2020 Seventh Circuit US Court of Appeals Case Law
Opinions 501 - 986 of 986
Date: June 18, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3310
Justia Opinion Summary: An Illinois prison dentist extracted one of inmate Murphy’s teeth. Two days later, a Friday, Murphy went to the prison’s healthcare unit, complaining that his cheek had swollen significantly. Rice, a prison nurse,…
Date: June 17, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1331
Justia Opinion Summary: Chicago Police Officers testified that Washington, standing with his back to them, turned his head as their unmarked squad approached and walked away. He removed a shiny, polished chrome handgun from his waistband and…
Date: June 17, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2138
Justia Opinion Summary: Apple owns Madison, Wisconsin vitamin stores. Knott, a former Apple employee, was fired in 2017. Knott founded his own vitamin shop, Embrace Wellness, in Middleton, Wisconsin. Embrace allegedly shared design features…
Date: June 17, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2164
Justia Opinion Summary: At about 2:10 a.m., LeDure reported to a Salem, Illinois rail yard to assemble a train for a trip. While on the exterior walkway of a locomotive in order to tag it, LeDure slipped and fell down its steps. LeDure got up…
Date: June 17, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-3153, 19-2928
Justia Opinion Summary: Jackson was driving with Freeman as a passenger, Chicago Police Officer Petrus, on patrol with other officers, observed an object hanging from Jackson’s rearview mirror that appeared to be an air freshener. Petrus ran…
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1396
Justia Opinion Summary: Illinois inmate Reid sued under 42 U.S.C. 1983, alleging that a corrections officer used excessive force against him. The district court dismissed the action, concluding that Reid had not exhausted administrative…
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-2055, 18-3021
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2001, Ferreyra, 13 years old, entered the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program, 8 U.S.C. 1187, which allows visitors to come to enter for 90 days. Ferreyra's mandatory waiver of the right to contest removal, except…
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1811
Justia Opinion Summary: In March 2020, Illinois Governor Pritzker issued an executive order to reduce transmission of the coronavirus that, among other things, capped at 10 the number of people who could attend religious gatherings. A list of…
Date: June 15, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3628
Justia Opinion Summary: While on supervised release for a drug crime, Shanks was charged in a drug-distribution conspiracy that led to overdoses that resulted in a death and serious bodily injury. At an arraignment, defense counsel reported…
Date: June 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1372
Justia Opinion Summary: Shaffer sued corrections officials, alleging that an officer attacked him and that others refused to treat his injuries. The court directed Shaffer to notify the court and the defendants if he were released, stating that…
Date: June 12, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-2101, 19‐2090
Justia Opinion Summary: DHS’s Air and Marine Operations Center (AMOC) notified Agent Harrington about an airplane that would be landing at the Litchfield Municipal Airport. Harrington concluded that the plane might be smuggling drugs, and…
Date: June 12, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3334
Justia Opinion Summary: Samantha died from a gunshot wound to the head. The coroner concluded Samantha committed suicide. Samantha’s parents, the Harers' claim Samantha’s boyfriend, Flores—a Crest Hill, Illinois police officer—murdered Samantha…
Date: June 11, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1997
Justia Opinion Summary: Brasher was part of a narcotics conspiracy, headed by Shelton, centered in Louisville. Shelton typically “fronted” heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine to Brasher and accepted payment from the proceeds of Brasher’s…
Date: June 11, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2096
Justia Opinion Summary: Manyfield pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography; he was sentenced to 120 months in prison. Within a year of his release from prison, Manyfield was twice found in possession of a cell phone with internet…
Date: June 10, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3001
Justia Opinion Summary: Hughes bought a ticket from Southwest to fly to Chicago. Just before the flight was to board, Southwest canceled it. Hughes, who chose an alternate flight through Omaha, claims that the cancellation was because…
Date: June 10, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3169
Justia Opinion Summary: Immigrants have historically been eligible for various public benefits and the receipt of those benefits, with limited exceptions did not jeopardize the immigrant’s chances of becoming a lawful permanent resident or…
Date: June 9, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1210, 19‐1334
Justia Opinion Summary: Johnson filed a putative class action against ERC, alleging that it sent her a misleading collection letter in violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. 1692‐1692p. The district court certified a…
Date: June 9, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2981
Justia Opinion Summary: O’Neal was convicted of aggravated battery of a police officer after an altercation during a traffic stop. While incarcerated and while his appeal was pending, O’Neal filed a pro se lawsuit that asserted 42 U.S.C. 1983…
Date: June 8, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3713
Justia Opinion Summary: Four months after escaping from a work-release facility, an intoxicated Carter walked into an Illinois bar. He told an employee that a white-supremacist gang was searching for him and then walked out. The employee called…
Date: June 8, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1360
Justia Opinion Summary: Burton injured his knee in 2009 while incarcerated. He repeatedly sought medical attention. Burton’s knee was not treated until 13 months later when Dr. Ghosh recommended a consultation with an orthopedic specialist.…
Date: June 8, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1373
Justia Opinion Summary: After filing a Chapter 13 bankruptcy petition, Bastani asked the judge to stay a pending state court foreclosure procedure. Bastani’s previous bankruptcy petition had been dismissed less than a year earlier, creating a…
Date: June 5, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1799
Justia Opinion Summary: Quincy’s Prevagen® dietary supplement is sold at stores and online. Quincy registered its Prevagen® trademark in 2007. Ellishbooks, which was not authorized to sell Prevagen®, sold supplements identified as Prevagen® on…
Date: June 5, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1916
Justia Opinion Summary: A medical supply company sent faxes to thousands of medical providers to solicit prescriptions to sell medical equipment to the providers’ patients. One provider received numerous faxes and filed a class action under the…
Date: June 5, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3187
Justia Opinion Summary: IMC mailed Peck, regarding a debt that Peck allegedly owed. The envelope's clear pane revealed a barcode containing Peck’s personal information. Peck sued IMC for violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act by…
Date: June 1, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1768, 19‐1287, 19‐2049
Justia Opinion Summary: In trials before the Supreme Court’s 2019 “Rehaif” decision, three defendants were separately convicted under 18 U.S.C. 922(g), which prohibits convicted felons and several other classes of people from possessing…
Date: June 1, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1825
Justia Opinion Summary: Bartholomew County, Indiana officials believe that Cary committed suicide. His son, Logan, believes that Cary was murdered by his wife and her sons. Contending that the Sheriff and his deputies have lost or destroyed…
Date: June 1, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2290
Justia Opinion Summary: G&S had a written contract to work as a representative for a manufacturer, R3. The critical term dealing with sales commissions did not show any agreement on commission rates. It said that the parties would try to agree…
Date: May 29, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2375
Justia Opinion Summary: Chen, a citizen of China, entered the U.S. without inspection in 2004. A “Notice to Appear,” dated April 2010, did not include the time and place for a hearing, Immigration officials sent Chen another document, dated…
Date: May 28, 2020
Docket Number: 17-3448
Justia Opinion Summary: Withers trafficked women and girls for sex. After months of abuse, several victims were identified by law enforcement. Withers was arrested and charged with nine counts of sex trafficking. The government proposed jury…
Date: May 26, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1238
Justia Opinion Summary: Barr was charged with a fraudulent real-estate-selling scheme in Chicago. FBI officers discovered Barr was living in Saudi Arabia. Before they could get to Barr, Saudi Arabian officials detained him for unrelated…
Date: May 26, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3050
Justia Opinion Summary: Falls began serving supervised release after he was released from prison. Two years later, probation officer Hoepker filed a petition to revoke Falls’s supervised release, alleging that Falls committed the offense of…
Date: May 22, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3633
Justia Opinion Summary: Cross unlawfully obtained $516,000 by opening accounts at out-of-state banks, then opening accounts at Illinois banks. He wrote checks on the out-of-state accounts and deposited them in his Illinois accounts, knowing…
Date: May 20, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1603
Justia Opinion Summary: Wisconsin inmate McCaa, pro se, claimed that prison officials violated Eighth Amendment rights by responding with deliberate indifference to his threats to commit suicide or to harm himself in other ways. The district…
Date: May 19, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2660
Justia Opinion Summary: Hildreth, an inmate at an Illinois maximum-security prison, suffers from Parkinson’s disease. He takes a prescription medication, Mirapex, to manage his symptoms. As a specialty prescription, Mirapex was not kept in…
Date: May 15, 2020
Docket Numbers: 18-2177, 18-1498, 18-1499, 18-2170
Justia Opinion Summary: Two female Polk County Jail inmates endured repeated sexual assaults by correctional officer Christensen. The County’s written policy prohibited sexual contact between inmates and guards but failed to address the…
Date: May 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2904
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2016, the Seventh Circuit held that Chicago is entitled to limit sales on the streets adjacent to Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, but remanded a magazine seller’s contention that an ordinance requiring all…
Date: May 14, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2949
Justia Opinion Summary: Hoglund and Mallot's daughter, A.H., was born in 1998. A.H. twice told her mother her father was molesting her. Mallot went to the police after Hoglund admitted he committed adultery. Detective Holliday interviewed A.H.…
Date: May 14, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1857
Justia Opinion Summary: James, a pretrial detainee at the St. Clair County Jail, was assaulted by another inmate and suffered severe facial injuries. James filed a pro se civil-rights lawsuit against Hale, the jail infirmary's administrator,…
Date: May 12, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2377
Justia Opinion Summary: Propst made multiple harassing, obscene, and threatening telephone calls, often while under the influence of methamphetamine, beginning in 1999. In recent years, Propst’s telephone calls while he was working as an…
Date: May 11, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1519
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs each obtained loans from online payday lenders affiliated with Native American tribes. Each of their lenders reported delinquencies to Trans Union. One plaintiff contacted Trans Union, which investigated and…
Date: May 11, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2985
Justia Opinion Summary: Fox Crossing police were dispatched after business hours to an office parking lot. Officer Moe saw an occupied Hyundai Sonata and a Mercedes with a flat tire. As Moe approached, a man exited the Hyundai and said that…
Date: May 8, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3201
Justia Opinion Summary: Fredrickson, in pre-trial federal custody, unsuccessfully sought release under the Bail Reform Act, 18 U.S.C. 3142 asserting that conditions existed to ensure that he would not be a flight risk or a threat to the public.…
Date: May 7, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1402
Justia Opinion Summary: Officer Garrison encountered Gibson, a suspected drug trafficker, walking with a companion. Although initially a consensual encounter, Garrison questioned Gibson and his companion and briefly detained Gibson. After…
Date: May 7, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1904
Justia Opinion Summary: Following a 1992 fight that involved Johnson, Herron, and Walker, two shooters shot the three men. Johnson survived. In the hospital, Johnson described a shooter by the street name “Duke,” where Duke lived, and Duke's…
Date: May 7, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1911, 19‐1262
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2016-2018, Draheim managed a conspiracy, responsible for at least 38 packages of methamphetamine sent from California to La Crosse, Wisconsin. Draheim supervised at least 11 associates who accepted shipments on her…
Date: May 6, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-2315, 19-2410
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2014, Cook Medical entered a five-year agreement for Acheron to serve as the distributor of Cook medical devices and products to VA and Department of Defense Medical Centers. Sales to Defense are primarily made…
Date: May 5, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1942
Justia Opinion Summary: H.A.L., in the business of trading securities, set up a brokerage account with Advantage in Chicago. H.A.L.’s trading losses led Advantage to issue margin calls, which H.A.L. failed to meet. Advantage then liquidated…
Date: May 5, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2116
Justia Opinion Summary: The Uber ride-sharing service does not own or select its drivers’ vehicles; its app presents riders with options, including sedans, premium cars, or SUVs. Customers restricted to motorized wheelchairs need wheelchair…
Date: May 5, 2020
Docket Number: 20-1443
Justia Opinion Summary: Bryant's Illinois employer had a cafeteria, containing vending machines owned and operated by Compass. The machines did not accept cash; a user had to establish an account using her fingerprint. Fingerprints are…
Date: May 4, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3157
Justia Opinion Summary: In December 2012, Chicago Police officers responded to an anonymous call reporting a Hispanic man in a black sweater and black hat, carrying a bag, and climbing under a warehouse fence. They found someone who matched the…
Date: May 1, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1699
Justia Opinion Summary: Illinois prisoner Tuduj, having received extensive dental treatment, filed a “deliberate indifference” suit under 42 U.S.C. 1983 against his dentists and prison officials. The court recruited counsel to assist Tuduj in…
Date: May 1, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-2200, 19-2713, 19-2782, 19-3097, 19-3116
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2019, Anheuser-Busch began to advertise that its beer, Bud Light, is made using rice, while Miller Lite and Coors Light use corn syrup as a source of sugar that yeast ferments into alcohol. Molson Coors responded by…
Date: May 1, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2713
Date: May 1, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2782
Date: May 1, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3097
Date: May 1, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3116
Date: May 1, 2020
Docket Number: 19-3154
Justia Opinion Summary: Stampley, the owner-operator of a tractor-trailer, provided hauling services for Altom. Altom agreed to pay Stampley 70% of the gross revenues that it collected for each load he hauled and to give Stampley a copy of the…
Date: April 30, 2020
Docket Number: 17-3019
Justia Opinion Summary: Taylor fell behind on his mortgage payments during the 2008 financial crisis and sought help under the Home Affordable Mortgage Program (HAMP), which allowed eligible homeowners to reduce their monthly mortgage payments…
Date: April 30, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1018
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2011, Illinois prisoner Williams was diagnosed with a left-eye cataract. He became completely blind in that eye and experienced dizziness, acute pain, photophobia, and the feeling that some foreign substance was in…
Date: April 30, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2230
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2017-2018, FBI Child Exploitation Task Force Office Lynn was investigating the sharing of child pornography through online, peer‐to‐peer networks. His investigation led him to believe child pornography would be found…
Date: April 30, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-3290, 18-2885
Justia Opinion Summary: The Attorney General imposed conditions on the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (Byrne JAG), 34 U.S.C.10151, which the primary source of federal criminal justice enforcement funding for state and…
Date: April 29, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3507
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2005, a van containing six family members van slipped off the edge of an Illinois roadway. In the ensuing rollover crash, everyone was hurt; one passenger died. The crash occurred in a construction zone; a guardrail…
Date: April 29, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1855
Justia Opinion Summary: Kenosha Officer Torres, on patrol, received a call requesting assistance apprehending Siler. The dispatcher stated that Siler was wanted on a warrant for strangulation and suffocation, had taken a vehicle without…
Date: April 29, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2635
Justia Opinion Summary: HCI, on behalf of the Illinois Department of Aging, coordinates services for low-income seniors in an effort to keep them at home. HCI sometimes referred clients who needed in-home healthcare services to home healthcare…
Date: April 28, 2020
Docket Number: 17-3503
Justia Opinion Summary: The doctor examined Chambers during the intake process at the Stateville Correctional Center. Chambers was housed there for a few weeks when he was processed into state custody. Chambers requested medication to treat a…
Date: April 28, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-2067, 19-2069, 19-2078, 19-2117
Justia Opinion Summary: The 2018 First Step Act, 132 Stat. 5194, addresses the disparities between sentences for crack and powder cocaine and allows courts to grant sentence reductions if the defendant was previously convicted of a “covered…
Date: April 27, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1931
Justia Opinion Summary: O’Leary and his codefendants operated a crack cocaine distribution business from 2010-2014. O’Leary sold crack cocaine rocks to customers, collected money, and looked out for police. Each distributor received…
Date: April 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1799
Justia Opinion Summary: Quincy develops and sells dietary supplements. Its Prevagen® product is sold through brick‐and‐mortar stores and online. Quincy registered its Prevagen® trademark in 2007. Ellishbooks, which was not authorized to sell…
Date: April 23, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2415
Justia Opinion Summary: Fuqua, a mail handler, was forced to transfer to a new location when his Chicago center was downsized. He did not receive placement within 30 miles of his home. He refused to appear for work in Kansas City and was…
Date: April 23, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3156
Justia Opinion Summary: Beloit officers facilitated a recorded controlled buy of heroin from Perez, a suspected high-level drug dealer. Perez sold 98 grams of heroin to an informant. Based on that transaction alone, Perez pled guilty to…
Date: April 23, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1691
Justia Opinion Summary: Mayle, a self-proclaimed Satanist, is a follower of The Law of Thelema, a set of beliefs developed in the early 1900s by Aleister Crowley. As part of this religion, Mayle participates in what he calls “sex magick…
Date: April 21, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1461
Justia Opinion Summary: Skyrise bid $950,000 to supply “stick building” rough frame carpentry for building housing units near the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Upon receiving a letter of intent from Annex, the general contractor, to enter…
Date: April 20, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1945
Justia Opinion Summary: Lund, a reporter for the Rockford Scanner, heard, by police scanner, of multiple traffic stops in Midtown. He did not have a driver’s license, so he rode a motorized bicycle to Midtown to take photographs. He suspected a…
Date: April 16, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2469
Justia Opinion Summary: Police, checking on Thomas, who was unconscious in her car, called for paramedics. While waiting, they found a methamphetamine pipe in the car. At the hospital later, Thomas stated that she had used methamphetamine; that…
Date: April 16, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2574
Justia Opinion Summary: Hackett, a South Bend patrolman and an Air National Guard reservist, applied to become a bomb squad technician. Membership on the squad did not constitute a promotion or immediately affect an officer’s pay but could lead…
Date: April 13, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2513
Justia Opinion Summary: Chaparro was convicted based on viewing child pornography in 2013, transmitting child pornography in August 2014, and viewing child pornography on a smartphone in November 2014. The Seventh Circuit reversed. The court…
Date: April 13, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1441, 19-1547
Justia Opinion Summary: Winfield confessed to shooting Garrett. Winfield was convicted of attempted murder. Winfield was also accused of killing Stovall in the same shooting but was acquitted on that charge because no credible witness had…
Date: April 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1868
Justia Opinion Summary: The $8.5 million proposed settlement of a class action that claimed that Western Union violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by sending unsolicited text messages, 47 U.S.C. 227(b)(1)(A)(iii). defined the class…
Date: April 9, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1215
Justia Opinion Summary: Godinez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine, 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1) and 846, and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, 18 U.S.C. 924(c)(1)(A)(i). The prosecution notified the…
Date: April 9, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2433
Justia Opinion Summary: United owns a fleet of ambulances. In 2016, Stofko was driving his car when a United ambulance crashed into it; Stofko’s injuries were fatal. United was insured by Markel but the particular ambulance that crashed was not…
Date: April 7, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3679
Justia Opinion Summary: Young promoted the prostitution of high-school-aged minors, taking some of the money that they were paid for sex. Young showed the minors the website Backpage.com and taught them how to post advertisements for “escort…
Date: April 7, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1349
Justia Opinion Summary: An Illinois municipality may join the Municipal League, an unincorporated, nonprofit, nonpolitical association, and may pay annual membership dues and fees; member municipalities may act through the League to provide and…
Date: April 7, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1926, 19-1939
Justia Opinion Summary: Vega, a Hispanic woman, began her employment with the Chicago Park District in 1987 and was promoted to the position of park supervisor in 2004. In 2012, an anonymous caller accused Vega of clocking in hours that she had…
Date: April 7, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2035
Justia Opinion Summary: Flexco sued for trade dress infringement and unfair competition, alleging that CAI infringed its registered and common law trade dress by promoting and selling conveyor belt fasteners with a product design that is…
Date: April 6, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2404
Justia Opinion Summary: Schillinger, a Wisconsin prisoner, was assaulted by another inmate as the prisoners were returning to their housing unit after recreation. He suffered a fractured skull, broken teeth, cuts, and other serious injuries.…
Date: April 3, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1476
Justia Opinion Summary: Gish pleaded guilty to first-degree reckless homicide for the 2012 stabbing death of Litwicki, the mother of his children. He appealed, claiming that his attorney provided ineffective assistance by failing to investigate…
Date: April 2, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1870
Justia Opinion Summary: In October 2012, Jeske, working at a cemetery, was carrying a heavy casket when she stumbled, injuring her back. Four years later, she applied for disability insurance benefits and supplemental security income based on…
Date: March 31, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2119
Justia Opinion Summary: Two Hendricks County reserve deputies went to the King home after Bradley, age 29 and suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, called 9-1-1 and requested help. Deputies Hays and Thomas testified that upon their arrival,…
Date: March 26, 2020
Docket Number: 17-3111
Justia Opinion Summary: DISH sold its satellite TV service through its own staff plus third parties: “telemarketing vendors”; “full-service retailers” that sold, installed, and serviced satellite gear; and “order-entry retailers” that used…
Date: March 26, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2048
Justia Opinion Summary: Worman mailed his supervisor a pipe bomb, which the Postal Service intercepted. Worman was convicted of mailing an explosive device (18 U.S.C. 1716), possessing an unregistered destructive device (26 U.S.C. 5861(d),…
Date: March 26, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2146
Justia Opinion Summary: Rembrandt contracted to supply Rexing with 3,240,000 cage-free eggs every week for a year. Eight months later, Rexing claimed that Rembrandt failed to provide eggs that met the specified quality standards. Rexing sought…
Date: March 26, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2225
Justia Opinion Summary: Turner suffered a broken nose during an altercation with another inmate while in pre-trial detention at the Cook County Jail. The injury left him with pain and shortness of breath. A doctor determined that he needed…
Date: March 25, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2569
Justia Opinion Summary: Under the Retirement Plan, participating Northwestern University employees can contribute a portion of their salary to their account and Northwestern makes a matching contribution. Employees participating in the…
Date: March 25, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1184
Justia Opinion Summary: Richards defaulted on her car loan. Her lender hired PAR to repossess the vehicle. PAR hired Lawrence Towing to carry out the repossession. Richards protested when Lawrence employees arrived at her Indianapolis home to…
Date: March 25, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2026
Justia Opinion Summary: Castetter underwent cancer treatment during his employment. After returning from medical leave, he became a District Manager, reporting to Dollar General's regional managers Chupp and Hubbs. Chupp identified deficiencies…
Date: March 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1850
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant manufactures aloe vera gel, sold under its own brand and as private‐label versions. Suppliers harvest, fillet, and de-pulp aloe vera leaves. The resulting aloe is pasteurized, filtered, treated with…
Date: March 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2521
Justia Opinion Summary: Manriquez-Alvarado, a citizen of Mexico, has repeatedly entered the U.S. illegally. He was ordered removed in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2017, each time following a criminal conviction. He was found in the U.S. again in…
Date: March 23, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3558
Justia Opinion Summary: USFE planned to offer an electronic-based futures trading platform that posed a competitive threat to exchanges using the more traditional floor-trading model, like CBOT. USFE targeted February 1, 2004, as its launch…
Date: March 23, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1347
Justia Opinion Summary: Police officers stopped the plaintiffs numerous times for violating an ordinance while they were panhandling on the streets of Chicago. During these stops, the officers typically asked the plaintiffs to produce…
Date: March 23, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1380, 19-1387, 19-1732
Justia Opinion Summary: The plaintiffs, current and former inmates of the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), have been diagnosed with hepatitis C. They filed suit against IDOC, Wexford (which provides inmate health services) and doctors…
Date: March 23, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2088
Justia Opinion Summary: The Center lodged a FOIA request with the Department of Justice (DOJ) for records of communications between the Attorney General, the Office of the Attorney General and any Office of Immigration Litigation or Office of…
Date: March 20, 2020
Docket Numbers: 18-2634, 18-3129
Justia Opinion Summary: Davis's girlfriend, Orkman, a Walmart assistant manager, shared her knowledge of Walmart’s cash handling procedures. Davis robbed the Indianapolis Walmart with Greer. Greer entered the customer service area, pointed a…
Date: March 20, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3630
Justia Opinion Summary: Joll, an accomplished runner and an experienced running coach, had been a middle school teacher for more than 25 years. She applied for a job as the assistant coach of a high school girls’ cross-country team. The school…
Date: March 20, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1170
Justia Opinion Summary: Groce was convicted of sex trafficking, conspiracy to engage in interstate transportation for prostitution, interstate transportation for prostitution, maintaining a drug house, using or carrying a firearm in maintaining…
Date: March 18, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2765
Justia Opinion Summary: DePuy manufactures medical instruments. Its Los Angeles area exclusive distributor was OrthoLA. The agreement included an arbitration provision. When that distribution arrangement ended, OrthoLA sued in Los Angeles…
Date: March 16, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1405
Justia Opinion Summary: The Hazeltons sought sanctions against the University for collecting an educational debt after their debts were discharged in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The district court reversed a bankruptcy court holding that the debt…
Date: March 16, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1985
Justia Opinion Summary: Until 2010, Reinaas, now in his mid‐fifties, worked as a machine operator. He injured his spine and tore his rotator cuff on the job, and underwent two neck fusion surgeries. Reinaas planned to return to work but…
Date: March 16, 2020
Docket Number: 20-8005
Justia Opinion Summary: Bennett was assigned to Cook County Jail Division 10, which houses detainees who need canes, crutches, or walkers. He filed suit under the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. 12131–34, and the Rehabilitation Act,…
Date: March 13, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3334
Justia Opinion Summary: Before acquiring cars for resale, Elite obtained financing; its lenders held the title of each car until it received payment for the car. Lenders dispatched auditors to ensure the dealership was not selling cars without…
Date: March 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1004
Justia Opinion Summary: O’Brien was convicted of mail fraud, 18 U.S.C. 1341, and bank fraud, 18 U.S.C. 1344, based on a 2004-to-2007 scheme in which O’Brien misrepresented her income and liabilities to cause lenders to issue and refinance loans…
Date: March 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1346
Justia Opinion Summary: Lord, an inmate at Wisconsin’s Waupun Correctional Institution, exposed himself to a female guard. After the guard told him that she would write him up and walked away, Lord began yelling that he had a razor blade and…
Date: March 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2175
Justia Opinion Summary: Omorhienrhien came to the U.S. as a visitor from Nigeria in 2008 and began a relationship with Harris, a citizen. They married months later. Harris filed Form I-130 to give Omorhienrhien a path to residency based on…
Date: March 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2299
Justia Opinion Summary: David, Sheila’s husband, raped, sexually abused, and took pornographic photos of their daughter (MF) when she was between the ages of five and eight. Sheila viewed those pictures and found other images of child…
Date: March 11, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1204
Justia Opinion Summary: Mussat, an Illinois professional services corporation, received unsolicited faxes from IQVIA, a Delaware corporation with its headquarters in Pennsylvania. These faxes failed to include the required opt-out notice.…
Date: March 11, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1686
Justia Opinion Summary: The plaintiffs, current and former Cook County sheriff’s deputies and correctional officers, were disciplined for violating various departmental policies and rules. Seven of the eight plaintiffs were fired; the remaining…
Date: March 11, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2054
Justia Opinion Summary: ShotSpotter's surveillance system uses microphones to record gunshots. An individual determines whether the sound is a shot. When that individual confirms a gunshot, ShotSpotter contacts local police. At 4:40:02 a.m.,…
Date: March 11, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2187
Justia Opinion Summary: Brickstructures and Coaster executed a fill‐in‐the‐blank joint venture agreement to design a roller coaster kit, compatible with LEGOs. Many of the blanks went unfilled. The agreement contained an arbitration clause. …
Date: March 10, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1505
Justia Opinion Summary: Hernandez co-founded the Trust and marketed it as a company designed to assist homeowners struggling to pay their mortgages. She and her codefendants promised prospective “members” that, in exchange for fees of…
Date: March 10, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2110
Justia Opinion Summary: Bowling worked for the City of Gary, Indiana for 25 years, eventually becoming a network administrator, with access to the email system. Her responsibilities included ordering the city's computer equipment. Bowling…
Date: March 6, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2449
Justia Opinion Summary: Spiegel served as a homeowners’ association directed until the members voted him out. The association sued Spiegel in Illinois state court, alleging that he falsely held himself out as president, attempted to…
Date: March 6, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1317
Justia Opinion Summary: Simon, a CPA, was convicted of filing false tax returns, mail fraud related to financial aid, and federal financial aid fraud. The court imposed a prison term, and restitution of $886,901.69 to the IRS, $48,070.35 to the…
Date: March 6, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1326
Justia Opinion Summary: Holleman, a “jailhouse lawyer,” has been awarded thousands of dollars in prior lawsuits. In 2015, Pendleton Correctional Facility (Superintendent Zatecky) transferred Holleman to Wabash. Zatecky stated that Holleman had…
Date: March 6, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2289
Justia Opinion Summary: Alvarez-Espino, born in Mexico in 1970, entered the U.S. in 1996 without permission. Since then he and his wife have had four children, and he supports his family by running an upholstery business. In 2002, two men…
Date: March 6, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2468
Justia Opinion Summary: Rogers designed and implemented a scheme to generate artificial but tax‐deductible losses for high‐income U.S. taxpayers. The “DAD” scheme worked through a partnership’s acquisition of highly distressed or uncollectible…
Date: March 6, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2547
Justia Opinion Summary: Dolin was prescribed Paxil, the brand-name version of the drug paroxetine, to treat his depression. The prescription was filled with a generic paroxetine product. Six days later, Dolin died by suicide. Federal law…
Date: March 5, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3735
Justia Opinion Summary: Healthcare providers often do not purchase medical devices directly from the manufacturer; they join group purchasing organizations (GPOs), which negotiate prices with manufacturers. The provider chooses a distributor to…
Date: March 4, 2020
Docket Number: 17-2582
Justia Opinion Summary: Thomas was convicted of the voluntary manslaughter of his uncle and is serving a 40-year sentence at Indiana’s Westville Correctional Facility. He has a history of mental illness which began before his incarceration; his…
Date: March 4, 2020
Docket Numbers: 17-2902, Nos. 17-2880
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2011, the petitioners pleaded guilty to violating 18 U.S.C. 924(c) for brandishing a firearm during a “crime of violence”—theft from a federally licensed firearms dealer, 18 U.S.C. 922(u). In 2016, both moved under 28…
Date: March 4, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3471
Justia Opinion Summary: Rocha entered the U.S. with her sons and presented herself, asserting that she had fled from a Mexican cartel. After passing a credible‐fear interview, she was paroled into the U.S. The family stayed with Torres, in…
Date: March 4, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1786
Justia Opinion Summary: Donald and Lauretta Bauer purchased land from Donald’s parents and executed promissory notes and a mortgage. When Donald’s parents died, their interest in the notes transferred to Donald's siblings, who sought…
Date: March 3, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3690
Justia Opinion Summary: Muresanu began participating in an ATM skimming scheme when he was 17 years old and had recently arrived from his native Romania. Muresanu was charged with possession of counterfeit access devices and three counts of…
Date: March 3, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2563
Justia Opinion Summary: Mascow, a teacher who had tenure under Illinois law, was laid off in 2017. Because her latest rating was “unsatisfactory,” she was first in line for layoff when the school lost one position and lacked any recall rights…
Date: March 2, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2442
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1938, West’s predecessor granted Louisville Gas & Electric’s predecessor a perpetual easement permitting a 248-foot-tall tower carrying high-voltage electric lines. In 1990, Louisville sought permission to allow…
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2755
Justia Opinion Summary: Winemaster founded PSI in 1985 and served as Chairman, President, and CEO. In 2011, PSI became a publicly-traded company. Winemaster and his brother were PSI’s majority shareholders. The company’s early SEC filings…
Date: February 27, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1062
Justia Opinion Summary: Flameproof, a distributor of fire retardant and treated lumber (FRT lumber), maintained liability insurance through Lexington, covering liability for "property damage” that is “caused by an occurrence that takes place in…
Date: February 26, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1892
Justia Opinion Summary: Meriyu, now 49 years old, is an Indonesian citizen who is of Chinese descent and of the Buddhist faith. She came to the U.S. in 2000 on a nonimmigrant visa. Meriyu claims she was prompted to leave by her mistreatment,…
Date: February 25, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2342
Justia Opinion Summary: The cause of Cory's 2006 death was undetermined. The police later reopened the investigation. A grand jury indicted her husband, Lovelace, an Illinois criminal defense lawyer. Lovelace's first trial resulted in a hung…
Date: February 25, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2892
Justia Opinion Summary: While confined in the Cook County Jail, Koger accumulated books in his cell. Guards removed more than 30. Prisoners may not have more than three books or magazines at a time (excluding religious and legal materials). On…
Date: February 24, 2020
Docket Numbers: 18-2725, 18-3003
Justia Opinion Summary: The plaintiffs (Sharif Pharmacy, J&S) were members of the Prime pharmacy network, which is owned, in part, by Blue Cross Blue Shield. Under Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance plans, many patients had…
Date: February 24, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2852
Justia Opinion Summary: Viamedia sued Comcast under the Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C. 2, for using its monopoly power in one service market (Interconnect) to exclude competition and gain monopoly power in another service market (advertising…
Date: February 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1452
Justia Opinion Summary: In February 2010, AMS sent a fax advertisement to 11,422 different numbers from a recently acquired customer list. PHI filed a putative class action suit asserting that those faxes violated the Telephone Consumer…
Date: February 24, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-2123, 19‐2111
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendants, commodities futures investors, maintained trading accounts with FCStone, a clearing firm that handled the confirmation, settlement, and delivery of transactions. In 2018, extraordinary volatility in the…
Date: February 20, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3689
Justia Opinion Summary: WPS employed Stelter as an assistant in 2002 and promoted her to sales representative in 2007. In 2010, Harings, an agency manager, expressed concern in Stelter’s performance review regarding personal appointments made…
Date: February 20, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1054, 18-2850, 18-2851, 18-3725
Justia Opinion Summary: In the underlying 2007 civil RICO action, Needle (a Pennsylvania sole practitioner) and two Illinois attorneys represented the plaintiffs. The attorneys executed a contingent fee agreement with their clients. The…
Date: February 20, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2241
Justia Opinion Summary: In a 2007 RICO action, Needle (a Pennsylvania sole practitioner) and Illinois attorneys represented the plaintiffs under a contingent fee agreement. The Illinois attorneys withdrew; Needle recruited Illinois attorney…
Date: February 19, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1043
Justia Opinion Summary: Picardi, a former Customs and Border Protection Officer at the international terminal of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, was convicted of embezzlement by an officer or employee of the United States, 18 U.S.C. 654 and was…
Date: February 19, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1738
Justia Opinion Summary: The Telephone Consumer Protection Act bars certain uses of an “automatic telephone dialing system,” which it defines as equipment with the capacity “to store or produce telephone numbers to be called, using a random or…
Date: February 19, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1791
Justia Opinion Summary: Bridges, a Cook County Department of Corrections pretrial detainee, fell out of the upper bunk to which he had been assigned and injured himself. He sued, asserting that his injuries were caused by the defendants’…
Date: February 18, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1042
Justia Opinion Summary: Cates was transporting drugs when he was pulled over for driving without rear license plate lights. The deputy saw a revolver on the passenger seat. Cates admitted that he did not have a license for the firearm. Retail…
Date: February 18, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1300
Justia Opinion Summary: Law enforcement learned that Lee was distributing large quantities of ice methamphetamine and arranged a controlled buy. The source purchased over 83 grams of ice methamphetamine. Days later, officers conducted a planned…
Date: February 14, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3434
Justia Opinion Summary: The patent for Lexapro, an anti-depressant, was expiring, creating a potentially lucrative opportunity to sell a generic version, escitalopram. BioPharm, a generic drug manufacturer, and Antrim planned to sign an updated…
Date: February 14, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2103
Justia Opinion Summary: From 1985-2017, Ballard accrued over 30 convictions for crimes including attempted residential burglary, kidnapping, battery, aggravated assault (amended from rape), possession of a firearm as a felon, and multiple…
Date: February 13, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3371
Justia Opinion Summary: Jacobsen’s former wife, Lemmens, embezzled $400,000 from her employer, income that was not reported on the couple’s jointly filed income taxes. After Lemmens was convicted, the IRS audited the couple’s joint tax returns…
Date: February 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1579
Justia Opinion Summary: Phillips injured his ribs while playing with his grandchildren. For two weeks, he called his employer, United, to report he would miss work. Phillips stopped calling in and did not appear for work on three consecutive…
Date: February 12, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1367
Justia Opinion Summary: Grayson does business under the name Gire Roofing. Grayson and Edwin Gire were indicted for visa fraud, 18 U.S.C. 1546 and harboring and employing unauthorized aliens, 8 U.S.C. 1324(a)(1)(A)(iii). On paper, Gire had no…
Date: February 12, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1683
Justia Opinion Summary: As a result of a 2009 stroke, Perry, serving a long sentence for murder, suffers from aphasia, which impairs his ability to speak, write, and understand words. Perry pursued direct and collateral review in Indiana’s…
Date: February 11, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3076
Justia Opinion Summary: Under the Medicaid program, 42 U.S.C. 1396, states must ensure that certain medical assistance is available to all eligible beneficiaries. Illinois administers its Medicaid program through HFS. For managed care programs,…
Date: February 11, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3318
Justia Opinion Summary: Two men entered a Sprint store with a gun, threatened and zip‐tied all witnesses, grabbed merchandise, and fled the store in two vehicles. Williams, a getaway driver, was indicted for obstruction of commerce by robbery,…
Date: February 11, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3363
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2011 Wells Fargo entered into a loan and security agreement with hhgregg to provide the retailer with operating credit. Wells Fargo had a perfected first-priority, floating lien on nearly all of hhgregg’s assets. In…
Date: February 11, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1176
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2011-2016, Collins was the executive director of the Kankakee Valley Park District. The Park District, which is not tax-exempt, works with the Kankakee Valley Park Foundation, which does have tax-exempt status and…
Date: February 10, 2020
Docket Number: 17-2900
Justia Opinion Summary: Curry, the founder of “Get Diesel Nutrition,” has paid for advertising for his products, including "Diesel Test," in national fitness magazines since 2002. In 2016, the defendants began selling a sports nutritional…
Date: February 10, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1960
Justia Opinion Summary: A supplier hired Guzman-Ramirez and Gonzalez to import cocaine into Wisconsin. Gonzalez was to haul the cocaine to Chicago. Guzman-Ramirez would help remove the cocaine from a hidden compartment and, with assistance,…
Date: February 7, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1179
Justia Opinion Summary: Robertson brought claims against DHS and two DHS employees, Mattke and Evan, under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, alleging retaliation for complaining of discrimination in the workplace. The district court dismissed…
Date: February 7, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1957
Justia Opinion Summary: Martin, a 67-year-old woman, sought Social Security Disability benefits. Her persistent back pain stems from two car accidents; she also suffers from depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, and PTSD. These…
Date: February 6, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3028
Justia Opinion Summary: Wisconsin inmate Glover sued prison medical staff and Department of Corrections officials for deliberate indifference and for violating his right to equal protection after they denied him medicine prescribed for…
Date: February 6, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1739
Justia Opinion Summary: Bentley, the owner of Trucking, rear-ended the Kolchinskys’ car while driving a tractor-trailer through Illinois. The Kolchinskys were severely injured. Bentley's deliveries had been arranged by WD, which instructed…
Date: February 6, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1975
Justia Opinion Summary: Jehan led a Chicago street gang's conspiracy to distribute drugs. After he and others were indicted, Jehan fled and remained a fugitive for four years. After Jehan was arrested, the parties entered a plea agreement:…
Date: February 5, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1439, 19-1439
Justia Opinion Summary: Crosby fell three stories from a window before Chicago Officer Gonzalez arrested him. Crosby maintains that Gonzalez intentionally pushed him through the window and then falsely claimed—with corroboration from other…
Date: February 5, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1577
Justia Opinion Summary: T-Mobile customers can participate in “T-Mobile Tuesdays,” a promotional service, offering free items and discounts. Customers who no longer wish to receive marketing communications may opt-out by contacting T-Mobile’s…
Date: February 4, 2020
Docket Number: 17-3579
Justia Opinion Summary: Pontiac inmate Robertson was held in isolation, allegedly in deplorable conditions, for several days before he attempted suicide. He filed a complaint under 42 U.S.C. 1983 and a motion, seeking to proceed in forma…
Date: February 4, 2020
Docket Numbers: 18-1656, 18-3366
Justia Opinion Summary: Around 2004, LeBeau's health club located on 10 acres in Aurora, Illinois, ran into difficulties. LeBeau teamed up with Bodie to redevelop the land as a condominium project. Bodie ran two mortgage companies. They…
Date: February 4, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3447
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2017, Dozier was indicted for conspiracy and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Under the Controlled Substances Act then in effect, Dozier faced increased penalties if he had a prior conviction…
Date: February 3, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1701
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2011, Dotson was indicted for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The indictment listed six prior felony convictions and alleged that Dotson qualified for the 15-year minimum sentence mandated in the Armed…
Date: February 3, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1736
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2004, Martinez was shot dead. The Illinois Appellate Court affirmed Hartsfield's convictions for first-degree murder and home invasion. Hartsfield claimed ineffective assistance of counsel, insisting that he…
Date: February 3, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1365, 19-3145
Justia Opinion Summary: In consolidated appeals, the Seventh Circuit gave the appellants seven days to file amended jurisdictional statements. The court acknowledged its “reputation as a jurisdictional hawk.” In each of the cases, a magistrate…
Date: February 3, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1701
Justia Opinion Summary: Dorris, a company president, had Unum long-term disability insurance. Her endometriosis became disabling; Unum started paying her benefits in 2002. Later, Dorris was diagnosed with Lyme disease. By 2007, the Social…
Date: January 30, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1870
Justia Opinion Summary: The defendants each pleaded guilty to federal drug crimes and were sentenced to terms of imprisonment and supervised release. Before their hearings, both received PSRs that proposed a supervised release condition…
Date: January 29, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2214
Justia Opinion Summary: After a 2005 home invasion, Cook and Egerson were charged with armed robbery, armed burglary, false imprisonment, battery, theft, and mistreatment of an animal causing death. Cook claimed that Hall, not Cook, was…
Date: January 29, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-1971, 19-1979
Justia Opinion Summary: Before 2008, Cook County ordinances required the Assessor to assess single-family residential property at 16%, commercial property at 38%, and industrial property at 36% of the market value. In 2000-2008, the Assessor…
Date: January 28, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3270
Justia Opinion Summary: Police seized 143.7 kilograms of marijuana from Helding’s car and apartment. Harding pleaded guilty to possessing over 100 kilograms. At sentencing, the court held him responsible for the equivalent of 4,679.7 kilograms,…
Date: January 28, 2020
Docket Numbers: 18-3405, 18-3416
Justia Opinion Summary: The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) prohibits consumer reporting agencies from releasing credit information except under circumstances enumerated in 15 U.S.C. 1681b, including to provide prospective lenders with…
Date: January 28, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1746
Justia Opinion Summary: Elston and his friends were playing basketball at a DuPage County park, heckling one another with salty language. Demeter, an off-duty Kane County sheriff’s deputy, watching his child’s soccer game, demanded that they…
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: 17-3511
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs, credentialed election monitors in Chicago during the 2016 Illinois primary election and a citizen who voted in the election, alleged that during the statutorily mandated post-election audit of electronic…
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3675
Justia Opinion Summary: Leaving an untouched pizza on the table, Karst exited a restaurant with two men who wore Mesticas motorcycle club vests. The three drove off on their bikes. Minutes later, one of the men with Karst pulled the trigger in…
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1104
Justia Opinion Summary: Caviedes-Zuniga pleaded guilty to distributing 140 grams of heroin. 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B). He was sentenced to 111 months’ imprisonment, 77 months below the 188 -235 months recommended by the Sentencing…
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1130
Justia Opinion Summary: The Menominee River runs between Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. According to its origin story, the Menominee Indian Tribe came into existence along the River's banks thousands of years ago. This birthplace…
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1426
Justia Opinion Summary: Prime, a trucking company, covered its own liability without insurance for the first $3 million per occurrence and bought excess liability insurance from multiple insurers, following a common industry practice of…
Date: January 24, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1682
Justia Opinion Summary: LaBrec, an inmate at a maximum-security institution, with a history that included prior assaults on inmates and staff, was transferred to the Restricted Housing Unit and was placed in a cell with McNeely, who was in the…
Date: January 24, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2544
Justia Opinion Summary: Youngman, a Peoria County Juvenile Center counselor, was diagnosed with a pituitary tumor and acromegaly in 1993 and had surgery to remove the tumor and part of his pituitary gland. He had a thyroidectomy in 2011,…
Date: January 24, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3695
Justia Opinion Summary: A New York owner of a fast-food property in Illinois, which was rented by an Arizona tenant, sold the property to buyers in California (Abellan). The tenant declared bankruptcy and never paid rent to its new landlord.…
Date: January 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1409
Justia Opinion Summary: Melvin pled guilty to possessing with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. The probation office prepared a presentence investigation report (PSR) and filed it with the court electronically. …
Date: January 24, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1944
Justia Opinion Summary: Facebook employee Bigger sued Facebook alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), 29 U.S.C. 201, overtime-pay requirements, on behalf of herself and all similarly situated employees. The district court…
Date: January 23, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2088
Justia Opinion Summary: Dowthard pleaded guilty as a felon in possession of a firearm, 18 U.S.C. 922(g). Because of his prior state convictions, he was sentenced under the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA), section 924(e), to 186 months in…
Date: January 23, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1642
Justia Opinion Summary: Baez-Sanchez, a citizen of Mexico, is removable. His conviction for aggravated ba]ery of a police officer renders him inadmissible, 8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(2)(A)(i)(I). He applied for a U visa, which is available to some…
Date: January 23, 2020
Docket Numbers: 19-2113, 19-1964
Justia Opinion Summary: The petitioners, both Mexican citizens, were never lawfully admitted to the U.S. Years ago, each was served with a Notice to Appear (NTA) for removal proceedings. The NTAs were defective; they did not list the date or…
Date: January 22, 2020
Docket Numbers: 18-2261, 18-1890
Justia Opinion Summary: Police found more than 80 grams of red methamphetamine in a car. The ensuing investigation resulted in the indictment of 12 people for a drug-distribution conspiracy; 11, including Garcia, pleaded guilty.…
Date: January 21, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3119
Justia Opinion Summary: Preston brought a putative class action, claiming that Midland Credit sent him a collection letter that violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. 1692–1692[. He claimed the words “TIME SENSITIVE…
Date: January 21, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1491
Justia Opinion Summary: The plaintiffs received form notices from Client Services with a header stated only “RE: CHASE BANK USA, N.A.,” with an account number. The letters continued: “The above account has been placed with our organization for…
Date: January 17, 2020
Docket Number: 17-1141
Justia Opinion Summary: Under Ind. Code 31-14-7-1(1), a husband is presumed to be a child’s biological father; both spouses are listed as parents on the birth certificate and the child is deemed to be born in wedlock. There is no similar…
Date: January 17, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1910
Justia Opinion Summary: Goodloe arrived at the Hill Correctional Center in July 2013 and immediately complained of pain from rectal bleeding. His pain continued despite treatments for hemorrhoids and anal warts. Goodloe wanted to see an outside…
Date: January 17, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2695
Justia Opinion Summary: Censke sought to bring a Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) suit for injuries he says he suffered at the hands of Indiana federal prison guards. The FTCA required Censke to give notice in writing to the Bureau of Prisons…
Date: January 17, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1403
Justia Opinion Summary: Ingram committed three robberies and one attempted robbery. Police identified Ingram from his social media postings and two anonymous tips. Charged with three counts of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of attempted Hobbs…
Date: January 15, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2263
Justia Opinion Summary: Prater was denied Social Security Disability Insurance benefits when she was 47-years-old and weighed about 400 pounds at 64 inches tall. X-rays showed mild-to-moderate degenerative joint disease in her feet and knees…
Date: January 14, 2020
Docket Number: 18-2944
Justia Opinion Summary: Kaiser had surgery to implant the Prolift Anterior Pelvic Floor Repair System, a transvaginal mesh medical device that supports the pelvic muscles. A few years later, Kaiser began experiencing severe pelvic pain, bladder…
Date: January 14, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1107
Date: January 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1085
Justia Opinion Summary: United Airlines hired Taha in 1988 and laid him off in 2003. He retained recall rights under a collective bargaining agreement. After a 12-year furlough, Taha returned to work. Weeks later, Taha learned his mother had…
Date: January 13, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1135
Justia Opinion Summary: Dodds applied for a passport using his brother’s personal information, rather than his own because he was restricted by a condition of probation. He pleaded guilty under 18 U.S.C. 1542. He did not object to any of the…
Date: January 10, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1358
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1998, an Illinois state court convicted Williams, a teenager, of first‐degree murder. Williams was paroled in 2008 but had his parole revoked after pleading guilty to domestic battery. In 2017, he traded cocaine to…
Date: January 10, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1930
Justia Opinion Summary: Day, age 18, weighed 312 pounds and had an underlying heart condition. Day was confronted outside a store after apparently shoplifting a watch. Day refused to return to the store. A mall security officer noticed Day had…
Date: January 9, 2020
Docket Number: 18-1061
Justia Opinion Summary: Subdiaz‐Osorio stabbed his brother to death during a drunken fight in Wisconsin. He attempted to flee but was stopped in Arkansas while driving to Mexico. At Subdiaz‐Osorio’s request, the interview in Arkansas was…
Date: January 9, 2020
Docket Number: 18-3716
Justia Opinion Summary: Vasquez-Abarca’s parents brought him to the U.S. in 1986. In 1995, at age 14, he was arrested for having sex with a 12-year-old but told authorities that he was either 16-17 years old and was convicted of a felony sex…
Date: January 7, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1676
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2013, Guerrero, a Chicago police officer who participated in drug trafficking, pleaded guilty to conspiring to participate in racketeering activity, conspiring to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or…
Date: January 6, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1320
Justia Opinion Summary: The Chicago Police Department (CPD) periodically administered an examination for sergeants seeking promotion to lieutenant. While the CPD retained discretion over whom to promote, those who scored highest on the exam…
Date: January 6, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1463
Justia Opinion Summary: Lett worked as an investigator for Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability. In 2016, Lett was investigating police involvement in a particular civilian shooting. The Chief Administrator, Fairley, directed Lett…
Date: January 3, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1435
Justia Opinion Summary: Chicago officers Valadez and Reyes, in an unmarked police car patrolling a neighborhood where a gang-related shooting had recently occurred, saw a passenger in Cruz’s Chevy Tahoe fire gunshots at the occupants of another…
Date: January 3, 2020
Docket Number: 19-1781
Justia Opinion Summary: Barnes works in facilities management at UIC, reporting to Donovan. UIC hired Barnes in 2008 as an operating engineer and later promoted him to assistant chief engineer. In 2015, a chief engineer retired. UIC identified…
Date: January 2, 2020
Docket Number: 19-2126
Justia Opinion Summary: Simental-Galarza unlawfully entered the U.S. in 2001. He married a U.S. citizen in 2013; they divorced three years later. Simental-Galarza was charged as removable under 8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(6)(A)(i), for having entered and…
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