2025 Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals Case Law

Justia Opinion Summary: In July 2019, Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) workers encountered a two-month-old infant, L.M., with a severe skull fracture and extensive brain damage. The infant's parents, Erika and Brian Mabes, had taken…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs Republic Technologies (NA), LLC and Republic Tobacco, L.P. manufacture and market OCB brand organic hemp rolling papers, while defendant BBK Tobacco & Foods, LLP (HBI) markets RAW brand rolling papers.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Carlos Estrada, an Indiana resident, was arrested on February 2, 2023, after arranging the sale of 2,579 grams of heroin to an undercover officer in New Jersey. A search of his Indianapolis residence revealed an…

Justia Opinion Summary: Dr. William Partin filed a lawsuit against Baptist Healthcare System, Inc. and Dr. Daniel Eichenberger after he resigned from his position. Partin alleged that Baptist and Eichenberger retaliated against him in violation…

Justia Opinion Summary: Leon Carter was charged by the State of Wisconsin with sexual assault, strangulation, and kidnapping. During his trial, the jury sent a note to the judge with a question, but the bailiff answered it without consulting…

Justia Opinion Summary: Event Media Inc. and Pack Expo Services, LLC, were contributing employers to the Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Fund. Both companies withdrew from the Fund and incurred withdrawal liability…

Justia Opinion Summary: In the early hours of July 19, 2018, Peoria Police Officer Ryan Isonhart fatally shot Luis Cruz, who was fleeing from officers and allegedly pointing a gun at Officer Nicholas Mason. Lyrah Hernandez, Cruz’s sister, filed…

Justia Opinion Summary: Reyna Cruz slipped and fell in a Costco food court, injuring her neck, back, knee, and wrist, which led to back surgery. The incident was recorded by Costco’s surveillance cameras. The video showed no evidence of a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Dennis Jones, a 42-year-old part-time grocery store cashier, applied for Social Security disability benefits, claiming that conditions related to his premature birth, including a cerebral hematoma, had worsened and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Nathaniel Jacobs was found guilty by a jury of several drug and gun possession offenses, as well as witness tampering. The case began when Jacobs appeared at a hospital with a gunshot wound and admitted to police that he…

Justia Opinion Summary: Efrain Leonides-Seguria, a Mexican citizen without legal status in the United States, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on June 15, 2021, for illegal reentry. Six days later, ICE referred him for…

Justia Opinion Summary: Matthew Cargo, a federal prisoner, attempted to file a notice of appeal after being sentenced on July 20, 2020. He had until August 3, 2020, to file the notice, with a possible extension to September 2, 2020. Cargo,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Mark Sorensen, owner of SyMed Inc., a Medicare-registered distributor of durable medical equipment, was involved in a business arrangement with PakMed LLC, Byte Success Marketing, and Dynamic Medical Management. They…

Justia Opinion Summary: Griffith Foods International and Sterigenics U.S. operated a medical supply sterilization plant in Willowbrook, Illinois, emitting ethylene oxide (EtO) over a 35-year period. In 2018, a report revealed high cancer rates…

Justia Opinion Summary: Griffith Foods International Inc. and Sterigenics U.S. operated a medical supply sterilization plant in Willowbrook, Illinois, emitting ethylene oxide (EtO) over 35 years. In 2018, a report linked these emissions to high…

Justia Opinion Summary: Overhead Door Company of Indianapolis contracted with Blue Giant Equipment Corporation, a Canadian company, for the purchase of multiple dock levelers. After installation, Overhead experienced issues with the levelers…

Justia Opinion Summary: Michael Clark was convicted by a federal jury of possessing a controlled substance based on evidence obtained from a search of his hotel room. Clark challenged the search warrant, arguing that the police investigator,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Ronald Norweathers was convicted by a jury and sentenced to 250 months’ imprisonment for possessing and distributing child pornography. He claimed that he was acting under the direction of an FBI agent, Joseph Bonsuk,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Jacques Rivera, after being released from over 20 years in prison for a wrongful murder conviction, sued the City of Chicago and several police officers under 42 U.S.C. §1983 for civil rights violations. A jury awarded…

Justia Opinion Summary: John Nawara, a former correctional officer at Cook County Jail, had several altercations with other county employees. As a result, the Cook County Sheriff's Office required him to undergo a fitness-for-duty examination…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case, plaintiffs in a class action alleged that several corporations in the broiler chicken market violated antitrust laws by engaging in bid rigging and reducing the supply of broiler chickens. The plaintiffs…

Justia Opinion Summary: Christine Swiecichowski worked in a warehouse for over thirty years until 2018, when she quit due to increasing symptoms and pain from fibromyalgia, depression, issues with her right arm and wrist, and spinal disorders.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Raymond Tackett, an inmate with the Indiana Department of Corrections (IDOC), suffered from Hepatitis C (HCV) and did not receive direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), a treatment that cures HCV. He died on November 29, 2019,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Jaron Jackson pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor and transportation of child pornography. He was sentenced to 240 months in prison. Jackson appealed, arguing that the district court should have suppressed…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs David Vance Gardner and Gary Merchant filed a lawsuit against MeTV National Limited Partnership, alleging that MeTV violated the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA) by disclosing their personally identifiable…

Justia Opinion Summary: John Johnson pleaded guilty in 2020 to distributing large volumes of cocaine on two occasions in 2014 while he was on supervised release for a 2001 crack cocaine conviction. His guilty plea led to the revocation of his…

Justia Opinion Summary: Susan Kinder, a white woman, was employed by the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office (MCPO) and alleged racial discrimination when she was reassigned to a new role. She claimed violations of Title VII and the Equal…

Justia Opinion Summary: Gregory Johnson was convicted by a jury of attempting to use a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography. At sentencing, the district court found Johnson indigent and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Vonzell Scott was shot while waiting in his car at a Wendy’s drive-thru in Chicago around 3:00 am on December 31, 2018. Scott had a brief altercation with another driver, but it ended peacefully. Shortly after, two armed…

Justia Opinion Summary: Jacob Powers was convicted by a Wisconsin jury in 2006 for enticing and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl. Powers challenged his convictions in state court, claiming he was incompetent at the time of his trial and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Dyson Technology, Ltd., a UK-based company, filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against multiple e-commerce stores for selling counterfeit Dyson products. Dyson sought remedies under the Lanham Act, which allows…

Justia Opinion Summary: Members of a local union sued their national parent organization for imposing an illegal trusteeship. The plaintiffs, members of NABET-CWA Local 41, claimed that the national union imposed the trusteeship in bad faith…

Justia Opinion Summary: Valerie Thomas received a notice claiming she owed $187, which she disputed. Resurgent Capital Services notified TransUnion about the debt before opening Thomas's letter and reported the dispute 29 days later. Thomas…

Justia Opinion Summary: Eric Blackmon was arrested in 2002 and charged with murder, leading to his conviction in 2004 after a bench trial. Despite multiple attempts, state judges in Illinois upheld his conviction. However, the United States…

Justia Opinion Summary: Timothy Hoffstead, a canine handler for Metra, was suspended after testing positive for amphetamines and opioids during a random drug test. Hoffstead attributed the positive result to his prescribed medications for ADD,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Suzanne Wolf suffered multiple pelvic fractures in a car accident caused by an underinsured motorist. After receiving $100,000 from the at-fault driver’s insurance, she filed claims for underinsured motorist benefits…

Justia Opinion Summary: In December 2015, sixteen-year-old Isaiah Taylor was stopped by Milwaukee police officers Justin Schwarzhuber and Jasen Rydzewski while running through his neighborhood to deliver a turkey. The officers frisked him,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Quintin Ferguson was sentenced to 240 months' imprisonment for violating 18 U.S.C. §844(i), which involves maliciously damaging or destroying property by fire or explosives. The district court classified him as a career…

Justia Opinion Summary: James Hulce, on behalf of himself and others similarly situated, filed a putative class action suit against Zipongo Inc., doing business as Foodsmart. Hulce alleged that Foodsmart violated the Telephone Consumer…

Justia Opinion Summary: Gayratjon Gulomjonov, a native of Uzbekistan, entered the United States in October 2016 on a visitor visa and later obtained a student visa valid until January 2019. He overstayed his visa and was placed in removal…

Justia Opinion Summary: Kevin Brooks, an inmate at a federal prison camp, suffered from appendicitis, which was misdiagnosed by medical personnel as constipation and COVID-19. Despite his worsening condition, he was not sent to a hospital for…

Justia Opinion Summary: Denise Evans was diagnosed with a ureteral injury shortly after undergoing a hysterectomy on August 14, 2019. She filed a negligence lawsuit in state court against the surgeon and associated medical entities. The surgeon…

Justia Opinion Summary: A collective bargaining agreement between the Teamsters Union and Quality Custom Distribution guaranteed that the top 80% of senior employees would receive at least 40 paid hours per week. During the early months of the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs, LSP Transmission Holdings II, LLC, and affiliates, sought to build and operate interstate electricity transmission lines in Indiana. An Indiana statute granted incumbent electric companies the right of first…

Justia Opinion Summary: A tenured professor at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, Jason Kilborn, included an expurgated racial slur in a law school exam question. This led to an investigation by university officials, who found…

Justia Opinion Summary: Eural Black, the defendant, sought a sentence reduction under the compassionate release statute, 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A), citing the First Step Act's anti-stacking amendment. Black was serving a 40-year sentence, 30…

Justia Opinion Summary: Edward Gibbs was indicted in August 2018 for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine mixture. He pleaded guilty in November 2020 and was sentenced to 200…

Justia Opinion Summary: In August 2022, Jamond Rush was charged with possessing an unregistered firearm, specifically an AR-15 rifle with a 7.5-inch barrel, in violation of the National Firearms Act (NFA). Rush moved to dismiss the indictment,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The plaintiffs, Thomas Ghelf, Tricia Hansen, Constance and Thomas Klein, Maureen Sommerfeld, and Mississippi Sports and Recreation, Inc. (MSR), own abutting properties in the Town of Wheatland, Vernon County, Wisconsin.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Charles Bich and the Bruno Bich Trust made a series of loans to WW3 LLC, owned by Curt Waldvogel, for constructing an oil-processing facility in North Dakota. Waldvogel assured the Bichs that their investment would be…

Justia Opinion Summary: Brian Gustafson was convicted of wire fraud in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He was employed as a manager at a Public Storage facility in Deerfield, Illinois, where he…

Justia Opinion Summary: Kevin Pettis, a convicted felon, was found guilty by a jury of illegally possessing a firearm and was sentenced to 120 months in prison by District Judge Colin S. Bruce. Pettis later discovered that Judge Bruce had…

Justia Opinion Summary: Ralph Thompson was sentenced to 150 months in prison for distributing heroin, fentanyl, and a fentanyl analogue. The district judge noted Thompson's nine prior felony convictions and lack of reform as justification for…

Justia Opinion Summary: Jack William Morgan, a Messianic Jew, purchased a turkey log from the commissary at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Thomson in May 2021, which led to the suspension of his kosher diet approval for thirty days…

Justia Opinion Summary: Breion Woodson was convicted in Wisconsin state court on charges of firearm and drug possession and sentenced to 19 years in prison. During sentencing, the government presented a video from social media showing men with…

Justia Opinion Summary: Kurt Beathard, a football coach at Illinois State University (ISU), was terminated from his position as offensive coordinator after posting a handwritten message on his office door that read, "All Lives Matter to Our…

Justia Opinion Summary: The plaintiff, Jose Antonio Cossio, Jr., sought reconsideration of his bad-conduct discharge from the Air Force, which stemmed from court-martial convictions in 2004. Cossio had used his access to an Air Force computer…

Justia Opinion Summary: Kurt Beathard, a football coach at Illinois State University (ISU), was terminated from his position as offensive coordinator after posting a handwritten message on his office door that read, “All Lives Matter to Our…

Justia Opinion Summary: Stanley Felton, also known as G’esa Kalafi, was incarcerated at the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility from 2007 to 2015. He filed a pro se complaint under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against several prison employees, alleging…

Justia Opinion Summary: A group of religious organizations employing nonimmigrant workers challenged a regulation by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that precludes special immigrant religious workers from filing…

Justia Opinion Summary: Raquel Haro was arrested at a college party and subjected to a strip search, including a visual cavity inspection, during the booking process at Porter County Jail. The jail uses a body scanner for all arrestees, and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Michael Malinowski was sentenced to 150 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release after pleading guilty to receiving child pornography. His release conditions included participating in sex-offender…

Justia Opinion Summary: Kamala McCombs pleaded guilty to two counts of drug trafficking for her involvement in a conspiracy to transport methamphetamine from Arizona to Illinois. She was sentenced to concurrent terms of 121 months of…

Justia Opinion Summary: Eido Hussam Al-Nahhas, an Illinois resident, took out four loans from Rosebud Lending LZO, operating as ZocaLoans, with interest rates up to nearly 700%, far exceeding Illinois law limits. Al-Nahhas alleged that…

Justia Opinion Summary: Jonathan Peoples pleaded guilty to felony possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced to one year of incarceration plus one year of mandatory supervised release. He received credit for time served, effectively…

Justia Opinion Summary: Dale Staten, a coal miner for nearly thirty years, retired in 2000 and passed away in January 2017 from respiratory failure after a two-week hospitalization. His widow, Bernadette Staten, filed for survivor benefits…

Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves Shamond Jenkins, who was convicted of robbing a Centier Bank branch in South Bend, Indiana, in December 2020. Jenkins was identified as a suspect in three robberies in northern Indiana between December…

Justia Opinion Summary: Manuel Antonio Herrera Hernandez, an inmate at Waupun Correctional Institution, alleged that his legal paperwork was misplaced during his temporary transfer to restrictive housing in October 2021. Before entering…

Justia Opinion Summary: Waukegan Potawatomi Casino, LLC (WPC) alleged that its Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated when the City of Waukegan did not advance its casino proposal for licensing consideration. WPC claimed it experienced…

Justia Opinion Summary: Police stopped Martin Devalois for a traffic violation. During the stop, a drug-sniffing dog alerted to narcotics in Devalois’s rental vehicle. Instead of complying with the police request to exit the car, Devalois…

Justia Opinion Summary: Kein Eastman was abducted at gunpoint from his grandmother’s house by Kenwyn Frazier, taken to an apartment in East St. Louis, and subjected to threats, beatings, and a gunshot over a piece of jewelry. Eastman fled the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Felix Franco, a commercial truck driver, was asleep in his parked semi-trailer truck when it was hit by another truck driven by an employee of Richland Refrigerated Solutions, LLC. Franco claimed that the accident caused…

Justia Opinion Summary: William Hudson was convicted in Wisconsin state court of conspiracy to commit first-degree intentional homicide and conspiracy to commit arson. The convictions stemmed from an agreement Hudson made with another inmate,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Joshua Smitson applied for social security disability benefits and supplemental security income, claiming that his asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) prevented him from working. His medical records…

Justia Opinion Summary: Rhonda Sutton was charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud. At her arraignment in June 2018, the district court appointed counsel to represent her. Sutton pleaded not guilty in January 2020. After several…

Justia Opinion Summary: Jeffery Henson was convicted of federal fraud, including aggravated identity theft, money laundering, and wire fraud, for diverting nearly $330,000 from his employer to his personal account. He was ordered to pay…

Justia Opinion Summary: In March 2021, Jamal Shehadeh was involved in a controlled drug buy orchestrated by the Taylorville, Illinois Police Department. A confidential informant paid Shehadeh for methamphetamine, and the transaction was…

Justia Opinion Summary: Christopher Easterling attempted to rob a Walgreens store on September 15, 2019, by brandishing a firearm and demanding money from the cashier, who fled. Easterling did not take anything and was apprehended. He was…

Justia Opinion Summary: Eric Kyereme was indicted on five counts of wire fraud for misleading investors in his company, Sika Capital Management, LLC. He solicited $200,000 for the "Alpha Fund," which he lost through poor trading. Instead of…

Justia Opinion Summary: Ronald Williams, a driver for hire, was convicted of sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. In April 2018, Williams transported two teenage girls, Hannah Brown and Cyan Smith, for commercial sex work…

Justia Opinion Summary: Republic Airways Inc. and Hyannis Air Service, Inc. entered into individual employment agreements with pilot candidates, offering incentives in exchange for employment commitments. The International Brotherhood of…

Justia Opinion Summary: Michael Wood incurred credit card debt with Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed) and defaulted. PenFed reported the debt to credit reporting agencies, but Wood disputed the debt in writing. PenFed investigated and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Wesley K. White, Jr. pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). The government agreed to recommend a sentence at the low end of the guidelines range as part of a plea…

Justia Opinion Summary: Shawn Riley, a former prisoner at the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility (WSPF), filed a lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against WSPF’s Health Services Manager, Jolinda Waterman, and Nurse Practitioner Sandra McArdle.…

Justia Opinion Summary: In February 2018, two men invaded a home in Rockford, Illinois, resulting in the death of Julian Young, Jr. and the escape of Jasmine Meneweather. Meneweather initially provided general descriptions of the assailants but…

Justia Opinion Summary: Caroline Retzios was terminated by Epic Systems Corporation after she refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19, citing religious objections. She filed a lawsuit under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, claiming…

Justia Opinion Summary: Blake Stewardson was arrested for driving under the influence on January 1, 2018, and taken to Cass County Jail. While intoxicated, he directed profanities at police and resisted during intake, leading Officer Titus to…

Justia Opinion Summary: An inmate at Green Bay Correctional Institution, who is a practicing Muslim, filed a lawsuit under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) against the Wisconsin Department of Corrections (WDOC).…

Justia Opinion Summary: Tara Osborn, a technical support specialist, was terminated by JAB Management Services, Inc., which provides prison healthcare. Osborn sued her former employer, alleging violations of state and federal employment law,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Kevin Johnson, an inmate in Indiana, filed a pro se lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging that he received inadequate dental and mental health care while incarcerated. The case was complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic…

Justia Opinion Summary: Technical Security Integration, Inc. ("Technical Security") and EPI Technologies, Inc. ("EPI") entered into a Sales Representative Agreement in which EPI agreed to sell Technical Security's products in exchange for…

Justia Opinion Summary: Lorenzo Johnson ran an online child-pornography scheme, inducing financially desperate women to send him sexually explicit photos of their young children by promising them money. Law enforcement identified Johnson's IP…

Justia Opinion Summary: Clarence Lewis, an inmate at Hill Correctional Center, sued various medical staff members, alleging they were deliberately indifferent to his health issues, violating the Eighth Amendment. Lewis claimed misdiagnosis and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Bellin Memorial Hospital hired Kinsey & Kinsey, Inc. to upgrade its computer software. Kinsey failed to implement the agreed-upon software, leading Bellin to sue Kinsey in Wisconsin state court for breach of contract and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Michael Gifford, a beneficiary of the Operating Engineers 139 Health Benefit Fund, sought reimbursement for out-of-network medical expenses incurred during his treatment for a stroke and subsequent brain aneurysm…

Justia Opinion Summary: Correctional officers at an Illinois state prison brutally beat inmate Larry Earvin, who later died from his injuries. Todd Sheffler and two others were charged with various federal crimes related to the killing and its…

Justia Opinion Summary: Linda Thompson filed a putative class action against the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (the "Exchange") in Illinois state court, alleging that the Exchange printed her credit card’s expiration date on purchase…

Justia Opinion Summary: Taibian Harris and his cousin Treveon Smith robbed a cell phone store in South Bend during a blizzard. Harris acted as the getaway driver while Smith stole items from the store. Unbeknownst to them, one of the stolen…

Justia Opinion Summary: William Manery filed a lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 in Indiana state court against Lieutenant Jason Lee and other defendants, alleging that Lee used excessive deadly force in violation of the Fourth Amendment. The case…

Justia Opinion Summary: Edward Bachner filed fraudulent tax returns for three years, inflating his income and tax withholdings to claim unwarranted refunds. The IRS detected the fraud and imposed civil penalties. Bachner petitioned the United…

Justia Opinion Summary: Beata Zarzecki, a Polish national, entered the United States on a six-month tourist visa in 1989 and remained in the country illegally. In 1998, she married a U.S. citizen, and they have a daughter who is also a U.S.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Gwendolyn Cunningham, a Black woman, alleged that the Department of Defense discriminated against her by not promoting her to a newly created GS-13 supervisor position. Cunningham, who had been with the Department since…

Justia Opinion Summary: Shawn Montgomery was severely injured when his truck was hit by a tractor-trailer driven by Yosniel Varela-Mojena, who was employed by motor carrier Caribe Transport II, LLC. The shipment was coordinated by C.H. Robinson…

Justia Opinion Summary: Day Pacer LLC and EduTrek L.L.C., along with their managing members, were responsible for millions of telemarketing calls to consumers on the National Do Not Call Registry. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) brought a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Ricky Patterson was convicted by an Illinois jury in 2003 for first-degree murder, arson, and felony concealment of a homicide related to the 2002 death of Derrick Prout. Patterson had arranged to buy marijuana from…

Justia Opinion Summary: In January 2021, Bertrand Nedoss, an 87-year-old resident of an assisted-living facility in Morton Grove, Illinois, wandered out of the facility, developed hypothermia, and died of cardiac arrest. His estate filed a…