Forcible Cutting of Illinois Prisoner’s Dreadlocks Found Unconstitutional by The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has held that an Illinois prison guard violated the First Amendment rights of a prisoner by ordering his dreadlocks to be forcibly shorn. The appellate court further held the guard was not entitled to qualified …
7th Circuit: Reasonable Attorney Fees Not Properly Reduced Due to Existence of Contingent Fee Agreement by After successfully representing Danielle Pickett in a Title VII retaliation suit against her employer, Sheridan Health Care Center, Ernest T. Rossiello & Associates, P.C. sought to recover reasonable attorney fees, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. …
US 7th Circuit Affirms Judgment for Defense in "Tawdry Tale" by US 7th Circuit Affirms Judgment for Defense in "Tawdry Tale" The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed in April 2012 the decision of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, granting summary …
US Court of Appeals Dismisses Freed Prisoner's §1983 Claim by US Court of Appeals Dismisses Freed Prisoner's §1983 Claim The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed in December 2011 the district court’s dismissal of an Illinois prisoner’s civil rights claim against three police officers and three …
US Court of Appeals Remands FOIA Suit for Dismissal by The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit remanded in May 2012 a state Freedom of Information Act suit that pitted the Chicago Tribune against the University of Illinois for action by the state court. The court directed …
Volunteering Information to an Inmate Informant Does Not Require Miranda Warning by Tavares Hunt, a prisoner in the Cook County Jail (Illinois), became a suspect in the murder of Shakir Beckley. Mycal Davis, another prisoner, volunteered to become an informant and elicit incriminating information concerning the homicide. Wearing a wire, …
Cook County Jail Agrees to Improvements by Brandon Sample It took a federal lawsuit by the United States Department of Justice to get Cook County to finally agree to remedy decades of inadequate conditions at its infamous Cook County Jail (CCJ). The sweeping deal between Cook County and the Justice …
Probationary State Employee Legally Terminated by Seventh Circuit of Appeals denied First Amendment retaliatory claim and violation of procedural due process rights. Samone Redd, a probationary employee with the Cook County Department of Correction, witnessed an argument outside of a Chicago residence and rode with Detective Doughty to locate the …
Dumelle v. Village of Hanover Park, IL, Settlement Order, Recording Police Constitutional, 2013 Case: 1:13-cv-01575 Document #: 29 Filed: 04/08/13 Page 1 of 2 PageID #:126 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS EASTERN DIVISION KRISTOFER DUMELLE, Plaintiff, v. VILLAGE OF HANOVER PARK, ET AL., Defendants. ) ) ) …
Markadonatos v. Village Woolridge, IL, Dfdt. Appeal Brief, Jail Booking Fees, 2013 Case: 12-2619 Document: 30 Filed: 04/05/2013 Pages: 44 No. 12-2619 In the United States Court of Appeals For The Seventh Circuit Jerry G. Markadonatos, on behalf of himself and all other similarly situated, Plaintiff-Appellant, vs. Village of Woodridge, …
Taylor v. Wexford, IL, Complaint, Medical Neglect, 2013 Case: 1:11-cv-07386 Document #: 114 Filed: 03/19/13 Page 1 of 21 PageID #:813 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS EASTERN DIVISION JOHN E. TAYLOR, JR., Plaintiff, vs. WEXFORD HEALTH SOURCES, INC., WENDY FOXON–OLSON, ROYCE BROWN–REED, ESTER …
NACDL Wins Appeal for Eyewitness Identification Data by Brandon Sample In 2006, when Illinois officials released results from a study comparing the effectiveness of traditional eyewitness identification with other methods, the results created an uproar. The study, commissioned by the Illinois General Assembly, found the "traditional" line-up method of identification …
$4.1 Million Settlement for Cook County Jail Prisoners Shacked During Labor by Cook County Illinois has agreed to pay a $4.1 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit that challenged the shackling of pregnant prisoners at the Cook County Jail during labor, delivery or after giving birth, from December 4, 2006 …
7th Circuit Reaffirms Voluntariness of BOP’s Inmate Financial Responsibility Program by Derek Gilna In a ruling of significance to the approximately 218,000 prisoners in the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), the Seventh Circuit has reaffirmed that a federal prisoner cannot be ordered by his or her sentencing court to participate in …
Illinois Woman Awarded $70,000 for Strip Search Based on Canine Alert by On June 28, 2012, an Illinois federal jury awarded a woman $70,000 for a strip search that occurred after a drug detection canine alerted on her car following a traffic stop for an unrelated warrant for failure to …
Chicago Police Hit with Big Judgment and “Code of Silence” Finding by Derek Gilna Chicago Police have a difficult and dangerous job, but also a heavy responsibility to hold themselves accountable to follow the same laws they are sworn to uphold. In the case of Karolina Obrycka, a diminutive tavern …
Dismissal for Inability to Pay Monetary Sanctions Reversed by The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the dismissal for failure to pay a $9,055.14 attorney fee sanction against an indigent Plaintiff. Bruce A. Williams brought federal suit against four Illinois police officers for false arrest and excessive force. He alleged …
Seventh Circuit Affirms Imprisonment Does Not Promote Correction and Rehabilitation by Derek Gilna The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the above-guidelines sentence wherein the sentencing judge stated he wanted the defendant to "get mental health treatment." In so ruling, the Seventh Circuit followed the case of Tapia v. United …
Seventh Circuit Rules for State Officials in Prisoner Medical Co-pay Dispute by Derek Gilna The Seventh Circuit has upheld the district court dismissal of prisoner Peter Poole III’s complaint again the Big Muddy River Correctional Center in downstate Illinois over its refusal to waive what he felt was an unnecessary …
Watkins v. Ghosh, IL, Complaint, Medical Neglect, 2013 Case: 1:11-cv-01880 Document #: 148 Filed: 03/12/13 Page 1 of 7 PageID #:1155 #12078 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS EASTERN DIVISION ERIC WATKINS, Plaintiff, v. PARTHA GHOSH MD, et al., Defendants. ) ) ) ) ) ) …
