2020 Seventh Circuit US Court of Appeals Case Law
Opinions 1 - 500 of 987
Date: December 30, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1779
Justia Opinion Summary: McAllister began working for Innovation in 2014. In June 2016, an automobile accident left McAllister with serious head and back injuries. On her Family and Medical Leave Act, 29 U.S.C. 2601, application her doctor wrote…
Date: December 29, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1006
Justia Opinion Summary: Ramirez crashed his car into a truck and fled from the police. Speeding off, he hit a passenger who had jumped from his car. He ran a red light, drove around other cars in parking lots “at a high rate of speed,” then…
Date: December 29, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1336
Justia Opinion Summary: Stamps sold methamphetamine to police informants. Police executed a search warrant at his apartment. In one bedroom, police found two bags of methamphetamine, each containing over 25 grams. In the other bedroom, police…
Date: December 29, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1481
Justia Opinion Summary: O’Donnell, represented by attorney Horn, challenged the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) denial of her application for disability insurance benefits. A magistrate remanded the case, awarding O’Donnell $7,493.06 in…
Date: December 29, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1659
Justia Opinion Summary: Barrera sold a handgun to a fellow Latin Kings gang member, who was actually a government informant wearing a wire. Barrera, who had prior felonies, was indicted for unlawful possession of a firearm, 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1).…
Date: December 28, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1188, 19-1074, 19-1110, 19-1126
Justia Opinion Summary: The defendants played active roles in a cross-country drug organization: Castro-Aguirre served as the head of operations; Ramirez-Prado handled logistics, including providing cars and hotels for distributors and…
Date: December 24, 2020
Docket Number: 20-3414
Justia Opinion Summary: Two days after Wisconsin certified the results of its 2020 election, the President invoked the Electors Clause of the U.S. Constitution and sued the Wisconsin Elections Commission, Governor, Secretary of State, and…
Date: December 23, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2243
Justia Opinion Summary: Meza, deep in debt, fell for fraudulent international trading programs promising incredible profits. He then tricked people he knew into investing in these programs. The scam involved ridiculous promises. The district…
Date: December 22, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1207
Justia Opinion Summary: Prairie sued Coyle in Illinois state court concerning the replacement of valves purchased by Prairie. Coyle's insurer, Federated, sought a declaration that it had no duty to defend or indemnify Coyle in that suit. After…
Date: December 22, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1307
Justia Opinion Summary: Hill filed suit in state court, asking a judge to compel Young, his prison’s warden, to mail two complaints that Hill wanted to file in federal court. The defendants removed Hill’s suit to federal court. The district…
Date: December 21, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3327
Justia Opinion Summary: Nettles defaulted on her credit card account. Midland acquired the debt. Midland sued Nettles. The parties entered a consent judgment requiring a monthly repayment plan with automatic draws from her bank account. The…
Date: December 21, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3380
Justia Opinion Summary: The Okeres, U.S. citizens, are trying to get their eight-year-old son from Nigeria to the United States. They applied for a “certificate of identity,” which validates the identity of a person living abroad who purports…
Date: December 18, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1153
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2014-2016, Onamuti, a Nigerian citizen, led an identity-theft ring responsible for filing almost 1,500 tax returns and netting $5 million in illicit refunds. Charged with 11 counts of presenting false claims, 18…
Date: December 18, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3245
Justia Opinion Summary: Banks was charged with conspiracy and aiding and abetting a robbery of the Gary, Indiana Post Office, where she worked, 18 U.S.C. 371, 2114(a). After a five-day trial and four hours of deliberation, at about 8:45 p.m.,…
Date: December 18, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1534
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2012, Laducer, a truck driver, rear-ended Spinnenweber’s minivan. Spinnenweber refused medical treatment at the scene. He later sought treatment for neck pain, tinnitus, and bouts of short-term memory loss. …
Date: December 17, 2020
Docket Numbers: 20-1672, 20-1724
Justia Opinion Summary: Wisconsin grants public-sector employees the right to bargain collectively through the State Employment Labor Relations Act (SELRA) and the Municipal Employment Relations Act (MERA). In 2011, SELRA and MERA were amended…
Date: December 17, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1724
Date: December 16, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1459
Justia Opinion Summary: Mexican citizen Hernandez-Alvarez was a permanent U.S. resident when, in 2002, he was convicted of indecent solicitation of a child. DHS initiated removal on the grounds that his conviction constituted an aggravated…
Date: December 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1298
Justia Opinion Summary: Finance sent Bazile a letter seeking to collect medical debts. The dunning letter stated the date (September 19, 2017) and the total balance of the debt ($92.23), without indicating whether that amount may increase with…
Date: December 15, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1622, 19-1673
Justia Opinion Summary: Two armed men robbed three cash-and-check stores. Jett and McKissick were convicted of conspiracy under the Hobbs Act, 18 U.S.C. 1951(a), and attempted bank robbery “by force and violence, or by intimidation,” section…
Date: December 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2630
Justia Opinion Summary: The Spuhlers incurred medical debts that State Collection sought to collect on behalf of the medical‐care provider. The collector sent the Spuhlers dunning letters that provided the debts’ sums but lacked a statement…
Date: December 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2707
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2009. Zamora, a high-ranking Latin Kings Chicago gang member, pleaded guilty to an extortion and racketeering conspiracy. After successfully challenging his sentence, Zamora was transferred to the Metropolitan…
Date: December 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3256
Justia Opinion Summary: Convergent sent Brunett a letter demanding repayment of a debt that slightly exceeded $1,000, offering to accept 50% of the balance in satisfaction of the debt. The letter stated that, if the creditor ended up forgiving…
Date: December 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3514
Justia Opinion Summary: When the Gunn's debt for homeowners' association assessments reached $2,000, the association hired a law firm, which sent the Gunns a letter demanding payment. The letter states: If Creditor has recorded a mechanic’s…
Date: December 14, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1557, 18-3582
Justia Opinion Summary: The plaintiffs received collection letters from Finance System, seeking payment of medical debts. Represented by the same law firm, they filed materially identical class-action claims under the Fair Debt Collection…
Date: December 14, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2178
Justia Opinion Summary: Norwood met a 15‐year‐old girl, a runaway from a state facility, at an Indianapolis gas station. Using drugs, violence, threats, and manipulative affection, he enticed her to have sexual intercourse with him and then…
Date: December 11, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3378
Justia Opinion Summary: Wyatt pleaded guilty to conspiring to traffic a minor, 18 U.S.C. 1594(c). The government promised to recommend a below-Guidelines sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and to notify the court about his post-plea…
Date: December 9, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3237
Justia Opinion Summary: Knudtson worked for Trempealeau County for over 45 years. She eventually became a paralegal/office manager in the District Attorney’s Office. When his friend, the Jackson County District Attorney, died, McMahon, the…
Date: December 9, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1668
Justia Opinion Summary: In its 2018 “Janus” holding, the Supreme Court reversed course on 41 years of jurisprudence sanctioning agreements between state-government agencies and unions authorizing the unions to collect fair-share fees from…
Date: December 8, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3152
Justia Opinion Summary: Williams, a Chicago school social worker, suffers from depression, anxiety, and chronic sinusitis. For the 2013–14 school year, Williams received an evaluation score that placed him in the “developing” category, and was…
Date: December 8, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1391
Justia Opinion Summary: The Cook County Jail houses primarily people who have not yet been convicted. Under the jail’s “paper triage” policy, a detainee who has dental pain and wants treatment must submit a health service request form (HSRF).…
Date: December 7, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2741
Justia Opinion Summary: The defendants sell shaker tubes in grocery stores across the country, with labels advertising “100% Grated Parmesan Cheese.” The products are not 100 percent cheese but contain four to nine percent added cellulose…
Date: December 7, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3465
Justia Opinion Summary: During a 2005 traffic stop, officers searched Hogsett’s vehicle and discovered crack cocaine and a firearm. A jury convicted Hogsett of being a felon in possession of a firearm, 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1), possessing with…
Date: December 1, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3038
Justia Opinion Summary: Donald has glaucoma and keratoconus, a thinning of the cornea that causes distorted vision. To treat his keratoconus, Donald had left-eye corneal transplant surgery in 2011. A few years later, Donald was convicted of…
Date: November 30, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2254
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2016 agents found Barrett with nearly 15,000 images and 2,450 videos of child pornography. A search of his computer also uncovered a “Pedophile’s Handbook.” Barrett pled guilty to possessing child pornography under a…
Date: November 30, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2596
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1995, Sanders, age 15, forcibly entered his victims’ homes while they slept, suffocated and raped them, and then robbed them. His youngest victim lived in a foster home. Another had given birth only a few weeks…
Date: November 25, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3696
Justia Opinion Summary: Smith stole a truck in Iowa, drove it across the Mississippi River into Illinois, crashed into a median, then fled, leaving a stolen handgun inside. He has a felony record and pled guilty to federal charges of unlawfully…
Date: November 25, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1011
Justia Opinion Summary: BRC and Continental signed a five-year contract. Continental agreed to supply BRC with “approximately 1.8 million pounds of prime furnace black annually” taken in “approximately equal monthly quantities.” The price of…
Date: November 25, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1422
Justia Opinion Summary: Between 1983-2015, Heneghan was an associated person (AP) of 14 different National Futures Association (NFA)-member firms. Troyer invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in financial derivatives through NFA Members.…
Date: November 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3222
Justia Opinion Summary: McDonald pleaded guilty to transporting child pornography, 18 U.S.C. 2252A(a)(1). He admitted to using his computer to send two emails with video attachments containing pornography depicting children as young as five and…
Date: November 24, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1040
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2009, Barrados-Zarate, a citizen of Mexico, was charged as removable. He had been in the U.S. for more than a decade and applied for cancellation of removal, 8 U.S.C. 1229b(b)(1). He has two children who were born in…
Date: November 24, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1166
Justia Opinion Summary: Alleging debilitating pain in her back, legs, and hands, Zoch sought disability insurance benefits, 42 U.S.C. 413, 423. An ALJ denied the application, finding that, based on the opinions of three of her four treating…
Date: November 24, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1168
Justia Opinion Summary: Dunn slapped Schuckman in a bar's parking lot, causing him to fall to the ground. Witnesses reported seeing Schuckman upright and apparently unharmed afterward. Hours later, Schuckman was found dead on the bar’s patio.…
Date: November 23, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1257
Justia Opinion Summary: Anderson participated in an Illinois conspiracy to distribute heroin that included a dealer, Mansini. In 2012, Reader, a 21-year-old addict, purchased and used heroin from another dealer. Later that day, Reader purchased…
Date: November 23, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1116
Justia Opinion Summary: Vargas began working as a mail carrier in 2005. Mail carriers must be able to carry up to 35 pounds in their shoulder bags. Vargas’s route also required shuttling mail and equipment weighing up to 75 pounds between the…
Date: November 20, 2020
Docket Numbers: 17-3079, 17-3125, 18-1207
Justia Opinion Summary: Fields filed claims under 42 U.S.C. 1983 and state law against Chicago, Chicago police officers, and former Cook County prosecutors. Fields alleged that the defendants violated his constitutional rights and state law by…
Date: November 20, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1624
Justia Opinion Summary: Makhsous owned three Wisconsin residential care facilities. In 2015, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) found that two of Makhsous’s facilities did not comply with Wisconsin law. Daye is the supervisor…
Date: November 20, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1959
Justia Opinion Summary: Federal judges may release prisoners for compassionate reasons. Previously, that authority required a motion by the Bureau of Prisons. The 2018 First Step Act created a judicial power to grant compassionate release on a…
Date: November 19, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1528
Date: November 19, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1613
Date: November 19, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2890
Justia Opinion Summary: Elmer owned and operated multiple healthcare-related companies including Pharmakon, a compounding pharmacy that mixes and distributes drugs—including potent opioids like morphine and fentanyl—to hospitals across the…
Date: November 19, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3244
Justia Opinion Summary: Shuhaiber, who is confined to a wheelchair, sued the Illinois Department of Corrections under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Rehabilitation Act. He alleged that the Stateville Center failed to accommodate his…
Date: November 19, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1233
Justia Opinion Summary: Dawson pled guilty to conspiring to transport stolen property in interstate commerce and was sentenced to 18 months of prison followed by three years of supervised release, plus restitution. Less than a year after…
Date: November 17, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-2174, 19-2185, 19-2186
Justia Opinion Summary: Daoud came to the FBI’s attention because of online activity that evinced a desire to engage in violent jihad. While communicating and meeting with undercover agents, Daoud sometimes wavered about killing people. Daoud…
Date: November 17, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2718
Justia Opinion Summary: Johnson, a “sovereign citizen,” participated in a bogus mortgage-elimination scheme. Charged with mail fraud, Johnson represented himself at a month-long jury trial, presenting nonsensical defenses. Johnson was capable…
Date: November 17, 2020
Docket Number: 20-2782
Justia Opinion Summary: The Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act regulates the collection, use, retention, disclosure, and dissemination of biometric identifiers (fingerprints, retina and iris scans, hand scans, and facial geometry). …
Date: November 12, 2020
Docket Numbers: 20-1115, 20-1016
Justia Opinion Summary: The Randolph-Sheppard Act, 20 U.S.C. 107(a), provides economic opportunities by granting blind persons priority to operate vending facilities at certain government properties. When a blind vendor, Belsha, was awarded…
Date: November 10, 2020
Docket Numbers: 20-1049, 20-1039
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1997, Plaintiffs co-founded Gray Matter Holdings. A 1999 Withdrawal Agreement with Gray Matter entitled Plaintiffs to royalties on the sales of “Key Products.” In 2003, Gray Matter sold some assets to Swimways. After…
Date: November 9, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1265
Justia Opinion Summary: Mzembe and two others kidnapped another man, shot him, beat him, and held him for ransom, then abandoned him in an alley. Separate federal juries found the three men guilty of multiple federal crimes. Mzembe was…
Date: November 6, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1376
Justia Opinion Summary: Hogenkamp pleaded guilty to a federal crime and was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment plus 25 years’ supervised release. Fourteen months before the anticipated end of his custodial time (April 2021), he asked the…
Date: November 5, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2858
Justia Opinion Summary: Calderone, a Chicago police communications operator, was off duty, driving her car when another motorist, Garcia, threw a drink into Calderone’s vehicle, then pulled to the side of the road. Calderone stopped behind…
Date: November 4, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2787
Justia Opinion Summary: Sandefur, a Cook County corrections officer, suffers from spinal disk desiccation and osteoarthritis in his knees. In 2011, Sandefur received a handicapped parking placard from the Illinois Secretary of State. His…
Date: November 3, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3446
Justia Opinion Summary: Officers found Turner, a homeless Champaign man well-known to the police, on the ground, rolling around with his pants down, flailing his arms, and babbling unintelligibly, then walking back and forth across the street. …
Date: October 23, 2020
Docket Number: 20-2877
Justia Opinion Summary: Indiana law provides that state’s election polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. In 2019, Indiana enacted amendments: only a county election board has standing in an Indiana court to request the extension of the…
Date: October 21, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2002
Justia Opinion Summary: A Wisconsin jury found Gage guilty of repeatedly sexually assaulting his daughter, H.R.G., when she was a child. Gage asserted that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to interview and present testimony from…
Date: October 21, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3172
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2008, an Illinois jury convicted Brown of three counts of first-degree murder for shooting three people outside of the Champaign American Legion building. Brown subsequently filed two post-conviction motions, a…
Date: October 21, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1106
Justia Opinion Summary: Applecars is a member of a network of Wisconsin used-car dealerships. McCormick owned a majority share in each dealership. Each dealership received management services from Capital M, which McCormick also owned. Capital…
Date: October 19, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2970
Justia Opinion Summary: For several years Miller provided Dix with living space in her basement, without payment of rent. Miller told Dix to move out so she could sell the house. He refused; Miller called the police. Officers told Miller that…
Date: October 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3137
Justia Opinion Summary: For about three years, Nulf, an Illinois licensed loan originator, and two co-defendants participated in a mortgage-fraud scheme, causing approximately $2.2 million in losses. Nulf was charged with bank fraud, 18 U.S.C.…
Date: October 14, 2020
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: October 13, 2020
Docket Number: 20-2911
Justia Opinion Summary: Indiana counts an absentee ballot only if it is received by noon on Election Day. In September 2020, a district court found that rule unconstitutional, reasoning that the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, which has led to more use…
Date: October 8, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1089
Justia Opinion Summary: Degroot defaulted on a debt owed to Capital. AllianceOne sent Degroot a letter, stating: The amount of your debt is $425.86 ... interest and fees are no longer being added. Degroot understood that Capital had…
Date: October 8, 2020
Docket Numbers: 20-2835, 20-2844
Justia Opinion Summary: A district judge extended Wisconsin’s deadline for online and mail-in registration by one week; extended the deadline for delivery of absentee ballots by mail by allowing for online delivery and access by October 29; and…
Date: October 8, 2020
Docket Number: 20-2844
Date: October 8, 2020
Docket Number: 20-2844
Date: October 6, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1917
Justia Opinion Summary: Jimenez-Aguilar, a 14-year-old citizen of Honduras, entered the U.S. without inspection. In 2014, he was arrested for domestic assault. Jimenez-Aguilar sought cancellation of removal, arguing that his removal would cause…
Date: October 6, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3215
Justia Opinion Summary: Most people eligible for Medicaid benefits are “categorically needy” because their income falls below a threshold of eligibility. People with higher income but steep medical expenses are “medically needy” once they spend…
Date: October 6, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1891
Justia Opinion Summary: Bourgeois was convicted of murder on federal property, 18 U.S.C. 7 and 1111, and sentenced to death after he brutally abused and murdered his two-year-old daughter in 2002. Bourgeois collaterally attacked his death…
Date: October 6, 2020
Docket Number: 20-2605
Justia Opinion Summary: Indiana voters in 13 categories can vote by mail. One category encompasses voters aged 65 and older; others encompass disabled or homebound voters, voters who lack transportation, and voters who expect to be absent from…
Date: October 5, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2099
Justia Opinion Summary: Beeler, a dual citizen of Canada and the U.S., worked in Canada for 19 years and contributed to the Canada Pension Plan. In 1989 Beeler moved to the U.S. Until she retired in 2013, she worked and paid Social Security…
Date: October 2, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3644
Justia Opinion Summary: The Network filed suit under the Clean Water Act against Dynegy, the owner of an Illinois power station, claiming that Dynegy’s station was releasing contaminants into groundwater. The district court dismissed the suit…
Date: October 2, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3644
Date: October 1, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3035
Justia Opinion Summary: Ricci was awarded custody of his daughter in divorce proceedings. Ricci’s daughter receives supplemental security income from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Ricci served as the representative payee to receive…
Date: September 30, 2020
Docket Number: 17-1883
Date: September 29, 2020
Docket Numbers: 20-2835, 20-2844
Justia Opinion Summary: The Democratic National Committee claimed that Wisconsin statutes would abridge some voters’ rights during the pandemic. A district judge extended the deadline for online and mail-in registration from October 14 to…
Date: September 29, 2020
Docket Number: 20-2844
Date: September 22, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1847
Justia Opinion Summary: An aircraft engine caught fire during testing in South Carolina. Rolls-Royce had manufactured and sold the engine to Boeing for incorporation into a 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Boeing demanded compensation from…
Date: September 22, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2683
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1996, Webster was sentenced to death for the murder of a 16-year-old girl. Webster has repeatedly sought relief from that sentence on the ground he advanced at trial—that he is intellectually disabled. In 2009, his…
Date: September 18, 2020
Docket Number: 20-2710
Justia Opinion Summary: Vialva was sentenced to death for murders he committed in 1999. Vialva argued that he received ineffective assistance of counsel because his lawyer had a conflict of interest and conducted an inadequate investigation.…
Date: September 16, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2330
Justia Opinion Summary: Green was visiting a friend at a Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) public housing unit. Hudson, a security guard employed by AGB, attempted to stop and search Green. Hudson subdued Green outside the CHA unit and recovered…
Date: September 16, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2896
Justia Opinion Summary: Moultrie pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). The presentence report calculated his offense level at 21, including enhancements for possessing a firearm with an…
Date: September 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1754
Justia Opinion Summary: Bethany participated in a conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. He was sentenced in 2013. That sentence was vacated under 28 U.S.C. 2255, and he was resentenced in 2019, after the enactment of the First Step Act of…
Date: September 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2092
Justia Opinion Summary: Uriarte, a gang member, was convicted of racketeering, drug crimes, and two counts of using a firearm to commit a kidnapping, 18 U.S.C. 924(c). A conviction for a single count of using a firearm to commit a crime of…
Date: September 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2530
Justia Opinion Summary: Peeters sought disability benefits, citing degenerative disc disease in the lumbar spine, degenerative joint disease of the right shoulder, depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety…
Date: September 14, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2780
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2006, Mlsna was hired by Union Pacific, as a conductor. Union Pacific was aware of Mlsna’s hearing impairment. In 2012 the Federal Railroad Administration implemented regulations to ensure that train conductors…
Date: September 10, 2020
Docket Number: 20-2497
Justia Opinion Summary: The Seventh Circuit reversed the dismissal of a taxpayers' suit, challenging Cook County’s pre-2008 property tax assessments. The district court had determined that it lacked jurisdiction under the Tax Injunction Act, 28…
Date: September 8, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2759
Justia Opinion Summary: Patrick was convicted of double murder in 1995 and sentenced to life in prison. The convictions were vacated in 2014. The Cook County Circuit Court issued a certificate of innocence. Patrick filed suit for wrongful…
Date: September 8, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1792
Justia Opinion Summary: Cook County Jail detainees filed suit after the Jail reported an outbreak of COVID-19, arguing that the Sheriff violated their due process rights by failing to provide them with reasonably safe living conditions. They…
Date: September 4, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3270
Justia Opinion Summary: Marshall worked at the Indiana Department of Corrections for over 20 years. He received good reviews and promotions. He identified as homosexual. He reached the rank of Internal Affairs Investigator. In 2015, he was…
Date: September 3, 2020
Docket Number: 17-3318
Justia Opinion Summary: Sparkman belonged to a gang that was responsible for murders, kidnappings, and robberies. Sparkman was directly involved in at least two kidnappings in which firearms were used to threaten the victims. He was convicted…
Date: September 3, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2162
Justia Opinion Summary: Pulliam was arrested after fleeing from two Chicago police officers. During the chase, both officers saw a gun in Pulliam’s hand. Pulliam had previously been convicted of multiple felonies, making it a federal crime for…
Date: September 3, 2020
Docket Number: 20-2175
Justia Opinion Summary: During the coronavirus pandemic, Illinois Governor Pritzker issued executive orders designed to limit the virus’s opportunities to spread, similar to orders in other states. Executive Order 2020‐43 (EO43, June 26,…
Date: September 2, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-2089, 19-2173
Justia Opinion Summary: Dzierzawski was vice-president of Forsyth's vineyard company. When Forsythe declined an opportunity to produce a custom wine for the Meijer grocery chain, Dzierzawski formed Vinifera and began doing business with…
Date: September 1, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1806
Justia Opinion Summary: Officers Cates and Hannah responded to a call by Lemons. While Lemons was alone with Cates in her home, he sexually assaulted her. Lemons was arrested, then taken to a hospital. A nurse documented swelling on Lemons’…
Date: August 31, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2142
Justia Opinion Summary: Demkovich was hired in 2012 as the music director at St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church. Demkovich is gay, overweight, and suffers from diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Demkovich claims Reverend Dada subjected him…
Date: August 28, 2020
Docket Numbers: 17-3449, 17‐1650, 17‐2854, 17‐2858, 17‐2877, 17‐2899, 17‐2917, 17‐2918, 17‐2931, 17‐3063
Justia Opinion Summary: The Hobos street gang operated in Chicago, 2004-2013. Ten gang members were charged and convicted for violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, 18 U.S.C. 1961-1968, among other crimes.…
Date: August 28, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2207
Justia Opinion Summary: Carnell pled guilty to a conspiracy to distribute a mixture containing methamphetamine, 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B) and 846.. The Sentencing Guidelines distinguish between mixtures involving run-of-the-mill…
Date: August 27, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2626
Justia Opinion Summary: Bell employees participated in a benefit plan, completely funded by contributions from the members of about 69 unions. The plan is administered by a Board of Trustees, governed by Trust Indenture documents that provide…
Date: August 26, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2580
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2013, Siddique applied for a temporary student-government position at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His application was said to have been rejected because he did not meet a minimum-enrollment requirement…
Date: August 26, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2870
Justia Opinion Summary: Johnson, a student at North Central, reported that she had been raped at an apartment complex by two classmates, Froschauer and Risley. North Central Principal Kirk was aware of a previous rape allegation against…
Date: August 26, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3315
Justia Opinion Summary: TDH’s contract to provide HVAC services at a Chicago construction site contained provisions agreeing to indemnify Rockwell, the owner. TDH provided a Certificate of Liability Insurance, identifying Columbia as the…
Date: August 24, 2020
Docket Numbers: 16-4120, 19‐2379
Justia Opinion Summary: Officers Duszak and Weber initiated a traffic stop because the light over Harrington’s license plate was out. Dispatch notified the officers that there was no record of Harrington’s license plate. The officers attempted…
Date: August 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2525
Justia Opinion Summary: The Dais obtained a loan from Apex secured by a mortgage on their laundromat. The laundromat ceased operations; the Dais defaulted. Apex agreed to accept a deed in lieu of foreclosure if the property was marketable. A…
Date: August 21, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1305
Justia Opinion Summary: Spring Hill owned a 240-apartment complex in a Chicago suburb. In 2007, the owner converted the apartments into condominiums and attempted to sell them. Ginsberg recruited several people to buy units in bulk, telling…
Date: August 21, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1703
Justia Opinion Summary: Truck drivers brought individual, collective, and class action claims against CTS, their former employer, for failing to provide overtime pay. The Fair Labor Standards Act requires overtime pay for any employee who works…
Date: August 21, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2004
Justia Opinion Summary: To keep his car dealership afloat, Friedman secured loans for fake buyers of a phony inventory of luxury cars. The dealership exported cars overseas, but kept many of the title certificates and used the names of friends,…
Date: August 21, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-3333, 19-2308
Justia Opinion Summary: The Barack Obama Foundation selected Jackson Park in Chicago to house the Obama Presidential Center. Chicago acquired 19.3 acres from the Chicago Park District, enacted the necessary ordinances, and entered into a use…
Date: August 20, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1528
Date: August 20, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1613, 19-1528
Justia Opinion Summary: Without permission from Epic, TCS downloaded thousands of documents containing Epic’s confidential information and trade secrets. TCS used some of the information to create a “comparative analysis”—a spreadsheet…
Date: August 20, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3008
Justia Opinion Summary: Waagner was convicted as a felon in possession of a firearm and of possessing a stolen vehicle that had crossed a state line. The court adopted the PSR finding that Waagner was an armed career criminal under the ACCA…
Date: August 18, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3211
Justia Opinion Summary: Semmerling worked as a contractor for the U.S. Military Commissions Defense Organization as part of the legal team for a person charged as an al-Qaeda enemy combatant. Semmerling, who is gay, disclosed his sexuality to…
Date: August 17, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1343
Justia Opinion Summary: Police conducted a traffic stop, approached Cook’s car and noticed a strong odor of marijuana. Cook was driving on a suspended license and without a license plate. The officers ordered him to step out of the vehicle and…
Date: August 17, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2273
Justia Opinion Summary: The False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. 3729–3733, authorizes relators to file qui tam suits on behalf of the U.S. government. If such an action is successful, the relator receives part of the recovery. The Act prohibits…
Date: August 17, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2542
Justia Opinion Summary: DWM agreed to purchase 30 gasoline station-convenience stores from Smart for $67 million. It was understood that it was a "flip" because Smart did not yet own the properties. Both parties were represented by counsel. …
Date: August 14, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2029
Justia Opinion Summary: Brace, now age 40, was injured on the job in 2013 and can no longer perform his past work in health service, food service, and construction. He applied for Social Security disability benefits, claiming persistent back…
Date: August 14, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2129
Justia Opinion Summary: Thomas agreed to sell methamphetamine to a government cooperator and drove to the prearranged delivery time and place, where the police arrested him and searched his car. When police opened the glove compartment, out…
Date: August 14, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2956
Justia Opinion Summary: After four months of pretrial detention at the Madison County jail in 2007, Pittman attempted suicide by hanging himself with a blanket. The attempt left Pittman in a vegetative state. In his suicide note, he stated that…
Date: August 14, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3009
Justia Opinion Summary: Machicote, a Wisconsin inmate underwent surgery to remove damaged bone, tissue, and cartilage in his ankle after he suffered an injury while playing basketball in the prison yard. After the procedure, the surgeon…
Date: August 14, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3069
Justia Opinion Summary: Greene pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography, 18 U.S.C. 2252A(a)(1), 2252A(b)(1), and received a within‐guidelines 15-year prison sentence and a life term of supervised release. Greene argued that the sentence…
Date: August 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1669
Justia Opinion Summary: Salazar-Marroquin, a Mexican citizen, entered the U.S. with a B-2 visitor’s visa in 2000 at age 16 and stayed despite the expiration of his visa. In 2010 he was arrested for driving without a license and was served with…
Date: August 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1909
Justia Opinion Summary: The U.S. Postal Inspection Service identified suspicious packages sent from Puerto Rico to Duenas. Milwaukee officers intercepted and followed a package and arrested Duenas once he accepted the delivery. Duenas mentioned…
Date: August 12, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1795
Justia Opinion Summary: In July 2010, Fieldman climbed into a truck in a Walmart parking lot and told a hitman that he wanted his ex-wife and her boyfriend killed. The hitman was actually an undercover police officer who videotaped their…
Date: August 12, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2772
Justia Opinion Summary: Many years ago, a class of plaintiffs sued, alleging that the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County was engaging in unlawful political patronage in violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments. In 1972, the Clerk…
Date: August 11, 2020
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: August 11, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2081
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2008, Lopez-Garcia’s husband left Guatemala for the U.S. In 2014, Lopez-Garcia and her three minor children entered the U.S. without valid entry documents. Immigration officers apprehended them. An asylum officer…
Date: August 11, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2514
Justia Opinion Summary: Gamble robbed a Chicago branch of Chase Bank, where she had worked until three months earlier. Two Chase employees were working at the time of the robbery, Gamble entered the bank wearing a disguise and waited for…
Date: August 11, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-2913, 19-2808
Justia Opinion Summary: Morris worked for nine years as a train conductor for BNSF. The company fired him after he committed two speeding infractions during a single shift on a train carrying hazardous chemicals and failed to follow company…
Date: August 11, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1350
Justia Opinion Summary: The Wisconsin Public Service Commission issued a permit authorizing the construction of a $500 million electricity transmission line in southwestern Wisconsin. Two environmental groups sued under 42 U.S.C. 1983, seeking…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1938
Justia Opinion Summary: A confidential source, “Bonz” told Champaign Police that he knew a crack cocaine dealer named Moe. Over a few months, the department conducted five controlled buys from Moe, consistent with information from Bonz. After…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3111
Justia Opinion Summary: Dunn County Sergeant Kurtzhals threatened physical violence against one of his fellow officers, Deputy Rhead. The Sheriff’s Office put him on temporary paid administrative leave and ordered him to undergo a…
Date: August 6, 2020
Docket Numbers: 18-3717, 18-3718
Justia Opinion Summary: For more than a decade, Van Den Heuvel received cash payments from VHC, a company founded by his father and owned by his family. These payments primarily supported Ron’s business ventures but also helped him pay personal…
Date: August 6, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3095
Justia Opinion Summary: Named plaintiffs filed a putative class action in Illinois, alleging that defendants made false claims about dietary supplements. The parties negotiated a settlement. Over the objection of class member Frank, the…
Date: August 6, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3356
Justia Opinion Summary: Pierri began working for Medline in 2011. In 2015, Pierri’s grandfather fell ill. Pierri's supervisor, Tyler, allowed Pierri to work 10‐hour shifts four days a week in order to take his grandfather on weekly hospital…
Date: August 5, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1244
Justia Opinion Summary: Vaughn, a quadriplegic, has received home‐based care for over 30 years. She requires help with personal care, household maintenance, mobility exercises, transportation, medications, suctioning secretions from her…
Date: August 5, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-2414, 19-2395
Justia Opinion Summary: At an Illinois road construction site, a flagger abruptly turned his sign from “SLOW” to “STOP.” Roberts slammed on his breaks. Solomakha, driving a tractor-trailer truck rear-ended him, causing Roberts serious injury.…
Date: August 5, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2639
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2009 Allen-Noll, who is African-American, was hired by Madison Area Technical College as a nursing instructor. Beginning in 2010, Allen-Noll was criticized for her teaching methods. Students complained that she was…
Date: August 5, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2898
Justia Opinion Summary: Gunn brought a putative class action against Continental, which had issued a group long-term care insurance policy to Gunn’s employer, the federal judiciary, in Washington D.C. Gunn alleged that Continental breached its…
Date: August 4, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1564, 19-2156
Justia Opinion Summary: Grubhub, an online and mobile food-ordering and delivery marketplace, considers its delivery drivers to be independent contractors rather than employees. The plaintiffs alleged, in separate suits, that Grubhub violated…
Date: August 4, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3158
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2000, Indiana University student Jill Behrman went for a bike ride but never returned. The police later found her bicycle less than a mile from the home of Myers, on the north side of Bloomington. Two years later a…
Date: August 3, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1005
Justia Opinion Summary: Howard was charged with seven crimes relating to possession, receipt, distribution, and production of child pornography, 18 U.S.C. 2252(a)(2), (a)(4). He pleaded guilty to five; the remaining counts, under section…
Date: August 3, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2930
Justia Opinion Summary: RYZE, an Indiana business, employs remote workers across the U.S., including Billings, who signed an employment agreement with a forum‐selection clause providing for litigation in an Indiana state court or in the…
Date: August 3, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-3269, 19-2534
Justia Opinion Summary: Adams, superintendent of the school district in 2013-2016, requested a forensic audit of the district’s expenditures and subsequently had disputes with board members that involved Adams filing a police complaint. The…
Date: July 31, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2837
Justia Opinion Summary: Biegert texted his mother that he had taken pills in an apparent suicide attempt; she called the Green Bay police and requested a welfare check. She stated that Biegert was depressed, had a history of suicide attempts,…
Date: July 31, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3212
Justia Opinion Summary: Mitze unsuccessfully appealed the denial of her application for social security benefits. Several years later, Mitze moved to seal her medical information and all other information pertaining to her case, citing…
Date: July 30, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1981
Justia Opinion Summary: The Oneida Nation’s Big Apple Fest is held, annually, on land partially located in the Village of Hobart. In 2016 Hobart demanded that the Nation obtain a permit and submit to some of its s laws. The Nation filed suit…
Date: July 29, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3233
Justia Opinion Summary: Surprise injured a tendon in the middle finger of his right hand in 2009, resulting in two surgeries and several months of physical therapy. He initially experienced severe pain. Weeks later Surprise’s therapist noted…
Date: July 28, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2659
Justia Opinion Summary: For nearly a week Lentz feigned ignorance as she pretended to help investigators locate her missing father. Officers soon discovered the father’s decaying body hidden at the office building the two shared. All signs…
Date: July 28, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2045
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2013, Zablocki had x-rays administered by Medical-Midwest. Zablocki’s insurance provider covered some of the costs, Eventually, Medical-Midwest turned to Merchants for debt collection. After about two years without…
Date: July 28, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2336
Justia Opinion Summary: FCE administered health insurance policies underwritten by the Insurers. After a few years, the Insurers became dissatisfied with FCE’s performance and invoked the Agreement’s arbitration clause. In Phase I of the…
Date: July 28, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2641
Justia Opinion Summary: Kizart was driving alone when Officer Russell stopped him for speeding. As they talked, Russell smelled burnt marijuana coming from Kizart’s car. Kizart explained that his brother had smoked marijuana in the car…
Date: July 28, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2807
Justia Opinion Summary: Speech First challenged University of Illinois policies that allegedly impermissibly chill the speech of its student members. The Bias Assessment and Response Team (BART) responds to reports of bias-motivated incidents. …
Date: July 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1948
Justia Opinion Summary: Bonk conspired with Kampas and Wood to distribute ice methamphetamine. Charged with conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute and with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, Wood…
Date: July 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2272
Justia Opinion Summary: Sigler totaled his 2001 Dodge Ram and filed a claim with GEICO, his auto insurer, for the loss. GEICO paid him for the value of the car, adjusted for depreciation, minus his deductible. Sigler claims he is entitled to…
Date: July 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2984
Justia Opinion Summary: The accident occurred on I-294 in Illinois. The posted speed limit was 55 miles per hour. It was dark. The weather was cold, snowy, and icy. Perez’s SUV spun out of control. Wharton’s tractor-trailer truck struck the…
Date: July 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3517
Justia Opinion Summary: Corner violated the conditions of his supervised release for possessing with intent to distribute 11 grams of cocaine base by using and possessing illegal drugs, failing to comply with drug testing, and lying to his…
Date: July 23, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2045
Justia Opinion Summary: Sommerfield was born in Germany, where some of his family members had died in concentration camps. He emigrated, settled in Chicago, and joined the police department. His supervisor was Sergeant Knasiak. For years,…
Date: July 23, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2108
Justia Opinion Summary: Cook County, Illinois revised its policies in favor of broader access to pretrial release. The plaintiffs are nine black Chicago residents, arrested and charged with felonies, whom the county trial courts admitted to…
Date: July 22, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2617
Justia Opinion Summary: Wells was sentenced for two drug offenses: two years’ imprisonment for the first and one year for the second, to run consecutively, with credit for pretrial detention: 255 days for the first sentence and 97 days for the…
Date: July 22, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1799
Justia Opinion Summary: Quincy’s Prevagen® dietary supplement is sold through brick‐and‐mortar stores and online. Ellishbooks, which was not authorized to sell Prevagen® products, sold dietary supplements identified as Prevagen® on Amazon.com,…
Date: July 22, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-2708, 19-2075, 19-2476
Justia Opinion Summary: Each of the three defendants in these consolidated appeals was convicted of at least one “covered offense” under the First Step Act, 132 Stat. 5194. A “covered offense” is a federal crime (committed before August 3,…
Date: July 21, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1840
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2013, LeVan was elected to the office of Milton Township Assessor, displacing his political rival, Earl. Shortly after he took office, LeVan discharged a group of Deputy Assessors who had publicly supported Earl in…
Date: July 21, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2863
Justia Opinion Summary: Hosler responded to a darkweb site post purporting to advertise sex with a young girl. Eau Claire Detective Beardsley had created the advertisement, pretending to be a mother, “Amanda,” offering her 12-year-old daughter,…
Date: July 21, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3068
Justia Opinion Summary: Vesey pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, 18 U.S.C. 922(g). His PSR had calculated a base offense level of 20 because Vesey had a prior conviction for a crime of violence, Illinois aggravated…
Date: July 20, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3380
Justia Opinion Summary: Manuel's disabled cellmate requested a change of rooms and became hostile toward Manuel. Manuel reported this but no action was taken. The cellmate beat Manuel into unconsciousness. Officer Nalley investigated. Manuel…
Date: July 20, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2589
Justia Opinion Summary: Doctors removed Haynes’s gallbladder. She was injured in the process and required additional surgery that led to more than $300,000 in medical expenses. Her father’s medical-benefits plan (the Fund) paid these because…
Date: July 20, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2802
Justia Opinion Summary: Police investigating Vermilion County drug trafficking sent an informant to buy cocaine at Glenn’s home. The transaction was recorded on audio and video. About a month later a state judge put agent Alblinger under oath,…
Date: July 20, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2939
Justia Opinion Summary: Tonyan, a Dunham’s store manager, suffered a series of injuries, requiring multiple surgeries and restrictions to her shoulder, arm, and hand movement. After her doctor imposed permanent restrictions, including one…
Date: July 20, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3142
Justia Opinion Summary: A 2012-2015 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) contained a union security clause that required Maysteel employees either to become union members or to pay a “service fee for representation.” Under a dues check‐off…
Date: July 20, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1034
Justia Opinion Summary: Officers executed a search warrant at Ruth’s residence and recovered 2.9 grams of crack cocaine, 5.6 grams of powder cocaine, a counterfeit $100 bill, $2,250 in U.S. currency, and drug paraphernalia. Ruth was charged…
Date: July 17, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3283
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1997, Durham received a 35-year sentence for a federal drug offense that was reduced to 20 years after amendments to the Sentencing Guidelines. Durham was released in 2015. In 2018, he violated the terms of his…
Date: July 17, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2730
Justia Opinion Summary: FedEx twice fired Kotaska because she could not lift up to 75 pounds. The first time, she was limited to lifting only 60 pounds after a shoulder injury. Eventually, her condition improved so that she could lift 75 pounds…
Date: July 16, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1241
Justia Opinion Summary: While in a hospital, Mintner entered a coma and seemed on the brink of death. Her blood and urine contained vastly more thallium than the natural concentration. Her fiancé, Fayemi had been providing some of her food,…
Date: July 16, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1745, 19-1734
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2006-2009,, Ghuman and Khan “flipped” 44 gas stations. Ghuman would recruit a buyer before they purchased the station. The buyers lacked the financial wherewithal to qualify loans. Ghuman and Khan's co-defendant, AEB…
Date: July 16, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1830
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2013, Allstate announced a new strategy in its auto insurance business: attracting more new customers by “softening” its underwriting standards. Allstate disclosed that new and potentially riskier customers might file…
Date: July 16, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2239
Justia Opinion Summary: Delgado, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, sought relief under the Whistleblower Protection Act, 5 U.S.C. 1214(q)(1)(A), 2302(b)(8), for retaliation he suffered after reporting his…
Date: July 16, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3138
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2018, Democrats were elected as the governor and attorney general of Wisconsin, replacing Republicans. Immediately after the election, the Republican-controlled legislature enacted Act 369 and Act 370, which strip the…
Date: July 16, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3145
Justia Opinion Summary: McCray worked at the Milwaukee VA Vet Center as a readjustment counselor, 1997-2000. After earning a Master’s degree, he returned to the VA in 2004 as a Mental Health Case Manager. McCray had served in the Army for eight…
Date: July 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1369
Justia Opinion Summary: Henderson joined the VA police department Hines VA Hospital in 1986. Henderson filed an employment discrimination action against the Department of Veteran Affairs. After being denied a promotion in 2013, Henderson, who…
Date: July 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2291
Justia Opinion Summary: Police arrested Pulera on suspicion of bail jumping and took him to the Kenosha Pre-Trial Facility. About 48 hours later, Pulera attempted to hang himself in his cell. Correctional officers swiftly cut him down and…
Date: July 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3100
Justia Opinion Summary: Canadian Pacific filed a federal suit, alleging state-law claims under the court’s diversity jurisdiction. Its suit centered on a trackage rights agreement—a contract governing one railroad’s use of another’s tracks—that…
Date: July 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3365
Justia Opinion Summary: After his development plan fell through and he went into bankruptcy, Hinterberger sued the city for failure to provide promised financial support. Discovery proceeded for almost two years. The city moved for summary…
Date: July 14, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2420
Justia Opinion Summary: McCann began her employment with Badger’s predecessor in 2010. At her 2013 evaluation, she received an overall appraisal of “Right on Track” but her supervisor noted some shortcomings in her ability to deal with…
Date: July 14, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2867
Justia Opinion Summary: The Seventh Circuit affirmed Felders’s conviction as a felon possessing a firearm, 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1), and his 96-month sentence, rejecting an argument that his statements should have been suppressed because the police…
Date: July 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1025
Justia Opinion Summary: Marquez and her 12-year-old daughter, Diana applied for admission into the U.S. at the California border. Marquez sought asylum and withholding of removal based on her belief that she could not live as an openly gay…
Date: July 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1471
Justia Opinion Summary: Officer Francisko, checking hunters’ licenses, approached a van parked on the side of a road. Armed hunters had just emerged from the woods. The driver, Cataline, was acting strangely but handed Francisko his driver’s…
Date: July 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2465
Justia Opinion Summary: Bosch, an engineering company, asked J.S.T. to design and manufacture a connector that Bosch could incorporate into a part that it builds for GM. For a time, Bosch retained J.S.T. as its sole supplier of those…
Date: July 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2508
Justia Opinion Summary: Blake, who has an MBA, engaged in a fraudulent tax scheme but claims unnamed users in internet chat rooms persuaded him to pursue his hidden federal “legacy trusts.” Blake filed eight different individual tax returns…
Date: July 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2698
Justia Opinion Summary: Brown, a detainee at Wisconsin’s Polk County Jail, underwent a physical search of her body cavities. The institution had a written policy authorizing such a search to be conducted by medical personnel when there was…
Date: July 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3077
Justia Opinion Summary: Marling was arrested while driving his car. Police took an inventory. The trunk held a locked box. An officer opened the box with a screwdriver and found illegal drugs. Marling was armed, despite felony convictions.…
Date: July 12, 2020
Docket Number: 20-2252
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1996 Lee murdered an Arkansas family of three in pursuit of funds for a white supremacist organization. Lee was convicted of capital murder in aid of racketeering, 18 U.S.C. 1959(a)(1), and sentenced to death. His…
Date: July 10, 2020
Docket Number: 20-2128
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1996, Lee and Kehoe, members of a white supremacist organization, traveled from Washington to the Arkansas home of Mueller, a firearms dealer. After stealing about $30,000 worth of weapons and $50,000 in cash and…
Date: July 9, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3200
Justia Opinion Summary: At Malagon’s trial for conspiracy with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, 21 U.S.C. 846, 841(a)(1), the government introduced cell phone records, audio and video recordings…
Date: July 8, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2384
Justia Opinion Summary: Running from police officers, Payne threw down a loaded pistol. Payne then attempted to provide a false identity and said he was not a felon. Payne had outstanding warrants for absconding from probation and three prior…
Date: July 8, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3034
Justia Opinion Summary: Indiana-based hemp sellers and wholesalers sought to enjoin the enforcement of Indiana’s “Act 516” criminal prohibition on the manufacture, delivery, or possession of smokable hemp, Ind. Code 35-48-3-10.1, arguing that…
Date: July 8, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1801
Justia Opinion Summary: Illinois permits voters to place initiatives and referenda on both local and statewide ballots but requires proponents to collect a specific number of signatures during a period of 18 months. That period ended for the…
Date: July 7, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2588
Justia Opinion Summary: A nurse accused Indiana prisoner Douglas of threatening her in the infirmary. Based on this accusation, Douglas was convicted of a disciplinary offense. Douglas appealed. The prison’s superintendent overturned the…
Date: July 7, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2441
Justia Opinion Summary: Robinson pled guilty to a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine after he was caught in a controlled buy. Robinson claimed on appeal that although the government indicted him for participating in a conspiracy…
Date: July 6, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1507
Justia Opinion Summary: Wilborn was convicted of first-degree murder for the 2004 murder of a rival gang member in Chicago and was sentenced to 30 years, plus 25 years for personally discharging a firearm. After exhausting state remedies, he…
Date: July 6, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2631
Justia Opinion Summary: Williams was convicted in Illinois state court in two separate cases for raping two women and received sentences totaling 66 years’ imprisonment. Williams contends that his defense attorney provided ineffective…
Date: July 6, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1558, 19-1534
Justia Opinion Summary: Chicago assesses fines for parking and other vehicular offenses against the owner. If the owner filed bankruptcy, keeping the car in the estate meant that the automatic stay prevented the city from using collection…
Date: July 2, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3318
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1998, Long, age 16, got into Purkey’s truck. Purkey, 46, threatened her with a knife and drove her across the state line to his home, where he raped her and ultimately killed her. Purkey dismembered Long’s body and…
Date: July 1, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3000
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2014, Tyburski, then age 74, applied for a promotion with his employer, the Chicago Department of Water Management. His application was rejected. Tyburski sued, claiming that he was denied the promotion because of his…
Date: July 1, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1704
Justia Opinion Summary: Triggs was indicted for unlawfully possessing a firearm, 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(9), which prohibits firearm possession by persons convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. The predicate conviction was more than 10…
Date: June 30, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2503
Justia Opinion Summary: Police dispatch reported three black males armed with guns selling drugs in front of a residence in Chicago’s Lawndale neighborhood, a high-crime area; one of the men was wearing a white shirt, another wearing a red…
Date: June 30, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3325
Justia Opinion Summary: The Miller Act, 40 U.S.C. 3131, protects subcontractors against nonpayment for work performed on federal government construction projects by requiring the prime contractor to provide a payment bond on which the…
Date: June 29, 2020
Docket Numbers: 16-3003, 16-3052
Justia Opinion Summary: Wisconsin previously had registration deputies, who registered voters at places such as high schools. Municipalities could require landlords to distribute registration forms to new tenants. The state replaced these…
Date: June 29, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1378
Justia Opinion Summary: Alkhalidi was convicted of murder, robbery, and theft. He appealed, claiming that his attorney failed to advise him of a plea offer. The Indiana state court denied relief, holding Alkhalidi’s innocence claim strongly…
Date: June 29, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1533
Justia Opinion Summary: Jeffords, a crane operator on a construction project at an oil refinery, fell seven feet from the catwalk on the body of a crane and injured his feet and back. He sued the project owner and several of its contractors for…
Date: June 29, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1949
Justia Opinion Summary: An Indiana prison disciplinary board concluded that Crawford had participated in an “unauthorized financial transaction” by telling Wolf, a fellow inmate, to send $400 to his mother. Wolf sent the check, which…
Date: June 29, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2421
Justia Opinion Summary: Kennedy-Robey was charged with fraud for operating a scheme to defraud the IRS and an unemployment insurance scheme. While awaiting trial, Kennedy-Robey was released on bond. She resumed her fraudulent activities. The…
Date: June 29, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3071
Justia Opinion Summary: When Zhao gave birth to her son “S.,” he suffered an avoidable brachial plexus injury that severely and permanently impaired the function of his right arm. During her pregnancy and S.’s birth, Zhao was attended by an…
Date: June 26, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1999
Justia Opinion Summary: Morales, a citizen of Mexico, entered the U.S. without inspection as a child. As an adult shooting victim, he petitioned for U nonimmigrant status, a special visa for victims of certain crimes, 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(U).…
Date: June 26, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2061
Justia Opinion Summary: To impress a woman he wanted to date (Bishop), Wade wore a badge and a holstered gun, discussed investigating a suspect, and left a business card that claimed Wade was a DEA special agent. The card had a hand-written…
Date: June 26, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2689
Justia Opinion Summary: Dijamco’s mother, a U.S. green card holder, filed a visa petition on Dijamco’s behalf in 1992. Though the petition received approval, Congress restricts the number issued each year. After four years of waiting in the…
Date: June 26, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2706
Justia Opinion Summary: Purtue, a Dodge Correctional Institution officer, reported that inmate Reddick had thrown an empty box from his cell, hitting her. Reddick was taken to segregation. A video recording showed the box flying out of…
Date: June 26, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2770
Justia Opinion Summary: Their father set up a trust for the benefit of Elizabeth and Thomas, giving the siblings equal interests; if either died without children, the other would receive the remainder of the deceased sibling’s share. Thomas…
Date: June 26, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-3011, 19-3125
Justia Opinion Summary: Daugherty, an ALJ hearing disability-benefits applications for the Social Security Administration, took bribes. Conn, who represented many claimants, paid Daugherty $400 per favorable decision; Conn received $5,000 or…
Date: June 26, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3062
Justia Opinion Summary: Wisconsin Department of Corrections policy requires that transgender prisoners taking cross-gender hormones, like Balsewicz, shower separately from inmates who are not transgender or intersex. Balsewicz complained that…
Date: June 25, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2371
Justia Opinion Summary: Bowman, a prisoner at the Western Illinois Correctional Center, reported abuse by prison guards in a grievance he filed within the prison. The prison denied the complaint. The state’s Administrative Review Board…
Date: June 25, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2260
Justia Opinion Summary: VIM opened its Elkhart wood recycling facility around 2000. By 2009 1,025 neighbors filed a class-action lawsuit, describing VIM’s site as littered with massive, unbounded outdoor waste piles and alleging that VIM…
Date: June 24, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2398
Justia Opinion Summary: Day was indicted for conspiracy to commit wire fraud after participating in a fraudulent “credit repair” scheme. The government offered Day a plea deal that would have yielded a probable sentencing range of 51-63 months’…
Date: June 23, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2009
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2008, Sutton pled guilty to distributing cocaine base and carrying a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime. The district court sentenced Sutton to the then statutory minimum 15 years’ imprisonment. In announcing…
Date: June 23, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3120
Justia Opinion Summary: During Ramirez’s 2001 Wisconsin state court trial, the prevailing interpretation of the Sixth Amendment’s Confrontation Clause was that a defendant had no confrontation right to cross-examine an unavailable declarant if…
Date: June 22, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2541
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2003, McNair was sentenced for drug crimes. The court placed his Criminal History at Category II based on an Indiana conviction for driving without a license, calculated his Guidelines range at 324-405 months, and…
Date: June 22, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2076
Date: June 22, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-2450, 19-2076
Justia Opinion Summary: U.S. organized amateur hockey leagues come under the purview of USA Hockey, Inc., which is subject to the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, 36 U.S.C. 220501–43. USA Hockey delegates most of its authority to…
Date: June 22, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2466
Justia Opinion Summary: Detective Mings submitted an affidavit relating that an informant had been inside PaWon’s home and seen him take a retail quantity of methamphetamine from his safe. The affidavit did not discuss the informant’s criminal…
Date: June 22, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3063
Justia Opinion Summary: Wanting to repurchase outstanding shares. AbbVie began its auction at $114. Shareholders offered to sell at or below $114. AbbVie selected the lowest price that would allow it to purchase $7.5 billion of shares. AbbVie…
Date: June 19, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3395
Justia Opinion Summary: Under a 2014 contract Federal Insurance agreed to defend and indemnify Peoples Bank, against “claims” made by third parties during the 2014-2017 policy period. At the time of the agreement, the bank was embroiled in a…
Date: June 19, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1644
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1998, Jones was convicted of two carjackings, armed bank robbery, and using firearms during those crimes of violence. His crime spree involved home invasion. He was sentenced, as a career offender under Sentencing…
Date: June 19, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1737
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2009 the Gomezes stopped paying on a Bank credit card. The Bank treated the account as a bad debt and stopped sending statements. In 2011 it sold the debt to Cavalry. In January 2013 Cavalry sent a letter seeking…
Date: June 18, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1125
Justia Opinion Summary: In August 2015 Gill launched his fifth congressional campaign. Unlike his past campaigns, Gill ran as an independent. Although Gill needed 10,754 signatures to qualify for the general ballot, he came up 2,000 short, so…
Date: June 18, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1632
Justia Opinion Summary: Schaul's business, ChildRite, provided incontinence supplies for special-needs individuals. In 2009-2013, Schaul submitted claims for Medicaid reimbursement for four million units; approximately one million of those…
Date: June 18, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2425
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2012, Seaway Bank sued J&A to collect on loans secured by a mortgage on Chicago property. In 2013, the court entered a judgment of foreclosure. The court approved the sale of the mortgaged property and entered a…
Date: June 18, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2595
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2015, Cartwright sued his former employer, alleging discrimination based on his race and sex under Title VII, 42 U.S.C. 2000e; discrimination based on race, 42 U.S.C. 1981; and age discrimination, 29 U.S.C. 623. The…
Date: June 18, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-3160, 19-3159
Justia Opinion Summary: From 1906 -1970, the companies manufactured industrial materials at an East Chicago, Indiana Superfund Site. In the 1970s, the East Chicago Housing Authority constructed “West Calumet,” a low-income residential building,…
