2019 Seventh Circuit US Court of Appeals Case Law
Opinions 1 - 500 of 1073
Date: December 30, 2019
Docket Numbers: 19-1453, 19‐2312
Justia Opinion Summary: Garcia‐Arce, a citizen of Mexico, was removed from the U.S. and illegally re‐entered. She was arrested for driving under the influence; her removal order was reinstated. Garcia‐Arce sought withholding of removal under 8…
Date: December 30, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1654
Justia Opinion Summary: Dennis fell behind on his debt to Washington Mutual Bank. LVNV bought the debt and Niagara Credit sent a form collection letter on LVNV’s behalf, stating: “Your account was placed with our collection agency” and that…
Date: December 26, 2019
Docket Number: 19-2348
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2006, Allgire was charged with multiple drug-related offenses. He pleaded guilty to two charges and served concurrent terms of 233 months and 120 months. Allgire then began serving concurrent supervised release terms…
Date: December 23, 2019
Docket Numbers: 19-1605, 19-1602, 19-1604
Justia Opinion Summary: The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated Dr. Ley and his opioid addiction treatment company, DORN, conducted undercover surveillance, and decided Ley did not have a legitimate medical purpose in prescribing…
Date: December 20, 2019
Docket Number: 19-2125
Date: December 19, 2019
Docket Number: 19-2125
Date: December 18, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1559
Justia Opinion Summary: Nationwide Credit sent Horia a letter seeking to collect a debt owed to Gottlieb Hospital. By return mail, Horia disputed the claim. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act requires a debt collector that notifies a credit…
Date: December 18, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1831
Justia Opinion Summary: Dancel sued, alleging Groupon had used her photograph to promote a restaurant voucher. Groupon had collected the photograph from Dancel’s public Instagram account based on data linking it to the restaurant’s location.…
Date: December 17, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-3659, 19-1146
Justia Opinion Summary: A group of students who worked part-time for the University of Chicago Libraries wanted to collectively bargain with their university employer. The University believed the student group was ineligible for collective…
Date: December 17, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1366
Justia Opinion Summary: Johnson showed up drunk for an appointment at a rehab clinic and threatened a therapist and the security guard. Police officers arrested and handcuffed Johnson behind his back. He told them that he would run away; they…
Date: December 16, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3475
Justia Opinion Summary: Under the Illinois Election Code, individuals may contribute up to $5,000 to a political campaign; corporations, unions, and associations may donate up to $10,000; and political action committees may provide up to…
Date: December 13, 2019
Docket Number: 19-2246
Justia Opinion Summary: Burciaga lost his job and filed for bankruptcy a week later. On the date the bankruptcy proceeding began, Burciaga’s former employer owed him approximately $24,000 for unused vacation time. Illinois treats vacation pay…
Date: December 12, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2213
Justia Opinion Summary: Years of heavy industrial use at Wisconsin's Badger Army Ammunition Plant contaminated the soil and groundwater with asbestos, lead paint, PCBs, and oil. Operations ceased in 1975. Remediation has yielded thousands of…
Date: December 11, 2019
Docket Number: 19-2189
Justia Opinion Summary: Trumpf, the U.S. subsidiary of an international business, hired Lynch to handle Trumpf’s appearance at a Chicago trade show. Lynch subcontracted with CSI for some of the services. CSI claims that it told Trumpf that it…
Date: December 9, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1032
Justia Opinion Summary: Each plaintiff purchased an opaque, seven-ounce box of Fannie May chocolates for $9.99 plus tax. Although the boxes accurately disclosed the weight of the chocolate within and the number of pieces, the boxes were emptier…
Date: December 9, 2019
Docket Numbers: 19-1872, 19-1760
Justia Opinion Summary: Two non-competing Midwestern companies operated by brothers used marks containing the family name, Fabick. The owner of the registered mark (FI), a small manufacturer of sealants, sued JFTCO, a larger distributor of…
Date: December 6, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3282
Justia Opinion Summary: Edwards pleaded guilty to failing to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, 18 U.S.C. 2250 (SORNA). It was his fourth conviction for a failure to register a change of address…
Date: December 4, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2345
Justia Opinion Summary: Stegall applied and interviewed for a Social Security Administration (SSA) service representative position in 2010. Stegall claims she received an offer of employment at the end of her interview. Stegall subsequently…
Date: December 4, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3609
Justia Opinion Summary: Sergeant Mueller took a leave of absence from the Joliet Police Department to report for active duty in the Illinois National Guard Counterdrug Task Force. The Department placed him on unpaid leave, Mueller resigned from…
Date: December 3, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1865
Justia Opinion Summary: Harnishfeger published a book under a pseudonym, Conversations with Monsters: Chilling, Depraved and Deviant Phone Sex Conversations, concerning her time as a phone‐sex operator. A month later, Harnishfeger began a…
Date: November 27, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3545
Justia Opinion Summary: Porraz was the leader of a Chicago Latin Kings gang for about four years. In 2018 he pleaded guilty to participating in a racketeering conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), 18…
Date: November 27, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1295
Justia Opinion Summary: Dewitt was living with his fiancée, three-year-old son, and four-year-old daughter when he began chatting with Palchak on an anonymous phone application. The men met in an online group, “Open Family Fun.” Palchak was…
Date: November 27, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1569
Justia Opinion Summary: Around 2009, Saccameno defaulted on her mortgage. U.S. Bank began foreclosure proceedings. She began a Chapter 13 bankruptcy plan under which she was to cure her default over 42 months while maintaining her monthly…
Date: November 26, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1605
Justia Opinion Summary: Frederickson lived in Joliet. He was homeless, had a sex crime conviction, and was subject to the Illinois Sexual Offender Registration Act (SORA). He has to register every week in the jurisdiction in which he resides.…
Date: November 26, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1377
Justia Opinion Summary: Centralia’s “Rude Boyz” gang threatened a boy who witnessed a gang-related shooting. The threats were investigated by Peebles, who had arrested many Boyz and was the “go-to guy” for gang intelligence. As Peebles and…
Date: November 26, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1529
Justia Opinion Summary: While shopping at a Wal-Mart store, Waldon believes she slipped on a plastic hanger and fell causing her injuries. Under Indiana premises-liability law, a defendant must have actual or constructive knowledge of a…
Date: November 25, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2765
Justia Opinion Summary: Indianapolis pharmacies were robbed of opioid pills at gunpoint. A pharmacy employee reported that a man in the store, Fisher, had been involved in a previous robbery. An officer approached Fisher, who pulled out a…
Date: November 25, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1223
Justia Opinion Summary: Clay, on parole, broke into his neighbor's home, abducted her and drove her across state lines to withdraw all he could from her bank account—$140. He shoved her into her car's trunk and drove to a parking lot, then…
Date: November 22, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-2993, 19-1576
Justia Opinion Summary: The FBI took over a child-pornography website, “Playpen,” and kept Playpen running to locate people who distributed and viewed child pornography. Playpen allowed visitors to remain anonymous. The FBI obtained a warrant…
Date: November 20, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1601
Justia Opinion Summary: Signode assumed an obligation to pay health-care benefits to a group of retired steelworkers and their families. Signode then exercised its right to terminate the underlying benefits agreement and also stopped providing…
Date: November 19, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1224
Justia Opinion Summary: Glispie pleaded guilty as a felon in possession of a firearm, 18 U.S.C. 922(g), reserving the right to challenge his anticipated designation as an armed career criminal based on his prior Illinois convictions for…
Date: November 19, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1805
Justia Opinion Summary: Amling began working in the horticulture industry in 1965 and continued in that career for the rest of his working life. At one point, Robert worked for National Greenhouse, whose products allegedly contained asbestos.…
Date: November 15, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3217
Justia Opinion Summary: Ford had worked as a Deputy Sheriff for several years when another driver crashed into her patrol vehicle, severely injuring Ford’s dominant right hand. She has not regained use of her hand and suffers…
Date: November 12, 2019
Docket Number: 17-3630
Justia Opinion Summary: In a previous appeal, the Seventh Circuit held that the confirmation of a Chapter 13 payment plan causes the debtor’s assets, including automobiles, to revert to the debtor’s personal ownership unless the judge has made…
Date: November 12, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3232
Justia Opinion Summary: Insurance executive Menzies sold over $64 million in his company’s stock but did not report any capital gains on his 2006 federal income tax return. He alleges that his underpayment of capital gains taxes (and related…
Date: November 12, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1410
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2010-2016, Valdivia worked for the District and received excellent performance evaluations. In 2016, she began reporting to Sisi. Valdivia began experiencing insomnia, weight loss, uncontrollable crying, racing…
Date: November 8, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3448
Justia Opinion Summary: Shoffner was convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm. The Seventh Circuit vacated his below-Guidelines sentence of 84 months’ imprisonment because the district court had miscalculated the base offense level. The…
Date: November 8, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1243
Justia Opinion Summary: Imperial fraudulently purchased finished biodiesel and resold it while claiming government incentives and tax credits for producing biodiesel from raw feedstock. Imperial’s CEO (Wilson) hired Williky to artificially…
Date: November 8, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1296
Justia Opinion Summary: Heredia received four collection letters from CMS, a collections firm, and claims that the language in this correspondence violated the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA), 15 U.S.C. 1692(e). The Seventh Circuit…
Date: November 8, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1731
Justia Opinion Summary: A storm caused minor hail damage at the Winding Ridge condominium complex located in Indiana, which was not discovered until almost a year later when a contractor inspected the property to estimate the cost of roof…
Date: November 8, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1848
Justia Opinion Summary: LHO's Chicago hotel underwent a branding change in February 2014 when the establishment became “Hotel Chicago,” a signature Marriott venue. Around May 2016, Perillo and his associated entities opened their own “Hotel…
Date: November 7, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2295
Justia Opinion Summary: Robinson pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1), 924(a)(2). The probation officer recommended the statutory maximum term of 180 months’ imprisonment. At his sentencing…
Date: November 7, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2757
Justia Opinion Summary: Jack and Angela Howser decided that Angela’s estranged daughter, Jade, was failing to provide a suitable home for Jade’s four-year-old daughter, E.W. After unsuccessfully attempting to blackmail Jade, they enlisted the…
Date: November 7, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3060
Justia Opinion Summary: For four years, nurse practitioner Jordan treated Clanton’s severe hypertension. Jordan, an employee of the U.S. Public Health Service, failed to properly educate Clanton about his disease or to monitor its advancement.…
Date: November 7, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3206
Justia Opinion Summary: McCurry worked at an Illinois warehouse owned by Mars, the candy maker, and operated by Kenco, a management firm. In 2015 Kenco lost its contract with Mars and laid off its Mars employees, including McCurry. A year…
Date: November 7, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3430
Justia Opinion Summary: Burger worked in the Macon County Illinois State’s Attorney’s Office, starting in 2010. Scott was the elected State’s Attorney and his deputy was Assistant SA Kroncke. Burger alleges that Kroncke had authority to hire…
Date: November 7, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1728
Justia Opinion Summary: Lopez was born in Mexico in 1974, His mother, born in Mexico, acquired U.S. citizenship at birth through her mother. Mother entered the U.S. in 1978 and received a certificate of citizenship in 1990. Lopez was admitted…
Date: November 7, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1835
Justia Opinion Summary: Planned Parenthood sued state officials in their official capacities, seeking to enjoin enforcement of Wisconsin abortion regulations. The Attorney General, as counsel for all defendants, answered the complaint, denying…
Date: November 5, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1553
Justia Opinion Summary: Janus was employed by an Illinois agency. A collective bargaining agreement designated AFSCME as the exclusive representative of Janus’s employee unit. Janus exercised his right not to join the union. He objected to…
Date: November 5, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1774
Justia Opinion Summary: Mooney, an Illinois public-school teacher, is not a member of IEA, the union that serves as the exclusive representative of her employee unit in collective bargaining with the school district. The District deducted from…
Date: November 4, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3415
Justia Opinion Summary: Illinois requires medical-malpractice plaintiffs to file an affidavit stating that “there is a reasonable and meritorious cause” for litigation. The plaintiff needs a physician’s report, indicating that the physician has…
Date: November 1, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2525
Justia Opinion Summary: After an argument with his girlfriend, Eatman pounded on her apartment door, yelling to be let inside. Chicago police officers arrived in response to a 911 call, frisked Eatman, seized a loaded handgun, and placed him in…
Date: October 31, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1740
Justia Opinion Summary: Knight, a Wisconsin prisoner, sought treatment for a knee injury. Dr. Grossman, who worked at a hospital that provided medical services to state prisoners, diagnosed Knight with a tear in his anterior cruciate ligament…
Date: October 29, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1030
Justia Opinion Summary: Shell began working at Chicago’s Corwith Rail Yard in 1977. By 2010, BSNF owned Corwith Yard; Shell worked for BNSF's contractor. BNSF assumed the railyard’s operations itself, terminating the employment of those who…
Date: October 29, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1562
Justia Opinion Summary: Lewis, a Wisconsin prisoner, filed suit, alleging violations of his Eighth Amendment rights. The Seventh Circuit vacated summary judgment, finding that a reasonable jury could find that a nurse and a correctional officer…
Date: October 28, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3484
Justia Opinion Summary: Yama Seiki, a California manufacturer of machine tools, sent PMT, a Wisconsin corporation, an exclusive letter of dealership, requiring sales of $1,000,000 or 15 machines in a year and stocking one machine on PMT’s…
Date: October 25, 2019
Docket Number: 17-2937
Justia Opinion Summary: Groves, an accountant, allegedly organized, sold, and promoted abusive tax shelters related to distressed Chinese debts in 2005. The IRS assessed a tax penalty against him ten years later. Groves argued that the…
Date: October 24, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2113
Justia Opinion Summary: Atwood pleaded guilty to federal drug crimes. The presentencing report calculated a Guidelines range of 188-235 months. Judge Bruce sentenced Atwood to 210 months’ imprisonment, citing the 3553(a) factors and stating,…
Date: October 24, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3102
Justia Opinion Summary: Daza worked for the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) as a geologist for 23 years. In 2011, Daza expressed concerns that another employee was denied promotion because of his political affiliation. In 2013,…
Date: October 24, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-3153, 18-3145
Justia Opinion Summary: Kimbrough dated the mother of daughters, ages five and seven, who eventually revealed Kimbrough had molested them for two years. Kimbrough was convicted and sentenced to 80 years’ imprisonment. The judge considered…
Date: October 24, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3703
Date: October 24, 2019
Docket Numbers: 19-1051, 18-3703
Justia Opinion Summary: The Union and the NECA Electrical Contractors Association entered into a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) providing health, welfare, and pension benefits for union workers. The Funds operate as trusts for these…
Date: October 23, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2279
Justia Opinion Summary: Haldorson, a fireworks enthusiast and a drug dealer, was arrested on his way to a second controlled buy. Along with drugs, officers found three pipe bombs in his car. He was charged with several counts related to drugs,…
Date: October 23, 2019
Docket Number: 19-2211
Justia Opinion Summary: States may provide certain home-based services through Medicaid's Home and Community Based Waiver program, 42 U.S.C. 1396n(c). Illinois operates a waiver under which it contracts with non-profit organizations (ISCs) to…
Date: October 22, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1149
Justia Opinion Summary: Hanson was indicted in 2009 for conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine in excess of 500 grams. The prosecution established Hanson’s three prior drug offenses and…
Date: October 22, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1308
Justia Opinion Summary: While on supervised release for possessing a firearm as a felon, Shockey tested positive for methamphetamine, which he later admitted using. A probation officer petitioned to revoke his supervision, charging Shockey with…
Date: October 22, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1747
Justia Opinion Summary: Stewart sustained serious injuries upon crashing his car while driving under the influence. Although Stewart does not remember his time at the hospital he signed a form consenting to treatment. An emergency room doctor…
Date: October 22, 2019
Docket Number: 19-2769
Justia Opinion Summary: The Commodity Futures Trading Commission settled a civil action against Kraft. The consent decree includes a provision: Neither party shall make any public statement about this case other than to refer to the terms of…
Date: October 21, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2150
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs contracted to sell their condominiums. The Illinois Condominium Property Act requires an owner to give the prospective buyer a copy of the condominium declaration and bylaws, the condominium association’s…
Date: October 18, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1034
Justia Opinion Summary: Portee pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1) and faced a sentencing guidelines range of 63–78 months, with a statutory maximum of 120 months. The government sought sentencing…
Date: October 18, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1216
Justia Opinion Summary: Chicago Officers, in uniform, were patrolling a public housing complex in an effort to increase police visibility in anticipation of celebratory gunfire to usher in the new year. They saw Holly walking on a sidewalk…
Date: October 18, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1221
Justia Opinion Summary: School Superintendent Reichhart granted an adult student permission to possess cigarettes on school grounds. Ulrey, the assistant principal, disagreed with that decision. Without approaching Reichhart first, Ulrey called…
Date: October 18, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1424
Justia Opinion Summary: The Marion County Superior Courts and the Sheriff’s Office use different case management systems, which have difficulty communicating. A system implemented to ensure the transfer of data was imperfect. Problems arose…
Date: October 18, 2019
Docket Numbers: 19-2782, 19-2200, 19-2713
Justia Opinion Summary: On May 24, the district court entered an opinion with language that the judge believed would serve as a preliminary injunction. MillerCoors’s appeal was docketed but the district court did not comply with Fed.R.Civ.P.…
Date: October 17, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-2990, 16-4153
Justia Opinion Summary: Rapper Jayceon Taylor, also called “The Game,” starred in a VH1 television show called She’s Got Game. While filming in Chicago in 2015, Taylor took contestant Rainey on an off-camera date at a bar. Taylor sexually…
Date: October 16, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-2153, 18-2068
Justia Opinion Summary: The Railroad sent Abernathy and Probus to repair a railroad crossing, which required them to transport ties several miles. The Railroad had a “tie crane,” which runs on the railroad tracks but it had been inoperable for…
Date: October 16, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3134
Justia Opinion Summary: For nearly 30 years, Chicago Studio operated the only film studio in Chicago. In 2010, Cinespace opened a new studio. Cinespace rapidly expanded its studio to include 26 more stages and 24 times more floor space than…
Date: October 15, 2019
Docket Number: 17-2821
Justia Opinion Summary: Walker, a Stateville Correctional Center inmate, has an incurable motor neuron disease, primary lateral sclerosis (PLS). PLS causes weakness in his voluntary muscles. Walker alleges that Stateville’s healthcare providers…
Date: October 15, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1171
Justia Opinion Summary: An Airbnb guest at Wonsey’s Chicago home reported to police that his belongings disappeared after he lost consciousness from a seizure. The gate to Wonsey’s house was locked; no one responded to the doorbell. Sergeant…
Date: October 15, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1633
Justia Opinion Summary: Malukas, a citizen of Lithuania, entered the U.S. in 1992 on a tourist visa and did not leave when it expired. In 1995 he was convicted of weapons-related felonies. Malukas applied for discretionary relief from removal…
Date: October 11, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3260
Justia Opinion Summary: The Swartzes acquired horses, goats, and a donkey on their Washington County, Indiana hobby farm. In 2013, the county’s animal control officer, Lee, contacted Dr. Lovejoy, an Indiana State Board of Animal Health…
Date: October 10, 2019
Docket Numbers: 19-1299, 18‐2009, 18‐2218, 18‐2286, 18‐3303
Justia Opinion Summary: The Zamudio drug organization distributed pounds of methamphetamine and cocaine throughout the Indianapolis area. Zamudio imported the drugs from his suppliers in Mexico and oversaw his distributors, including De La…
Date: October 10, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1420
Justia Opinion Summary: Wisconsin prisoner Brown cut himself severely while in restrictive housing. Brown sued the prison nurses, asserting that they had exhibited deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs. The Wisconsin Department…
Date: October 9, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2742
Justia Opinion Summary: Kaufmann arranged to care for an elderly man in exchange for room and board. The arrangement ended when police arrested Kaufmann for stealing from the man. Packing Kaufmann’s belongings, the family discovered child…
Date: October 9, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3565
Justia Opinion Summary: Progress Rail, a manufacturer, has Shop Rules; violations result in “disciplinary action ranging from reprimand to immediate discharge.” Progress hired McDaniel in 2005 as a Material Handler. In 2016, McDaniel complained…
Date: October 9, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1552
Justia Opinion Summary: Miller cut a hole in his bathroom wall and secretly filmed teenage girls—friends of his own children—undressing and showering. Federal authorities investigated and, after extensive discussions, offered to allow Miller to…
Date: October 9, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1831
Justia Opinion Summary: Dancel sued Groupon, an online seller of discount vouchers, alleging Groupon had used her photograph to promote a restaurant voucher. Groupon had collected the photograph from Dancel’s public Instagram account based on…
Date: October 8, 2019
Docket Number: 16-4046
Justia Opinion Summary: Zacahua, a citizen of Mexico, lived as an unauthorized alien in the U.S. for over 20 years. Although he was employed by a Hilton hotel, Zacahua also transported heroin. Zacahua and codefendants were indicted for…
Date: October 8, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3534
Justia Opinion Summary: The Southern Illinois Drug Task Force investigated Jackson and his associates. After a confidential source (CS) completed three controlled drug purchases from Jackson, each recorded via an audiovisual device, agents…
Date: October 8, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1269
Justia Opinion Summary: Biomet employed Yeatts in a role that included implementing compliance policies. In 2008, Biomet terminated its Brazilian distributor Prosintese, run by Galindo, after learning that Galindo had bribed healthcare…
Date: October 7, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1998
Date: October 7, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-2095, 18-1998
Justia Opinion Summary: The dealer had the exclusive right to sell the manufacturer's below-ground storm shelters in Missouri and Arkansas. The dealer created a wordmark—“Life Saver Storm Shelters”— and a logo using that name, which it affixed…
Date: October 7, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1618
Justia Opinion Summary: Dr. Johnston, a prison psychologist, provided psychological services to Nigl, a Wisconsin Department of Corrections prisoner, serving a 100-year sentence. On Johnston’s last day of work, Nigl kissed her. The two began…
Date: October 7, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1741
Justia Opinion Summary: Chapter 70 of the Wisconsin Tax Code governs the taxation of manufacturing and commercial companies aside from railroads and utilities. Chapter 76 governs the taxation of railroads and utilities, including air carriers,…
Date: October 4, 2019
Docket Number: 17-2618
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1991 Daniels was sentenced to 35 years in prison for drug-trafficking crimes he committed while leading a violent Milwaukee street gang in the 1980s. Based on two of his many prior crimes, he was sentenced as a career…
Date: September 30, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1266
Justia Opinion Summary: In September 2011 Chicago Police Officers stopped and searched the plaintiffs without justification and took them to Homan Square, which was later exposed as a den of police misconduct. The officers interrogated them for…
Date: September 30, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1731
Justia Opinion Summary: Gardner was arrested after firing a gun at two vehicles thought to be driven by rival gang members. While in pretrial custody, he engaged in additional violent behavior. Before trial, Gardner was diagnosed with major…
Date: September 30, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3011
Justia Opinion Summary: Collins and others engaged in a scheme to defraud banks by submitting stolen and altered checks. The scheme netted $93,215.50. Collins pleaded guilty to bank fraud, 18 U.S.C. 1344. The presentence investigation report…
Date: September 26, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3524
Justia Opinion Summary: Six-year-old Swannie was found unresponsive on the bottom of a man-made swimming pond operated by the City of West Bend. She never regained consciousness and died days later. Swannie’s estate alleged federal…
Date: September 26, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1109
Justia Opinion Summary: Hamilton operates a coal mine near Dahlgren, Illinois. On February 5, 2016, Leeper and 157 other full-time employees received a hand-delivered notice on Hamilton letterhead, stating that Hamilton was placing them “on…
Date: September 26, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1141
Justia Opinion Summary: The district court certified a class of about 250 African-American financial advisers who alleged that the Bank treated them less favorably than equivalent advisers of other races. A settlement agreement included a…
Date: September 25, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1088
Justia Opinion Summary: Delta, a collection agency, sent Koehn a letter stating that the “current balance” of Koehn’s debt was $2,034.03. Koehn claimed the letter was misleading under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. 1692…
Date: September 24, 2019
Docket Number: 16-3055
Justia Opinion Summary: A Downers Grove ordinance limits the size and location of signs. Leibundguth claimed that it violated the First Amendment because its exceptions were unjustified content discrimination. The ordinance does not require…
Date: September 23, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2571
Justia Opinion Summary: DVO was to design and build an anaerobic digester for WTE to generate electricity from cow manure to be sold to the electric power utility. WTE sued DVO for breach of contract. Crum initially provided a defense under a…
Date: September 23, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2609
Justia Opinion Summary: Tile Shop, a specialty retailer, pays its commissioned sales staff a semimonthly “draw” of $1,000 ($24,000 annually) even if a sales associate earns less than that amount in commissions during the pay period. Tile…
Date: September 20, 2019
Docket Number: 16-3244
Justia Opinion Summary: The Bushes owed $100,000 in taxes. The IRS sought a 75% fraud penalty (26 U.S.C. 6663(a)); the Bushes proposed a 20% negligence penalty (section 6662(a)). On the date set for Tax Court trial, the Bushes filed for…
Date: September 18, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2054
Justia Opinion Summary: Salters, an Illinois pretrial detainee, swallowed cleaning fluid. He was taken to Delnor Hospital for treatment. Guards were instructed to keep him shackled. One guard, Loomis, disobeyed that order when Salters wanted to…
Date: September 18, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2583
Date: September 18, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-3487, 18-2583
Justia Opinion Summary: For the 100th Indianapolis 500 race in 2016, organizers engaged Karma, an event-planning company, to host a ticketed party. The party was a disappointment. Poor ticket sales prevented Karma from covering its expenses.…
Date: September 16, 2019
Docket Numbers: 17-2842, 17-3317
Justia Opinion Summary: Segal was convicted in 2004 of racketeering, mail and wire fraud, making false statements, embezzlement, and conspiring to interfere with operations of the IRS. His company, NNIB, was convicted of mail fraud, making…
Date: September 16, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2456
Justia Opinion Summary: Davis, an Illinois prisoner suffering from kidney disease, received dialysis on a Saturday. He subsequently told a prison nurse that his mind was fuzzy and his body was weak. Both complaints were similar to side effects…
Date: September 12, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1141
Justia Opinion Summary: Trek, a Wisconsin bicycle manufacturer, had agreements with Taiwanese companies. Trek purchases bicycles from Giant, sells them under its own brand name, and purchases bicycle parts from Formula. The purchase orders…
Date: September 12, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2324
Justia Opinion Summary: In March 2009 Truitt joined the Moorish Science Temple of America, which calls itself a sovereign “ecclesiastical government” and teaches that neither the states nor the federal government have authority over its…
Date: September 12, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3496
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2001, Greco threatened to put a pipe bomb in his ex-girlfriend’s car. She obtained a protective order. He put the bomb in her car. It exploded, injuring her and destroying her car. Greco pleaded guilty to…
Date: September 11, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3291
Justia Opinion Summary: The debtor obtained a commercial loan from Bank. The agreement dated March 9, 2015, granted Bank a security interest in substantially all of the debtor’s assets, described in 26 categories of collateral, such as…
Date: September 10, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1440
Justia Opinion Summary: On September 28, 2000, Camm, a former Indiana State Trooper, arrived home and discovered his wife lying on the garage floor, having been shot in the head. His children, Brad and Jill, were dead in his wife’s vehicle.…
Date: September 10, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3105
Justia Opinion Summary: Odei, a Christian pastor in Ghana and a founding member of Spirit of Grace, a U.S. nonprofit religious group, is a Ph.D. candidate in an online educational program sponsored by a Tennessee university. Spirit of Grace…
Date: September 9, 2019
Docket Number: 15-1501
Justia Opinion Summary: Tracking a fugitive, Deputy Marshal Linder interrogated the fugitive’s father. Another deputy saw Linder punch the father. Linder was indicted for witness tampering and using excessive force and was put on leave.…
Date: September 9, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3268
Justia Opinion Summary: Chazen was convicted of possessing a firearm as a felony and was sentenced under the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA), 18 U.S.C. 924(e)(1), which mandates a minimum 15-year sentence if a defendant unlawfully possesses a…
Date: September 5, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2327
Justia Opinion Summary: Mountain Crest filed suit alleging that Anheuser-Busch and Molson Coors had conspired to damage Mountain Crest's beer exports in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Mountain Crest also alleged that defendants were…
Date: September 5, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2619
Justia Opinion Summary: After a creditor in a closed Chapter 7 bankruptcy case tried for a third time to bring a price-fixing claim against BMS, the district court granted BMS's motion to dismiss. The Seventh Circuit affirmed, holding that the…
Date: September 3, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2612
Justia Opinion Summary: Khan construed a lawsuit concerning a traffic accident as “senseless provocation”; believed “noise pollution around [his] house” to be “organized persecution,” for which he promised retaliation; and believed Mayor…
Date: August 30, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1321
Justia Opinion Summary: Johnson suffers from mental ailments, including paranoid schizophrenia, major depressive disorder recurrent, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and borderline personality disorder. Starting in mid-2011, he had been admitted…
Date: August 29, 2019
Docket Number: 17-3657
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1996, Haynes robbed six stores at gunpoint. Three robberies were in Illinois and three were in Iowa. Haynes was charged with the Illinois robberies under the Hobbs Act, 18 U.S.C. 1951. For each robbery, Haynes also…
Date: August 29, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1909
Justia Opinion Summary: Cobb, an Indiana prisoner, brought a state-court negligence action against Aramark for failing to clean up a spill in the kitchen at the Pendleton Correctional Facility on December 15, 2014, causing him to slip and…
Date: August 29, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2686
Justia Opinion Summary: Cook County residents brought a Second Amendment challenge to Cook County’s ban on assault rifles and large-capacity magazines. The Seventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of the complaint, noting that in 2015 it upheld a…
Date: August 28, 2019
Docket Number: 17-1784
Justia Opinion Summary: Green was walking through the parking lot of a Chicago gas station. An unmarked police vehicle turned into the lot. Green began to run as the vehicle approached, arousing the suspicion of the four officers inside. One…
Date: August 28, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2753
Justia Opinion Summary: The named plaintiffs are Hispanic or Latino individuals who applied for employment as line workers at Ford’s Chicago assembly plant but were not hired. Millender is a black Ford employee and the Chairman of the United…
Date: August 28, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1012
Justia Opinion Summary: Lockett has been housed at the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility since November 2014. He has a significant medical history, having been diagnosed with sickle cell disease, a chronic condition that causes pain, sometimes…
Date: August 27, 2019
Docket Number: 17-2428
Justia Opinion Summary: Indiana statutes provided a fast and confidential judicial bypass procedure that is supposed to allow a small fraction of pregnant, unemancipated minors seeking abortions to obtain them without the consent of or notice…
Date: August 27, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-2491, 18-2492
Justia Opinion Summary: Indiana Senate Enrolled Act 442, Indiana Code 3-7- 38.2-5(d)–(e), allowed Indiana immediately to remove a voter based on information received from a third-party database rather than in response to direct contact with the…
Date: August 27, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2803
Justia Opinion Summary: Barber and Chipps used a crow‐bar to break into Dutchman Hunting Supplies in Shipshewana, Indiana, and steal 15 handguns. They set off the alarm during the robbery and were easily identified by shop employees because…
Date: August 26, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1404
Justia Opinion Summary: Williams, a Racine County Jail pre-trial detainee, suffers from osteoarthritis, for which he has received Social Security disability insurance since 1982. Although the Jail typically provides inmates with a single…
Date: August 23, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1424
Justia Opinion Summary: Driveline filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Arctic Cat over a supply contract for specially manufactured goods. Certain counts were resolved against Driveline by summary judgment. After a trial, the district…
Date: August 22, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1320
Justia Opinion Summary: Kelerchian was a licensed firearms dealer. His co-conspirators were Kumstar, the Deputy Chief of the Lake County, Indiana, Sheriff’s Department, and Slusser, a patrolman who was the armorer for the department’s SWAT…
Date: August 22, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3235
Justia Opinion Summary: Refined has owned the contaminated Beech Grove, Indiana lead smelter site since 1980 when it acquired it from NL. After years of litigation, Refined entered into a settlement with the federal Environmental Protection…
Date: August 22, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3586
Justia Opinion Summary: Rozumalski started out as a water resources engineer at Baird’s Madison, Wisconsin, office in 2010.Rozumalski was sexually harassed by her direct supervisor, Riedel. When Rozumalski reported the harassment to her…
Date: August 22, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1198
Justia Opinion Summary: Janusiak called 911 to report that Payten, a friend’s baby in her care, was not breathing. Paramedics took Payten to the hospital while officers talked to Janusiak. The police returned about eight hours later, and…
Date: August 22, 2019
Docket Number: 19-2051
Justia Opinion Summary: For two years, Alliance was unable to obtain a license from the Indiana State Department of Health to open a South Bend clinic to provide medication abortion care. After two unsuccessful applications, a statutory…
Date: August 21, 2019
Docket Numbers: 17-2241, 18-2534
Justia Opinion Summary: Sullivan, a graphic design artist, produced 33 illustrations for Flora, an herbal supplement company, to use in two advertising campaigns. Upon noticing that Flora was using the illustrations in other ads, Sullivan…
Date: August 21, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-1687, 18-1950
Justia Opinion Summary: U.S. Customs Officer Parra spent December 8, 2010 “cracking open containers” at a warehouse near the Los Angeles seaport. Opening one from South Korea to inspect its freight, Parra found a fully assembled, five-foot-tall…
Date: August 21, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2442
Justia Opinion Summary: Simon was stopped for failing to signal sufficiently ahead of turning. A drug-sniffing dog alerted on Simon’s car. Officers searched it. They did not find drugs, but found a gun. The government charged Simon as a…
Date: August 21, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-2847, 18-3310
Justia Opinion Summary: Brown is the sole owner and operator of a credit-monitoring service. Brown’s websites used a “negative option feature” to attract customers, offering a “free credit report and score” while obscuring in much smaller text…
Date: August 21, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2948
Justia Opinion Summary: During his probationary employment period, Smith challenged and failed to follow directions, was confrontational, engaged in unsafe conduct, and received unsatisfactory evaluations. He filed internal and union…
Date: August 21, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3392
Date: August 20, 2019
Docket Number: 17-3633
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs own cats with health problems. Their veterinarians prescribed Hill’s cat food. They purchased this higher-priced cat food from PetSmart stores using their veterinarian’s prescriptions before learning that the…
Date: August 20, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2350
Justia Opinion Summary: Johnson defrauded his employer and was charged with wire fraud, 18 U.S.C. 1343. During an in-chambers conference among court and counsel, Johnson’s attorney withdrew an objection to the restitution amount ($211,428) to…
Date: August 20, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2576
Justia Opinion Summary: Hopper, part of a community of methamphetamine users and sellers in southern Illinois, was charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), 846 and 18 U.S.C. 2. Several charged…
Date: August 20, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2932
Justia Opinion Summary: Adams, his girlfriend, Brandon, and another person were stopped for speeding. Adams was the subject of anonymous tips regarding drug activity at his house and had a previous conviction for conspiracy to distribute…
Date: August 19, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2075
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2007, Campbell pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual assault of a child and was sentenced to 34 years in prison. Campbell has gender dysphoria; she is biologically male but identifies as female. Department of…
Date: August 19, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3051
Justia Opinion Summary: Landlords challenged a Hammond ordinance that they either obtain a city license or hire licensed contractors to perform repairs and renovations to their properties. Obtaining a license involves a test, payment of a fee,…
Date: August 19, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3584
Justia Opinion Summary: Gupta joined Morgan Stanley and signed an employment agreement containing an arbitration clause; an employee dispute resolution program (CARE) applied to all U.S. employees. The CARE program did not then require…
Date: August 15, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-2377, 18-2463
Justia Opinion Summary: The Plaintiffs, purportedly the assignees of certain private insurers (Medicare Advantage Organizations), brought a putative class action against State Farm to recover payments State Farm allegedly should have made to…
Date: August 15, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2463
Date: August 15, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2604
Justia Opinion Summary: Clark was convicted under 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1), having been found in a hotel room with more than 80 grams of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, a digital scale, and cellophane bags. He appealed the denial of his motion for…
Date: August 15, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3126
Justia Opinion Summary: While Giles was in solitary confinement following state robbery convictions, FBI agents questioned Giles about another bank robbery. DNA recovered from a glove found next to dye-stained stolen money matched Giles’s DNA.…
Date: August 15, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3670
Justia Opinion Summary: Yochim worked in HUD's legal department for 26 years. Throughout her tenure, she took advantage of HUD’s flexible policy permitting employees to work from home several days per week. After undergoing hand surgery, Yochim…
Date: August 14, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1826
Justia Opinion Summary: O’Donnell learned that her employer paid her less than her male peers and raised the issue with company officials, stating that she was going to file an EEOC complaint. O’Donnell shared a desk with her supervisor. She…
Date: August 13, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-1459, 18‐1290
Justia Opinion Summary: The Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) “three strikes” provision, 28 U.S.C. 1915(g), specifies that a prisoner may not proceed in forma pauperis if she “has, on [three] or more prior occasions, while incarcerated or…
Date: August 13, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-1809, 18-1821
Justia Opinion Summary: Paul Koh, 22, was found in a pool of blood next to a knife in his home, having been stabbed in the throat and chest. Officers initially noted a possibility of suicide. Paul's parents' requests to see Paul, get medicine…
Date: August 13, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1869
Justia Opinion Summary: Columbia students Jane and John had a sexual encounter. Weeks later Jane alleged she had not consented to the encounter. Columbia investigated. John did not provide any exculpatory evidence. Columbia’s Title IX…
Date: August 13, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1914
Justia Opinion Summary: NFA is a self‐regulatory organization registered under the Commodity Exchange Act, subject to the authority of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), 7 U.S.C. 21, including review of NFA disciplinary actions.…
Date: August 13, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2758
Justia Opinion Summary: Marchan was convicted of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1) and 846, and distribution of 500 grams or more of cocaine, section 841(a)(1). The Seventh Circuit affirmed,…
Date: August 13, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2773
Justia Opinion Summary: Sterling owed Southlake Health Club outstanding fees ($250). In 2001, Southlake's counsel, Austgen, instituted a state court collection action. A federal bankruptcy court discharged Sterling’s debt to Southlake in 2010.…
Date: August 13, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-2937, 18-2826
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1996, Higgs murdered three women at a Maryland federal property. He was convicted in federal court and sentenced to death. Higgs claimed that the government failed to turn over exculpatory evidence in violation of…
Date: August 13, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3306
Justia Opinion Summary: Unions set up a pension plan under the Employment Retirement Income Security Act, 29 U.S.C. 1001, with electrical contractors (Revcon) sharing ownership. Revcon withdrew from the plan in 2003. The Multiemployer Pension…
Date: August 13, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3325
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1880, the Sisters, a Roman Catholic organization, founded OSF, which provides healthcare to indigent patients. The Sisters maintain authority through OSF’s governing documents and canonical and civil guidelines…
Date: August 12, 2019
Docket Numbers: 17-2269, 16-4258, 17-1060, 17-1412, 17-2268
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2015, Brazier, Fields, and Mzembe kidnapped, shot, and ruthlessly beat Harris as he left his home. Charged with federal kidnapping and firearms crimes, the three were tried and sentenced separately. Their appeals were…
Date: August 12, 2019
Docket Number: 17-2667
Justia Opinion Summary: Chicago Officers stopped Martin for non-functioning tail and brake lights. Martin claims he had not committed any traffic violations. Martin explained that he did not have his driver’s license. The officers asked Martin…
Date: August 12, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2205
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2008, Deerfield’s employee, Graff, had an automobile accident with Keeping. Deerfield had a primary commercial automobile insurance policy through American that covered it for up to $1 million in liability.…
Date: August 12, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2672
Justia Opinion Summary: Pretrial detainees at the Lake County Adult Correctional Facility allege that for approximately three days, jail officials shut off all water in their jail without any warning. The shutdown was apparently conducted in…
Date: August 9, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2059
Justia Opinion Summary: Attorney Kohn, on behalf of Unifund, filed suit against Burton in Brown County, Wisconsin for failure to make payments on a Citibank credit agreement. In his answer, Burton stated, “I have never had any association with…
Date: August 9, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3295
Justia Opinion Summary: Ahmed co‐owned an LLC that owned a condominium building. Ahmed recruited individuals to pose as buyers for the building's units and to submit fraudulent loan applications to lenders, including Fifth Third. The…
Date: August 9, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3322
Justia Opinion Summary: Hudson, a 39-year employee of Consolidated Communications, was discharged due to strike-related misconduct. Hudson had blocked a company vehicle while moving in traffic during the strike. Following an appeal to the D.C.…
Date: August 8, 2019
Docket Number: 16-1654
Justia Opinion Summary: In the 1990s, Boucher cut down nine trees on his family farm in Indiana. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) claimed that the tree removal converted several acres of wetlands into croplands, rendering the Bouchers’…
Date: August 8, 2019
Docket Number: 17-3244
Justia Opinion Summary: Debt collector Med-1 attempted to recover unpaid medical bills from Lavallee. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act required Med-1 to disclose certain information to Lavallee, 15 U.S.C. 1692g(a), by including the…
Date: August 8, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1725
Justia Opinion Summary: An informant sent Harper a photograph of a pistol. Harper offered to trade five grams of crack cocaine. The informant and an undercover agent met Harper in a parking lot. The agent opened a toolbox containing the gun and…
Date: August 8, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2633
Date: August 8, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-2738, 18-2633
Justia Opinion Summary: Valbruna purchased the steel mill at a 2004 bankruptcy auction and began cleanup efforts under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, 42 U.S.C. 6901. In 2000, Slater, the site’s then-owner, had unsuccessfully sued…
Date: August 8, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2844
Justia Opinion Summary: The Parish hired Sterlinski in 1992 as Director of Music. In 2014 the Parish’s priest demoted Sterlinski to the job of organist and in 2015 fired him outright. Sterlinski contends that the Parish held his Polish heritage…
Date: August 7, 2019
Docket Number: 17-1957
Justia Opinion Summary: Evans, a state prisoner with multiple health issues, alleged that he developed nasal polyps and that the prison medical staff refused to authorize surgery, the only effective remedy. He sued under 42 U.S.C. 1983,…
Date: August 7, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2103
Justia Opinion Summary: A 2014 hail and wind storm damaged Windridge buildings that were insured by Philadelphia Indemnity. The storm physically damaged the aluminum siding on the buildings’ south and west sides. Philadelphia argued that it is…
Date: August 7, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-2644, 18-2760
Justia Opinion Summary: Brown pled guilty to distributing a controlled substance. Thornton pled guilty to bank robbery and an associated firearms charge. The same district court separately imposed terms of imprisonment followed by supervised…
Date: August 7, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3465
Justia Opinion Summary: Lavite, a combat veteran, works in the Administration Building of Madison County, Illinois, as superintendent for the County’s Veterans Assistance Commission. In 2015, Madison County officials banned Lavite from the…
Date: August 6, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-1791, 18-1740
Justia Opinion Summary: Nutmeg LLC, formerly managed by Goulding, served as an investment advisor and sole general partner of more than a dozen investment funds, each a limited partnership under Illinois or Minnesota law. Goulding’s management…
Date: August 6, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2641
Justia Opinion Summary: Donald and Mary Timm sustained serious injuries in a horrific motorcycle accident. A few months later, they received notice that the helmets they were wearing at the time of the accident were recalled. Believing defects…
Date: August 6, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3133
Justia Opinion Summary: Doherty and Farano formed Worth. The bank loaned Worth $400,000, with their personal guaranties. The bank extended the loan’s maturity date multiple times. Worth defaulted. The bank sued Worth, Farano, and Doherty.…
Date: August 6, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3315
Justia Opinion Summary: Until 2013, Wozniak had tenure on the University of Illinois faculty. He waged an extended campaign against students who did not give him a teaching award. As he had done before when the University enforced school…
Date: August 6, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1384
Justia Opinion Summary: Mapes was arrested for trespassing after being refused service at a CVS store. He sued the state, CVS, and several individual defendants asserting a long list of grievances under federal and state law. Mapes asserted the…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-2044, 18‐2013
Justia Opinion Summary: Police arrested five men involved in a string of Milwaukee armed robberies in 2016. Three of the defendants cooperated with the government and pled guilty. The two remaining defendants, Hunter and Evans, were convicted.…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2726
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1998, Williams hired Jaffe as her attorney. The statute of limitations expired before Jaffe filed a complaint. Williams sued for legal malpractice, obtained a default judgment, and recorded that judgment on property…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3472
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1997, Campos began working as a Cook County Sheriff’s Office correctional officer. In 2011, he was arrested for driving under the influence, striking a vehicle, and leaving the scene of an accident. Campos…
Date: August 2, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1935
Justia Opinion Summary: Three Chicago police officers stopped three black men in a grey sedan to investigate a shooting that had happened nearby a few hours earlier. When the passengers sued a year later, none of the officers remembered the…
Date: August 2, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3010
Justia Opinion Summary: SportFuel registered its first “SportFuel” trademark for “food nutrition consultation, nutrition counseling, and providing information about dietary supplements and nutrition,” which became “incontestable” in 2013 (15…
Date: August 1, 2019
Docket Number: 17-3378
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff filed suit against a correctional officer, her supervisor, and the warden, claiming that the officer's behavior violated the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. In this case,…
Date: August 1, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-1356, 18-1519
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendants appealed their convictions for crimes related to their involvement in a bank robbery. Defendant Thompson's attorney field an Anders brief explaining that he does not believe Thompson has any viable arguments…
Date: August 1, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1595
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff, a prison inmate, filed suit alleging that he was punished based on his race, that he was deprived of liberty without due process of law, and that the prison staff's conduct in the wake of his mental health…
Date: August 1, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3729
Justia Opinion Summary: The Seventh Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of a class action suit challenging the red light camera program of the Village of Lakemoor. Plaintiffs alleged that the violation notices they received were…
Date: July 31, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-2389, 18‐2467, 18‐2468, 18‐2855
Justia Opinion Summary: RMG sued Harmelech in 2006. Attorney Mac Naughton represented Harmelech in that suit for 10 weeks. The relationship ended in a fee dispute. After he withdrew, the case settled with a consent judgment against Harmelech.…
Date: July 31, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2454
Justia Opinion Summary: Officers discovered downloads of child pornography from an IP address associated with Kraemer’s residence. FBI agents executed a search warrant and found an external hard drive containing images of child pornography. …
Date: July 31, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3491
Justia Opinion Summary: Crump applied for social security disability benefits based on her long history of numerous mental health impairments, including bipolar disorder and polysubstance abuse disorder. An administrative law judge denied…
Date: July 30, 2019
Docket Numbers: 15-3693, 14-2898
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2016, the Seventh Circuit held that 18 U.S.C. 924(c)(3)(B), which partially defines “crime of violence,” is unconstitutionally vague. In 2017, the court relied on Cardena to vacate Jenkins’s and Jackson’s convictions…
Date: July 30, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3571
Justia Opinion Summary: Cash Depot underpaid employees for their overtime work. Fast filed suit under the Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. 203 (FLSA), on behalf of himself and other Depot employees. Depot hired an accountant to investigate.…
Date: July 29, 2019
Docket Number: 17-2295
Justia Opinion Summary: Two Stateville inmates, struck by buckshot fired by prison guards, sued under 42 U.S.C. 1983, asserting that the guards violated their Eighth Amendment rights when they discharged their shotguns over a crowded prison…
Date: July 29, 2019
Docket Number: 17-3093
Justia Opinion Summary: Chronis visited the University of Illinois Health Center for an examination that included a pap smear. Chronis alleges the procedure caused her pain and bruising. She claims that the Center did not return her calls or…
Date: July 26, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1078
Justia Opinion Summary: Lewellen, a Chicago Police Department “dirty cop,” arrested Ruiz-Cortez for possessing cocaine and served as the key witness at his trial Ruiz-Cortez was convicted. Ruiz-Cortez spent a decade in prison before the federal…
Date: July 26, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1479
Justia Opinion Summary: After fellow moviegoers asked Bonin to stop talking on his phone, Bonin said he was a U.S. Marshal speaking with “the government,” flashed a gun on his belt, and threatened to “take it out in the hall.” Patrons called…
Date: July 26, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1982
Justia Opinion Summary: The Mathews purchased an RV from a dealer which came with a warranty from the manufacturer, REV, which limited both express and implied warranties to one year from the purchase date. The warranty stated that “[i]f the…
Date: July 26, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2499
Justia Opinion Summary: Wilson, an inmate at Illinois’s Stateville Correctional Center, had an inguinal hernia that was first spotted in the 1990s, but then apparently subsided. In 2011, it reappeared in the identical spot. Wilson says that the…
Date: July 26, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2789
Justia Opinion Summary: Corral, a native of Mexico, was admitted to the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident in 1994. In 1999, he applied for naturalization. He became a U.S. citizen in 2000. He was then indicted on seven counts of aggravated…
Date: July 26, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3082
Justia Opinion Summary: For decades, regulated, vertically-integrated utilities dominated the U.S. electricity market, generating, transmitting, distributing, and collecting payments for electricity. In Illinois that utility was ComEd; its…
Date: July 26, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3292
Justia Opinion Summary: Stepp sued his former employer, Covance, alleging violations of 42 U.S.C. 2000e–3, by refusing to hire him permanently in retaliation for his earlier complaints about discrimination. Stepp received positive performance…
Date: July 26, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3403
Justia Opinion Summary: Hunt worked the overnight shift at a Wal-Mart store. Watson was her supervisor. After Watson made several unprofessional remarks toward Hunt over a four-month period, Watson wrote a disciplinary report on Hunt, who then…
Date: July 25, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-2211, 18-2232
Justia Opinion Summary: Hanson, age eight. was killed by shots fired into his grandmother’s Rockford home in 2002. Anderson, Johnson, and Ross were convicted of the murder and each received a 50-year sentence. The men spent more than a decade…
Date: July 24, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1100
Justia Opinion Summary: Krell, a former ironworker, applied for Social Security disability benefits. Krell was notified that a vocational expert would testify at his hearing and that Krell had the right to request a subpoena for documents or…
Date: July 24, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2811
Justia Opinion Summary: Nelson pleaded guilty to drug crimes and was sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment and supervised release. After his release, Nelson was arrested for another drug crime. The court revoked Nelson’s release and sentenced him…
Date: July 23, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-1197, 18-1198
Justia Opinion Summary: After pleading guilty to failing to update his sex-offender registration, Hunt began supervised release, with a condition prohibiting him from committing another federal crime. The next year, Hunt pleaded guilty to a…
Date: July 23, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2662
Justia Opinion Summary: Police arrested Williams for selling cocaine, then found a gun in his pocket. After he pleaded guilty to federal firearm and cocaine charges, the government sought a sentencing enhancement under the Armed Career Criminal…
Date: July 23, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3508
Justia Opinion Summary: In December 2014, Arctic hired Graham as its maintenance supervisor. Arctic soon received customer complaints about his attitude and noticed his insubordination and difficulty completing tasks on time. In February 2015,…
Date: July 23, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3529
Justia Opinion Summary: Walker sexually assaulted his four‐ and six‐year‐old nephews. In 1998, he pleaded guilty under a Colorado law that prohibits sexual contact with a child under 15 by anyone who is a least four years older than the child…
Date: July 23, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1168
Justia Opinion Summary: Jackson was charged with throwing boiling oil at his wife, knifing her in front of their children, and later, threatening her from prison. Jackson asked the judge to remove his appointed counsel. The court granted the…
Date: July 22, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3297
Justia Opinion Summary: Hernandez-Garcia’s husband entered the U.S. illegally in 2001. He sent her money in Guatemala, so she had a higher standard of living than her neighbors. In 2013, her oldest son left for the U.S. She began receiving…
Date: July 19, 2019
Docket Number: 17-3629
Justia Opinion Summary: Bernal bought a monthly pass to Six Flags amusement parks. The contract said that if he fell behind on his payments, he would “be billed for any amounts that are due and owing plus any costs (including reasonable…
Date: July 19, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2535
Justia Opinion Summary: Narkiewicz‐Laine, an artist, rented space from the defendants in 2004. About six years later, the defendants cleared the rental space and discarded most of his property, including his only records of the stored property.…
Date: July 19, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2618
Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner testified at her asylum hearing that she believed that E.G., the father of her son, is a member of the Mexican cartel, La Familia Michoacana. Petitioner ended her relationship with E.G. in July 2012, fearing…
Date: July 19, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2739
Justia Opinion Summary: Illinois inmate Donelson was moved to Stateville, where a prison nurse screened him for medical issues. Donelson is asthmatic and stated that he needed a new inhaler. The nurse responded that he could get one from a…
Date: July 19, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3171
Justia Opinion Summary: Anstice pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment and five years’ supervised release. Five conditions of supervised release appeared in the written judgment of…
Date: July 19, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-3181, 18-3241
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2010, Baby Fold, which provides Illinois foster-care services, placed three-year-old Kianna in the care of Lamie, who killed Kianna in 2011 and was convicted of murder. The administrator of Kianna’s estate maintained…
Date: July 18, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1586
Justia Opinion Summary: Posada, a licensed chiropractor, owned and operated Spine Clinics, a Medicare-enrolled provider. Posada was indicted for a scheme to defraud Medicare and other insurers by submitting fraudulent claims and falsely…
Date: July 18, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3057
Justia Opinion Summary: Arriving at Kirk’s house, Kirk and Herman saw that Kirk's mother, Daniels, had a Jimenez Arms handgun tucked into her purse. She allowed Herman to handle the gun. Herman pulled out a revolver and said, “stay seated. I…
Date: July 17, 2019
Docket Number: 18-1259
Justia Opinion Summary: Schmidt was camping in a national forest in Wisconsin when a Forest Service Officer approached and discovered that Schmidt, who had three felony convictions, had a handgun in his tent. Schmidt agreed to pay $1,600 in…
Date: July 17, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2550
Justia Opinion Summary: Alden and his ex-wife shared custody of their children. Alden’s ex-wife complained that Alden was trying to turn the children against her. The court-appointed psychologist, Gardner, evaluated the children, concluded that…
Date: July 17, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2785
Justia Opinion Summary: A CTA bus passenger threatened Pickett, the driver. He took six months off from work while recovering. After his physician concluded that he could return to work (though not as a driver), Pickett requested a light-duty…
Date: July 17, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3289
Justia Opinion Summary: Under 28 U.S.C. 1930(a)(6), quarterly fees paid by a chapter 11 debtor to the bankruptcy Trustee are based on the debtor’s disbursements. The Bankruptcy Court determined that certain payments made by the customers of…
Date: July 17, 2019
Docket Number: 19-1187
Justia Opinion Summary: Guerrero was trying to drive to his job at BNSF Railway through a snowstorm early one morning. His car skidded, collided with a snowplow, and he was killed. His widow sought compensatory damages from BNSF under the…
Date: July 16, 2019
Docket Number: 16-3456
Justia Opinion Summary: University Park’s mayor and board fired police chief Bradley without any notice of good cause or any form of hearing, in violation of his employment contract. Bradley sued the village and mayor under 42 U.S.C.1983 for…
Date: July 16, 2019
Docket Number: 16-4234
Justia Opinion Summary: A certified class claimed that during 2011 female inmates at an Illinois prison were strip-searched as part of a training exercise for cadet guards; the inmates were required to stand naked, nearly shoulder to shoulder…
Date: July 16, 2019
Docket Number: 17-1562
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2005 Paramount leased a parcel of highway-adjacent property in Bellwood, Illinois, planning to erect a billboard. Paramount never applied for a local permit. When Bellwood enacted a ban on new billboard permits in…
Date: July 15, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2529
Justia Opinion Summary: After a hearing under 18 U.S.C. 3184, a magistrate certified Venckiene as extraditable to Lithuania for the prosecution of alleged offenses arising from a custody battle over Venckiene’s niece. The Secretary of State…
Date: July 15, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2887
Justia Opinion Summary: Carello is blind. To access online visual content, he uses a “screen reader,” which reads text aloud to him from websites that are designed to support its software. Carello claims that the Credit Union website fails to…
Date: July 15, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2926
Justia Opinion Summary: Four Illinois Villages passed ordinances that require commercial buildings to send fire-alarm signals directly to the local 911 dispatch center through one alarm-system provider, Tyco, which services the area pursuant to…
Date: July 15, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3293
Justia Opinion Summary: American, a Cincinnati-based title insurance company, is owned by attorneys Yonas and Rink. The Indiana Department of Insurance randomly audited American and found hundreds of code violations, none of which American…
Date: July 15, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3316
Justia Opinion Summary: Schaumburg’s 2016 ordinance requires commercial buildings to send fire‐alarm signals directly to the local 911 dispatch center, NWCDS, which has an exclusive arrangement with Tyco. To send signals to NWCDS, local…
Date: July 12, 2019
Docket Number: 17-1300
Date: July 12, 2019
Docket Number: 17-1325
Date: July 12, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-2559, 18‐2579
Justia Opinion Summary: Collins was a tenured professor at the University. A faculty committee found that Collins had misused grant money by purchasing equipment other than that in his grant proposals and using the equipment for personal…
Date: July 11, 2019
Docket Number: 17-3624
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2004, Conroy was charged with solicitation of murder, solicitation of murder for hire, and attempted first‐degree murder. The court determined that Conroy was fit to stand trial. In 2007, Conroy pleaded guilty and…
Date: July 11, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2778
Justia Opinion Summary: Green Bay police arrested Desotell while investigating a retail theft. He admitted to owning two bags containing methamphetamine and a handgun, which police discovered while searching a vehicle that had been involved in…
Date: July 11, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3265
Justia Opinion Summary: Smith pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography and was sentenced to 90 months of imprisonment and 20 years of supervised release, which began in November 2017. In August 2018, Smith’s probation officer, filed a…
Date: July 10, 2019
Docket Number: 17-2354
Justia Opinion Summary: Novak was the sole shareholder of CMCG. By 2008, CMCG’s solvency was questionable. In 2012 Novak committed suicide, leaving CMCG to Comess, who filed a voluntary Chapter 7 petition weeks later. For four years before the…
Date: July 10, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-3298, 18-2290
Justia Opinion Summary: Vyloha, a Czech citizen, entered the U.S. in 1998 and overstayed his visa. In 2006, after he was convicted of DUI, DHS charged Vyloha with removability, 8 U.S.C. 1227(a)(1)(B). The notice indicated that the hearing’s…
Date: July 9, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2520
Justia Opinion Summary: Fincher lived in a one‐bedroom apartment with his uncle, a drug dealer, and began selling drugs. Both were arrested after selling heroin to undercover police officers. Police searched the apartment. In the bedroom…
Date: July 9, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2923
Justia Opinion Summary: Police responded to a reported residential burglary in progress. M.G. met officers at the property and stated that he owned the home as a rental property with no current tenants and that no one should be inside. M.G.…
Date: July 8, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3205
Justia Opinion Summary: Under a 2014 agreement, MCFI, a non-profit organization that provides medical care for individuals with brain injuries, would operate a brain-injury center in MHC’s nursing facility. MHC would handle billing and…
Date: July 3, 2019
Docket Number: 17-2040
Justia Opinion Summary: Doe, a citizen of Iran, 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…
Date: July 3, 2019
Docket Number: 17-2969
Justia Opinion Summary: Arrazabal, born in El Salvador, was admitted as a lawful U.S. permanent resident in 1995, at age 19. In 1996, Arrazabal was recruited into the MS-13 gang. He was convicted on firearms and drug charges. His status as a…
Date: July 3, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-1104, 17-3198
Justia Opinion Summary: Gamero, a Mexican citizen who entered in 1973 and became a lawful U.S. permanent resident 1989, had state drug convictions. An immigration judge found him removable as an alien convicted of the aggravated felony of…
Date: July 3, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2608
Justia Opinion Summary: Gawron, a Polish citizen who has lived in the U.S. for 17 years, and her husband, Motyka, were involved in an elaborate credit card fraud scheme. Gawron pleaded guilty to wire fraud, 18 U.S.C. 1343. The presentence…
Date: July 3, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3249
Justia Opinion Summary: While Flores was on supervision for a state conviction, Flores and her co-defendant were found with more than 300 pounds of marijuana with a street value of approximately $1.8 million. Flores, who had a prior felony…
Date: July 2, 2019
Docket Numbers: 18-3034, 18-3141
Justia Opinion Summary: Clark was badly injured as he was getting off a car-crushing machine--a mobile RB6000 Logger/Baler--which was used by his employer, Thornton Auto Crushing. He sued both the crusher’s manufacturer, Sierra, and the company…
Date: July 2, 2019
Docket Number: 18-3392
Justia Opinion Summary: Emmis bought a directors-and-officers liability policy covering October 1, 2009 to October 1, 2010, from Chubb Insurance. Emmis later bought, from Illinois National, a policy covering liability from October 1, 2011, to…
Date: July 1, 2019
Docket Number: 17-3233
Justia Opinion Summary: Kiebala owns a luxury car share service, Curvy Road, that allows customers to purchase time‐ownership rights to high‐end automobiles that are owned by “investors.” In 2009, Boris became a Curvy Road “investor” and…
Date: July 1, 2019
Docket Number: 18-2751
Justia Opinion Summary: A jury found that Morgan possessed the 86.5 grams of methamphetamine that he tossed past law enforcement officers in the Peoria airport. Morgan had testified that all of it was for his personal use. The jury could not…
Date: June 28, 2019
Docket Number: 17-3565
Justia Opinion Summary: Purdue students John and Jane had consensual sexual intercourse 15-20 times. Jane’s behavior became erratic. Jane attempted suicide. Weeks later, John reported Jane’s suicide attempt to an advisor. Jane was upset and…
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