Retaliation Against Chaplain for Trying to Educate Prisoner Upheld by The plaintiff, a prison chaplain, tried to arrange literacy training for a "circuit rider," a prisoner kept permanently in segregation and frequently transferred. The warden refused to let him do it, suggesting an educator would be a more appropriate choice. …
Venue Proper Where Claim Arose by The plaintiff alleged excessive force by guards and two of the defendants moved to dismiss for improper venue or to transfer. Since one defendant lives in the Northern District of Illinois, venue there is proper. The court transfers the case to the Central District …
Skeletal Disease Suit Dismissed by The plaintiff complained that he had a painful calcium overgrowth in his wrists for three years and the defendants failed to send him to a specialist or to provide surgery. His condition is a serious medical need. However, defendants' conduct represents a decision to treat …
ADA Requires Employees Exhaust Claims Prior to Filing Suit by Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act doesn't create a claim for public employees for employment discrimination; it doesn't deal with employment, and Title I, which does, relegates public employees to the administrative scheme with exhaustion requirement of Title …
Supervisory Officials Liable for Denial of Religious Services by The plaintiff complained that inmates in a particular unit were not permitted to attend Muslim services. His injunctive claim is moot because he has been released. However, he may be entitled to damages, and even nominal damages would support an award …
IL Prisoner Refuses to Pursue Futile Grievance Procedure, Still Satisfies Exhaustion Requirement by Nedrick J. Hardy, an Illinois state prisoner, claimed he was denied medical attention for a broken hand for several months. He filed numerous grievances which prison staff ignored. After several months he filed suit in federal district …
IL Prisoner’s Appeal of Prison Disciplinary Proceeding Dismissed as Unbelievable by Kenneth R. Dye, an Illinois state prisoner, appealed in state court the outcome of his prison disciplinary proceeding. He argued that he wasn’t served with notice of the charges against him or allowed to attend the hearing. His institutional …
Illinois Seizes Prisoner’s Life Insurance Inheritance by Leonce J. Ruckman, an Illinois state prisoner who had been incarcerated since 1988, received the benefits of his mother’s life insurance policy after she died. He used some of the proceeds to purchase a MetLife annuity with a cash value of $32,178.22. When …
Illinois Police Brutality Suit Settles for $180,000 by The City of Waukegan (Illinois) settled a civil rights action against police for $180,000 after the 2005 macing and beating of concerned citizen Rogelio Rios Castillo. Castillo verbally tried to prevent police from excessively beating an arrestee in front of his home. …
Illinois Prisoners Win $8 Million for Failure to Treat Hep C by A federal jury has awarded four Illinois prisoners over $2 million apiece in a civil rights action filed against state prison officials for denying treatment for Hepatitis C (Hep C). In 2005, Edward J. Roe, Anthony P. Stasiak, …
Illinois Man Falsely Arrested in Attempted Child Abduction Awarded $2 Million by A federal jury has awarded over $2 million to a man who was acquitted of attempting to abduct two young girls. In March 2001, a man approached an eight-year-old girl on the front porch of her home in …
Failure to Timely Provide Methadone Results in Death, Defeats Summary Judgment by The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed an Illinois federal district court’s grant of summary judgment to officials at the Cook County Jail in a civil rights action that alleged inadequate medical assistance resulting in a prisoner’s …
Jury Must Determine Whether Prisoner’s Failure to Exhaust Administrative Remedies was Based on Threats / Retaliation by by David M. Reutter The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has held that when there are material facts in dispute about whether prison officials threatened or intimidated a prisoner into not exhausting administrative …
Illinois Jail Detainee's Death Related Medical Documents Ordered Disclosed by Abdelkadir Belbachir brought federal and state action against McHenry County (Illinois) in 2006 after his cousin, Hassiba Belbachir, died in the county jail. He motioned to compel documents declared exempt under the peer review privilege (privilege) of the State Medical …
Right to Consult, Hire Counsel Well Established and Constitutionally Protected by At 953-54: The right to hire and consult an attorney is protected by the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of speech, association and petition. ... It has long been recognized that the First Amendment prohibits the state from interfering …
Prison Doctor Lacks Standing to Challenge BOP Policy Denying Medical Care by The plaintiff complained of his treatment for a hernia and his prison doctor complained he was fired pursuant to a policy of providing inadequate care and in violation of his First Amendment rights. Prisoners seeking damages must exhaust …
Dispute Over Bringing Suit Doesn’t Bar Class Certification by At 153: It is not unusual in class actions for some class members to believe that an action should not be brought. A dispute within the class over whether an action should be pursued does not preclude class certification, as long …
Class Action Suits for Damages and Injunctions Discussed by When class plaintiffs seek both equitable relief and money damages, class certification must be done under Rule 23(b)(3), with its individualized notice and opt-out provisions, unless the damages are "incidental" to the equitable relief. (This holding appears to refer to class …
State Consent Decree Valid Despite Governor’s Objection by The state submitted a consent decree to plaintiffs and agreed to several changes; the day before it was to be presented to court, the Assistant AG repudiated it at the direction of the Office of the Governor, which had just learned of …
Illinois Police Misconduct Investigative Documents Ordered Disclosed by Self-proclaimed journalist Jamie Kalven filed a motion to intervene in a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action for police misconduct which subsequently settled. The motion was granted and production of the investigative documents he sought was ordered. Diane Bond brought an action against …
