department hired…
Date: May 9, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2818
Justia Opinion Summary: Jones took off running as officers in an unmarked police car approached. Officers Milone and Dillman gave chase, identifying themselves as police officer. At trial, Milone testified that, using a flashlight, he observed…
Date: May 8, 2018
Docket Number: 16-1430
Justia Opinion Summary: Chicago’s Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA) investigated complaints against police, including domestic violence, excessive force, and death in custody, and made disciplinary recommendations: allegations were…
Date: May 8, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1733
Justia Opinion Summary: The initial six-month agreement between LimeCoral and CareerBuilder specified that all graphic designs created for CareerBuilder would constitute the exclusive property of CareerBuilder and said nothing about renewal…
Date: May 8, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2526
Justia Opinion Summary: Brokers Webb and Beversdorf were fired by Jefferies. They challenged their termination. As their employment contracts required, they filed claims in the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s arbitration forum. They…
Date: May 7, 2018
Docket Number: 16-3423
Justia Opinion Summary: In “Citadel” the Seventh Circuit held that “the district court did not abuse its discretion in dismissing [the] case [of certain securities firms] for failure to exhaust administrative remedies.” After that decision,…
Date: May 7, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3023
Justia Opinion Summary: HH intended to open an Indianapolis retail establishment, “Hustler Hollywood,” entered a 10-year lease, and applied for sign and building permits. HH’s proposed store was located in a zoning district that prohibited…
Date: May 7, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3207
Justia Opinion Summary: Valenti is a convicted felon and registered sex offender, with a 1993 California conviction for a “Lewd or Lascivious Act with [a] Child Under 14 Years.” Valenti claimed that Indiana violated his right to vote by…
Date: May 4, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2896
Justia Opinion Summary: Britt, now 55, applied for Disability Benefits and Supplemental Security Income after a construction crane smashed his big toe in 2008. An ALJ granted Britt benefits for the period beginning in March 2013, but denied him…
Date: May 3, 2018
Docket Number: 16-4217
Justia Opinion Summary: Illinois authorities arrested Pope for pandering. While the case was pending, Pope was charged with violating the federal pandering law, based on the same events. Pope bounced between state and federal facilities under a…
Date: May 3, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1186
Justia Opinion Summary: Gill, part of a large heroin distribution operation, participated in a retaliatory shooting. In 2008, in Illinois state court, Gill pled guilty to aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in connection with that shooting. In…
Date: May 3, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1416
Justia Opinion Summary: Yahya entered the U.S. on a six-month tourist visa in either 2000 or 2001 and overstayed. According to Yahya, in 2003, he voluntarily appeared to register in the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System and was…
Date: May 3, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1439
Justia Opinion Summary: Arreola-Castillo was convicted of a federal drug crime. Because he had at least two prior felony drug convictions, based on guilty pleas, in New Mexico, he was subject to the recidivism provisions of 21 U.S.C. 841 and…
Date: May 3, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1880
Justia Opinion Summary: During the 2008 financial crisis, Congress created the Federal Housing Finance Agency and authorized it to place into conservatorship the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage…
Date: May 3, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2593
Justia Opinion Summary: A federal warrant, issued in July 2015, authorized federal agents to use pen registers, trap-and-trace devices, historical cell-call records, and “electronic investigative techniques” to capture and analyze signals…
Date: May 2, 2018
Docket Number: 16-3979
Justia Opinion Summary: When Ferguson was 17 years old he shot a woman three times during a carjacking, causing significant permanent injury. He was apprehended after a high-speed chase. Ferguson pleaded guilty to vehicular robbery by force and…
Date: May 2, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1369
Justia Opinion Summary: Perez grew up in Honduras. When Perez was 14, a street gang told him to join or “suffer the consequences.” Perez moved. Later that year, the gang confronted Perez again. Perez ran away and dropped out of school. Later,…
Date: May 2, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1598
Justia Opinion Summary: Police executed a search warrant at Thurman’s residence after a cooperating informant purchased heroin inside. They discovered drug paraphernalia, two handguns, and a large amount of money. Thurman was charged with…
Date: May 2, 2018
Docket Numbers: 17-1866, 17‐1773, 17‐1860, 17‐2622, 17‐2756, 18‐1374
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs defaulted on credit cards. PRA, an Illinois debt collection agency, bought the accounts for collection. Debtors Legal Clinic sent separate letters on behalf of each plaintiff to PRA, stating “the amount…
Date: May 2, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2074
Justia Opinion Summary: The bank robber, wearing construction gear and a scarf wrapped around his face, held a firearm and demanded money. The teller gave him $3,000 with a concealed GPS tracking device. After the robber left, police…
Date: April 30, 2018
Docket Number: 16-4074
Justia Opinion Summary: Freelain worked as a police officer for five years before Sergeant Vardal made what Freelain perceived as inappropriate and unwelcome sexual advances toward him. According to Freelain, he was not the only person…
Date: April 27, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2331
Justia Opinion Summary: Terry, an Illinois prisoner proceeding pro se, sued prison officials and corrections administrators under 42 U.S.C. 1983 claiming that they were deliberately indifferent to a painful tumor on his neck and prevented him…
Date: April 26, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1206
Justia Opinion Summary: Kleber is an attorney with extensive experience, including private law practice in Chicago, work as a general counsel for a major national company, and leadership of a national trade association, a real estate…
Date: April 26, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3468
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2014, Bethea used fraudulently obtained credit cards to purchase merchandise at retailers in Wisconsin. Indicted for possessing a counterfeit access device, 18 U.S.C. 1029(a)(1), Bethea agreed to plead guilty. At a…
Date: April 25, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1658
Justia Opinion Summary: In Jansen’s bankruptcy case, Gleason brought an adversary proceeding, 11 U.S.C. 523(a)(2)(A), regarding a default judgment ($400,000) obtained in a case involving a phony investment scheme. Gleason unsuccessfully argued…
Date: April 25, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2499
Justia Opinion Summary: Wisconsin law gives state university students rights to organize themselves and to run their governments, which have the power to spend substantial funds. Plaintiffs, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) Student…
Date: April 24, 2018
Docket Number: 16-1231
Justia Opinion Summary: DaSilva, a Waupan Correctional Institution inmate, received his medication one evening, then became dizzy, vomited, lost consciousness, and fell, hitting his head. DaSilva believes he was given the wrong medication. More…
Date: April 24, 2018
Docket Number: 16-4003
Justia Opinion Summary: Stephens was born in 1957 and has a ninth-grade education. He worked as a taxi dispatcher and a security guard in the 15 years preceding his alleged disability. Stephens contends that he is disabled by diabetes, kidney…
Date: April 24, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2621
Justia Opinion Summary: From 2009-2014, Sampra was an FAA field electrical engineer, initially assigned to Chicago’s Midway Airport. She was eventually assigned to oversee technical support services contract work releases, which required little…
Date: April 19, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1898
Justia Opinion Summary: As Harvey and Eibeck walked through Peoria, four men confronted them. One reached for his waistband. Harvey and Eibeck, who was high, ran. Eibeck heard a gunshot and kept running. The shooter killed Harvey. Police found…
Date: April 19, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2991
Justia Opinion Summary: The Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program allocates substantial funds annually to provide for the needs of state and local law enforcement, including personnel, equipment, training. In 2017, the Attorney…
Date: April 19, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3163
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2016, the Governor of Indiana signed into law HEA 1337, which created new provisions and amended others that regulate abortion procedures within Indiana. Planned Parenthood filed suit, seeking declaratory and…
Date: April 17, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1357
Justia Opinion Summary: For several weeks, Redman posed as a psychiatrist at a Chicago medical clinic using the name and license number of Dr. Garcia. He “treated” patients for mental illnesses, and “prescribed” controlled substances. Redman…
Date: April 17, 2018
Docket Numbers: 17-1577, 17-2215
Justia Opinion Summary: College of DuPage hired Breuder as its president. After extensions, his contract ran through 2019. In 2015 newly-elected members of the Board of Trustees, having campaigned on a pledge to remove Breuder, discharged him…
Date: April 17, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1940
Justia Opinion Summary: University Park hired Linear as its Village Manager through May 2015, concurrent with the term of its Mayor. In October 2014 the Village extended Linear’s contract for a year. In April 2015 Mayor Covington was reelected.…
Date: April 16, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1299
Justia Opinion Summary: Starting in 2008, Sunmola carried out an online romance scheme from South Africa, targeting middle-aged women in Georgia and Illinois. Sunmola often used pictures of men in U.S. military uniforms in his online profile to…
Date: April 11, 2018
Docket Numbers: 17-1677, 17-1676
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2012 Northern changed its defined-benefit pension plan under which retirement income depended on years worked, times an average of the employee’s five highest-earning consecutive years, times a constant (traditional…
Date: April 11, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2146
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2012, hackers infiltrated the computer networks at Schnuck Markets, a large Midwestern grocery store chain based in Missouri, and stole the data of about 2.4 million credit and debit cards. By the time the intrusion…
Date: April 11, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2408
Justia Opinion Summary: Barnes & Noble discovered that its PIN pads, used to verify payment information, had been compromised. The hackers acquired customers’ names, card numbers and expiration dates, and PINs. Some customers temporarily lost…
Date: April 10, 2018
Docket Numbers: 15-3581, 15-3575
Justia Opinion Summary: In his third round of appeals, the Seventh Circuit affirmed Cureton’s convictions and sentences for using a firearm during a crime of violence and related crimes. The Supreme Court remanded for reconsideration in light…
Date: April 10, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1565
Justia Opinion Summary: The Mayor of Chicago appoints the city’s Board of Education, 105 ILCS 5/34-3. Until 1995, the Mayor needed the consent of the City Council; now the Mayor acts independently. Plaintiffs claimed that the system violated…
Date: April 10, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1770
Justia Opinion Summary: Linderman bought an Indianapolis house in 2004 and lived there with her ex-husband, their children, and her parents. In 2013, Linderman left and stopped paying the mortgage loan. The others left in 2014. The unoccupied…
Date: April 10, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2307
Justia Opinion Summary: During the execution of a search warrant, ATF agents found Bell in possession of a pistol. Charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm under 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1), Bell entered a plea agreement. The Presentence…
Date: April 10, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2402
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs visited different Massage Envy locations and had massages that lasted about 50 minutes. The company advertises, on its website, an “Introductory 1‐hour Massage Session*” at the price of $50. Clicking through…
Date: April 10, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3220
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2014, Williams was charged with conspiracy to possess heroin with intent to distribute. He entered the Pretrial Alternatives Detention Initiative (PADI), graduated in June 2015, and was referred to the Probation…
Date: April 4, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1802
Justia Opinion Summary: Akin, a 47-year-old woman, claims that she became disabled in 2011 principally from fibromyalgia, back and neck pain, and headaches. An administrative law judge denied her application for Supplemental Security Income.…
Date: April 3, 2018
Docket Number: 16-3050
Justia Opinion Summary: Brock-Miller pled guilty, with a plea agreement, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin. She received a sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment. She then challenged her conviction under 28 U.S.C. 2255,…
Date: April 2, 2018
Docket Number: 16-1875
Justia Opinion Summary: Otis’s amended pro se 42 U.S.C. 1983 complaint alleged that Waterford Officer Demarasse stopped Otis on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Otis claims she alerted the officer that she was “very sick and bleeding”…
Date: April 2, 2018
Docket Number: 16-2592
Justia Opinion Summary: Hicks led an organization that processed, packaged, and sold drugs in Chicago. A jury found him and co-defendants guilty of conspiracy with intent to distribute over 50 grams of crack cocaine, 21 U.S.C. 841(b)(1)(A).…
Date: April 2, 2018
Docket Number: 16-3838
Justia Opinion Summary: Baek purchased property through his LLC and obtained financing from Labe Bank; Frank was the loan officer. Frank later moved to NCB and asked Baek to move his business, representing that NCB would provide a larger…
Date: March 27, 2018
Docket Number: 15-2303
Date: March 27, 2018
Docket Number: 16-3556
Date: March 27, 2018
Docket Numbers: 16-3557, 15-2295, 15-2303, 16-3556, 15-2296, 16-3555, 15-2302, 15-2298, 15-2304
Justia Opinion Summary: Thorncreek, a Park Forest townhouse complex, applied to the Village for a permit to use a vacant townhouse as a business office but began to conduct its business from the townhouse without a permit. The Village cited it…
Date: March 27, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2383
Justia Opinion Summary: Henricks owned a towing business, an auto body shop, and a vehicle dealership, which he used to defraud insurance companies by filing fraudulent claims. Henricks’s wife, Catherine, worked at the companies sporadically…
Date: March 26, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2324
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff, a Singaporean shipping company, entered into shipping contracts with an Indian mining company. The Indian company breached those contracts. Plaintiff believes that American businesses that were the largest…
Date: March 23, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2629
Justia Opinion Summary: Austin spent time at a Hebron, Indiana Walgreens store, walked toward the registers, then slipped and fell. Austin did not see anything on the floor that would have caused the fall and testified: “my right foot hit…
Date: March 22, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1486
Justia Opinion Summary: Credit One repeatedly called A.D.’s (a minor) cell phone about payments owed on her mother’s account. A.D., by and through her mother, Serrano, brought a putative class action under the Telephone Consumer Protection…
Date: March 22, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1844
Justia Opinion Summary: At age 56, Newman purchased a long-term-care insurance plan MetLife, opting for one of MetLife’s non-standard options for paying her insurance premiums, “Reduced-Pay-at 65.” From the outset, Newman paid the elevated…
Date: March 22, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2809
Justia Opinion Summary: Blake is a below‐median income debtor who filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy. In her proposed bankruptcy plan, Blake sought to retain her annual earned income tax credit and a portion of her tax over‐withholdings. Trustee…
Date: March 21, 2018
Docket Number: 16-4094
Justia Opinion Summary: Hampton, a convicted felon, robbed a post office at gunpoint. Weeks later, he was arrested after breaking into a business. When deputies searched Hampton’s home, they found three firearms; two were stolen. At the…
Date: March 21, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1279
Justia Opinion Summary: Sarfraz was convicted of sexually assaulting I.N., an immigrant who, with her father, briefly lived with Sarfraz after arriving in this country. I.N. testified that Sarfraz forced his way into her apartment, strangled…
Date: March 21, 2018
Docket Numbers: 17-1591, 17‐1683
Justia Opinion Summary: For decades, Elkhart, Indiana’s Concord High School has held a “Christmas Spectacular” concert. In 2015, the Freedom From Religion Foundation wrote a letter expressing concerns about the religious nature of the…
Date: March 21, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1683
Date: March 21, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1790
Justia Opinion Summary: A Wisconsin John Doe proceeding is conducted by a judge, to collect evidence and determine whether probable cause exists to issue a criminal complaint. During the time at issue, a proceeding could subpoena witnesses,…
Date: March 21, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1929
Justia Opinion Summary: Shields parked his car partially in a crosswalk, in violation of a Chicago ordinance. Officers approached Shields, who was in the driver’s seat. They told Shields to get out of the car. He ran. An officer chased and…
Date: March 21, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3040
Justia Opinion Summary: AT&T notified Walton that she owed $268.47 on her closed AT&T account number 119864170 and that failure to pay “may cause your account to be referred to an outside collection agency.” Walton did not pay the bill. She…
Date: March 19, 2018
Docket Numbers: 16-3525, 16-2860
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2011, Faulkner, a high-ranking member of the Imperial Insane Vice Lords, was prosecuted for heroin distribution that occurred in 2007-2008, and for heroin found in his apartment. Following his arrest, Faulkner…
Date: March 19, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2640
Justia Opinion Summary: Ballard obtained a $280,000 loan from SBH to construct the Stone Fence residence, then requested another $90,000 to finish the property. There was insufficient equity to cover that amount; SBH lent him $20,000. Ballard…
Date: March 15, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1424
Justia Opinion Summary: Cannici was a Melrose Park firefighter for 16 years before being terminated for violation of the Residency Ordinance. Cannici and his family lived in Melrose Park until 2008 when they bought a home in Orland Park while…
Date: March 15, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2151
Justia Opinion Summary: Marmion and three co-defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine. Marmion’s codefendants received lengthy sentences (63 months, 144 months, and 168 months). Marmion aced a statutory minimum of…
Date: March 15, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2712
Justia Opinion Summary: Hyland was a passenger in a car owned by Perkins and driven by Smith, age 16. Smith smashed the car into two parked vehicles, seriously injuring Hyland. Smith was convicted of aggravated reckless driving. Neither Smith…
Date: March 14, 2018
Docket Number: 14-3754
Justia Opinion Summary: Cruz-Martinez, a Mexican citizen, came to the U.S. illegally in 1993. He was removed in 2002 under a stipulated removal order for “Rocha-Martinez,” which was an alias. Cruz-Martinez states that in 2005 armed men who had…
Date: March 14, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1278
Justia Opinion Summary: Madlock, an African American woman, has worked at WEPCO since 1977. While Madlock was working in the Industrial Billing section, she was not in management, but was a point person for her team of “billers.” In 2011,…
Date: March 13, 2018
Docket Number: 16-4048
Justia Opinion Summary: Illinois police used a peer-to-peer file sharing program to download child pornography from a computer in Ryan’s home. The FBI obtained a warrant, searched Ryan’s home, and found a computer that contained peer-to-peer…
Date: March 13, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2195
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2012, Dobbs hired McLaughlin to represent him in a products liability suit against DePuy for a 35% contingency fee agreement. The attorney filed Dobbs’s complaint in the DePuy Hip Implant Multidistrict Litigation in…
Date: March 12, 2018
Docket Number: 15-3343
Justia Opinion Summary: Dillard and Chester were engaged in a conspiracy to distribute heroin. They sold heroin to Daniels, a confidential informant, three times. They were separately charged. In the affidavit, an FBI agent detailed several…
Date: March 12, 2018
Docket Number: 16-2840
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2009, ManWeb, an Indianapolis industrial construction company, paid $259,360 for the assets of Frieje, a smaller Indianapolis construction company specializing in cold‐storage facilities. Freije was a party to a…
Date: March 12, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1337
Justia Opinion Summary: Pankow started selling methamphetamine for a friend in 2015. After their supplier was incarcerated, Pankow’s friend drove to Minnesota to buy the methamphetamine. Pankow started helping her friend sell it out of their…
Date: March 12, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1524
Justia Opinion Summary: RTSI produces and maintains traffic safety systems. Rosenberg was RTSI’s Vice President of Sales. RTSI contracted to manage Chicago's automated red light enforcement program. In 2012, the Chicago Tribune published…
Date: March 12, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2422
Justia Opinion Summary: The National Organic Standards Board, an advisory committee, has 15 members, all appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture, 7 U.S.C.6518(b), (c); its principal task is advising the Secretary what belongs on the “National…
Date: March 9, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2802
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2002 a Greyhound bus struck and killed Claudia. Her daughter, Cristina, age seven, witnessed the accident. In 2016 Cristina settled claims against Greyhound and other potentially responsible persons for $5 million.…
Date: March 8, 2018
Docket Number: 16-3253
Justia Opinion Summary: A 2000 “John Doe” complaint charged an unknown individual with sexually assaulting five women in 1994-1995. Although the defendant’s identity was unknown, the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory had evidence of his genetic…
Date: March 8, 2018
Docket Number: 16-3957
Justia Opinion Summary: Joas underwent knee replacement at a Wisconsin hospital and received a Zimmer NexGen Flex implant. Within a few years, he began experiencing pain in his new knee. X-rays confirmed that the implant had loosened and…
Date: March 8, 2018
Docket Numbers: 16-4152, 15-3453
Justia Opinion Summary: Caguana’s 17-year-old son was charged with murder. His son’s friends, also arrested, became state witnesses. Caguana called Valentin to find a hitman to kill the two. Valentin contacted Chicago Police Detective…
Date: March 8, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1423
Justia Opinion Summary: Herman, a member of the Latin Dragons gang, shot two people while he was stealing their guns. He pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, 18 U.S.C. 922(g). The district court imposed a two-level…
Date: March 8, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1725
Justia Opinion Summary: Teague pled guilty to possession of a weapon by a felon. In a Presentence Investigation Report, the U.S. Probation Department assigned a base offense level of 14. The government argued the base level should be 20 because…
Date: March 8, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1924
Justia Opinion Summary: A confidential source alerted Rock Island police that Watson was selling drugs from the home she shared with her husband, Leonard. Officers twice, one week apart, searched sealed trash bags left in a public alley outside…
Date: March 8, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2002
Justia Opinion Summary: IC, the subsidiary of a Canadian corporation, hired plaintiff, a U.S. citizen, age 55, as a management trainee. He completed the program and served in multiple management positions. With a 2011 promotion, plaintiff…
Date: March 8, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2103
Justia Opinion Summary: Indianapolis police received a report that Koster was vomiting and having trouble breathing. Koster’s apartment-complex manager gave responders keys to Koster’s apartment in case Koster could not answer the door. Officer…
Date: March 8, 2018
Docket Numbers: 17-2761, 17‐2759
Justia Opinion Summary: Adrian established Red Brick Properties, to purchase, rehabilitate, and resell homes. Adrian's wife, Daniela, the only employee with a real estate license, served as office manager. They sought buyers who did not have…
Date: March 7, 2018
Docket Number: 16-1781
Justia Opinion Summary: Melesio‐Rodriguez was brought to the U.S. from Mexico as a child. She became a lawful permanent resident in 1998, at age 19. She was convicted of battery and attempted possession of cocaine in 2003 and of attempted…
Date: March 7, 2018
Docket Number: 16-3599
Justia Opinion Summary: Guzman was a Brown County 911 dispatcher from 2002-2013. Since 2011, Brown County has had a third-party vendor manage disability, Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and unpaid leave requests. Employees do not need approval…
Date: March 7, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1005
Justia Opinion Summary: Jansen pleaded guilty to wire fraud, 18 U.S.C. 1343, and tax evasion, 26 U.S.C. 7201. Before sentencing, Jansen’s third attorney (Steinback) withdrew. His new attorney, Beaumont, requested Rule 16 discovery and obtained…
Date: March 7, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1659
Justia Opinion Summary: Richard and Kathryn are the beneficiaries of their parents’ multi‐million dollar trust, which is administered by Richard, Kathryn, and a corporate trustee. When their father died, the two fell into “irreconcilable”…
Date: March 7, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2222
Justia Opinion Summary: Rodriguez pled guilty to dealing firearms without a license and distributing cocaine. In his plea agreement, Rodriguez admitted to selling cocaine to an informant on one occasion and selling firearms to that informant on…
Date: March 7, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2334
Justia Opinion Summary: Illinois State Trooper Patterson observed a car abruptly switch lanes in front of a truck without using a signal on I-70. A dashboard camera recorded the traffic stop. Patterson reviewed documents from Moran, the driver,…
Date: March 7, 2018
Docket Number: 17-3051
Justia Opinion Summary: FanDuel and DraftKings conduct online fantasy‐sports games. Participants pay an entry fee and select a roster, subject to a budget cap that prevents every entrant from picking only the best players. Results from real…
Date: March 5, 2018
Docket Number: 16-1679
Justia Opinion Summary: Miller obtained identifying information for several individuals without their knowledge or consent, which he used to open credit card accounts; he opened UPS mailboxes under the victims’ names to receive the cards, which…
Date: March 5, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1056
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2010, Kirklin drove Jones and McCallister to rob a bank and gave Jones firearms. The two left with stolen money but were arrested near the scene. Kirklin was convicted of aiding and abetting the robbery and aiding and…
Date: March 5, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2296
Justia Opinion Summary: Armenta worked at Passages as a certified nursing assistant and later as a regional director of certified nursing assistants. Passages billed its services to Medicare. Medicare paid $180 per patient per day for routine…
Date: March 2, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1131
Justia Opinion Summary: White and others bought merchandise with fake checks and then returned it for cash. Over four years, the group targeted 32 stores and inflicted actual losses of approximately $627,000. In his plea agreement, White…
Date: March 2, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1756
Justia Opinion Summary: Jane Doe is a transgender man residing in Marion County, Indiana. Doe is originally from Mexico. The U.S. granted him asylum because of the persecution he might face in Mexico for being transgender. Doe alleges that he…
Date: March 1, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2574
Justia Opinion Summary: Barnes pleaded guilty to offenses related to the distribution of crack cocaine and was sentenced to 300 months of imprisonment. Barnes did not appeal. In 2012, Barnes moved under 28 U.S.C. 2255 to vacate, set aside, or…
Date: March 1, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2773
Justia Opinion Summary: Springfield’s zoning code allows “family care residence[s],” defined as: A single dwelling unit occupied on a relatively permanent basis in a family-like environment by a group of no more than six unrelated persons with…
Date: February 27, 2018
Docket Number: 15-3474
Justia Opinion Summary: House was convicted of six counts of bank fraud, 18 U.S.C. 1344, based on his involvement in a fraudulent automobile loan scheme. House was personally involved in applying to credit unions for 51 loans for fictitious…
Date: February 27, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1757
Justia Opinion Summary: Michael, age 16, and three other young men attempted to rob a Rockford pizzeria at gunpoint. Pobjecky, an off‐duty police officer waiting for a pizza, shot and killed Michael. Video recordings captured part of the…
Date: February 26, 2018
Docket Numbers: 16-1872, 16-1580
Justia Opinion Summary: In both cases, the defendants pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a felon, 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1). The court found that each had three prior burglary convictions that were violent felonies under the Armed Career…
Date: February 26, 2018
Docket Number: 16-4160
Justia Opinion Summary: Police investigated Musgraves for dealing drugs. Searching Musgraves’ house, they found ammunition, which Musgraves, a felon, was not allowed to possess. Musgraves agreed to act as Detective McCray's informant and was…
Date: February 26, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2040
Justia Opinion Summary: Doe sought lawful permanent residence in the U.S. under the EB-5 visa program, which requires applicants to invest in a new U.S. commercial enterprise, 8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(5)(A). Doe invested $500,000 in Elgin Assisted…
Date: February 26, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2412
Justia Opinion Summary: Before a Milwaukee-area Verizon store was robbed, witnesses in the store noticed a Mercedes sitting in the parking lot for an extended time. Just before the robber entered through the rear door, the Mercedes drove to the…
Date: February 21, 2018
Docket Number: 16-3543
Justia Opinion Summary: Cunningham pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess stolen firearms and ammunition, 18 U.S.C. 371 and 922(j); possession of stolen firearms and ammunition, section 922(j); and possession of firearms by a felon, section…
Date: February 21, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2516
Justia Opinion Summary: Montes owns houses in California and in Wisconsin. After filing suit, Cunningham arranged for service of process at the Wisconsin address. No one answered the door. The process server called Montes, who refused to…
Date: February 20, 2018
Docket Number: 16-1778
Justia Opinion Summary: Lemons called 911 to report vandalism. Officer Cates and his partner responded. Cates and Lemons were left alone in her home. Lemons claimed that Cates raped her; Cates claimed that they had consensual sex. Cates was…
Date: February 20, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1831
Justia Opinion Summary: Hudson was shot and killed; the gun was not recovered. Riley was charged with first-degree murder and being an armed habitual criminal. The judge severed the armed habitual criminal count and proceeded with the murder…
Date: February 20, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2660
Justia Opinion Summary: Martensen was a supervisor in the Chicago Stock Exchange’s unit responsible for examining compliance with trading regulations. He was fired in 2016. He claimed his firing violated 15 U.S.C. 78u–6(h), a part of the…
Date: February 16, 2018
Docket Numbers: 15-3581, 15-3575
Justia Opinion Summary: While Cureton was under investigation for dealing crack cocaine, he used a gun to demand ransom for his roommate; her grandfather agreed by telephone to wire Cureton $4,500. A jury convicted Cureton of interstate…
Date: February 16, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1031
Justia Opinion Summary: Bailey offered to sell marijuana to an informant who had already brokered the purchase of a firearm from him. The informant accepted the offer and purchased $40 worth of marijuana from Bailey contemporaneously with the…
Date: February 16, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1954
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2006, Moreno fell off scaffolding and landed on his back while working. An orthopedist found a soft tissue injury but no signs of fracture. He continued to feel significant pain. A follow-up test revealed acute lumbar…
Date: February 15, 2018
Docket Number: 16-3601
Justia Opinion Summary: Jaworski provided construction services to Master Hand, an Illinois general contractor, over several years. Some of these services went unpaid. Jaworski alleged violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, the…
Date: February 15, 2018
Docket Number: 16-3800
Justia Opinion Summary: CNH, which manufactures “New Holland” brand farming and construction machinery, hired the real estate services firm, JLL, to manage a corporate re-branding program that involved the replacement of signage more than 1,400…
Date: February 14, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1752
Justia Opinion Summary: Dragus, who managed information technology for convention vendors, experienced severe neck pain for several years. He underwent a three-level cervical spine fusion, which failed to resolve his pain. Over the next two…
Date: February 14, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1902
Justia Opinion Summary: Officers Bohlen and Rohde saw Avina near a Milwaukee high school with others, including known Mexican Posse street gang members. The assistant principal told the group to leave school property. They crossed the street. …
Date: February 14, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2036
Justia Opinion Summary: Atlas, an authorized interstate transporter of household goods, contracts with agents to perform its shipments. One of its agents, Ace, leases trucks and driving services from owner-operators. In 2009, owner-operator…
Date: February 14, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2044
Justia Opinion Summary: A confidential informant told Winnebago County Deputy Jones that he had purchased crack cocaine from “a larger black male” who was selling drugs from his house and agreed to participate in a controlled buy, stating that…
Date: February 13, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1429
Justia Opinion Summary: A father and son left employment at Engineered Abrasives to start a competing business, American Machine, in 2011. Several lawsuits followed. In 2015, Engineered Abrasives won a default judgment against American Machine…
Date: February 13, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2332
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2013, Grussgot was hired by a Milwaukee private school that provides non-Orthodox Jewish education. The school employs a rabbi and has a chapel and Torah scrolls but does not require its teachers to be Jewish. …
Date: February 12, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1377
Justia Opinion Summary: Thorne has a property insurance policy with Member Select, which denied his claim for coverage after his Griffith, Indiana house burned down in 2008. Thorne chose not to rebuild the house and Member Select determined…
Date: February 12, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1823
Justia Opinion Summary: Hathaway, then 44, was convicted of knowingly transporting a minor (then 13) across state lines to engage in criminal sexual activity and of traveling between states to do so, 18 U.S.C. 2423(a). The PSR recommended that…
Date: February 12, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2164
Justia Opinion Summary: Vexol, a Mexican company that provides plastic and shrink wrap to end users in Mexico, filed suit in the Southern District of Indiana against Berry Plastics, a Delaware corporation that allegedly does business in Mexico…
Date: February 9, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2080
Justia Opinion Summary: The district court ordered Jackson to pay Cooke the death benefit on her husband’s life insurance policy and to reimburse Cooke’s legal expenses. The court concluded that her husband died before the end of a grace period…
Date: February 8, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2290
Justia Opinion Summary: Bernard, a Jamaican citizen, says he realized as a preteen that he was bisexual, but hid it out of fear. He claimed that his family and other Jamaicans persecuted members of the LGBT community. Bernard arrived in the…
Date: February 7, 2018
Docket Number: 16-2106
Justia Opinion Summary: Three Menard Correctional Center officers were preparing inmates to walk from the cell house to dinner when Wilborn rushed out of his cell and attacked Johnson. Bennett and Lloyd took Wilborn to the ground and ordered…
Date: February 7, 2018
Docket Number: 16-3931
Justia Opinion Summary: Thompson pulled his JBS tractor/trailer onto the shoulder, activated his four‐way flashers, and fixed a malfunctioning light. With the flashers still on, he had just reentered the highway and was traveling 15-18 miles an…
Date: February 7, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1817
Justia Opinion Summary: Givens, a Missouri resident, suffered from renal failure, was on dialysis for about 10 years and had experienced multiple strokes. In 2009, she suffered an additional injury from gadolinium dye, a substance used in MRIs,…
Date: February 7, 2018
Docket Numbers: 17-1958, 16-4113
Justia Opinion Summary: Mann attacked his coworker, Baylay, a British citizen. The men, members of an Etihad Airways (incorporated in Abu Dhabi) flight crew, were at a Chicago hotel on a layover. Baylay sued Etihad, Mann, and the hotel’s…
Date: February 6, 2018
Docket Number: 16-2707
Justia Opinion Summary: In this complaint brought by an Indiana prisoner, the Seventh Circuit vacated the summary judgment entered by the district court on Plaintiff’s complaint that two prison guards punched him, put him in a chokehold, and…
Date: February 6, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1844
Justia Opinion Summary: In this action challenging an insurance company’s doubling of Plaintiff’s insurance premium, the Seventh Circuit reversed the district court’s dismissal of Plaintiff’s complaint for failure to state a claim, holding that…
Date: February 5, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1145
Justia Opinion Summary: Kane County Sheriff’s investigators discovered that an IP address was using specialized peer-to-peer software to share child pornography over the internet. They gave this information to the Department of Homeland…
Date: February 2, 2018
Docket Number: 16-1568
Justia Opinion Summary: While on the lookout for a serial bank robber, Chicago police officers misidentified Swanigan as the perpetrator, arrested him, and detained him for approximately 51 hours without a probable-cause hearing. He was…
Date: February 2, 2018
Docket Number: 16-3112
Justia Opinion Summary: Three masked individuals robbed a Milwaukee bank at gunpoint and fled with $4,737 in a Honda Civic with license plates 480-TNG. The next day, police stopped that vehicle; Anderson was the driver and sole occupant. When…
Date: February 2, 2018
Docket Number: 16-4033
Justia Opinion Summary: While Beebe and Lucas Roh were at Starbucks on Rush Street in Chicago, with their sons, five-year-old Alexander and three-year-old Marcus, a wood and metal stanchion, part of a grouping intended to direct customers, fell…
Date: February 2, 2018
Docket Number: 17-2456
Justia Opinion Summary: A.H. is a member of Evanston High School’s track and field team despite having spastic quadriplegia related to cerebral palsy. A.H. is considered an elite athlete within the disabled athletic community. He requested…
Date: February 1, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1508
Justia Opinion Summary: Van Haften, a Wisconsin native, was caught traveling to Turkey to join ISIS. Van Haften holds several bizarre beliefs and has a vendetta against the government, having been convicted of statutory rape and designated a…
Date: February 1, 2018
Docket Number: 17-1674
Justia Opinion Summary: Heraeus sought to obtain discovery from Biomet to use in its trade secret misappropriation case against Biomet in Germany, citing 28 U.S.C. 1782, which allows a party to file a petition in a federal district court to…
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