7th Circuit Case Commentaries

Affirmation of Hearsay Exclusion Standards in Federal Habeas Corpus: Fedell Caffey v. Kim Butler

Date: Sep 23, 2015

Affirmation of Hearsay Exclusion Standards in Federal Habeas Corpus: Fedell Caffey v. Kim Butler Introduction Fedell Caffey, the petitioner-appellant, was convicted of triple murder and aggravated...

Inherent Judicial Authority to Dismiss with Prejudice for Fraudulent Litigation Conduct

Date: Sep 2, 2015

Inherent Judicial Authority to Dismiss with Prejudice for Fraudulent Litigation Conduct Introduction The case of Neal D. Secrease, Jr. v. The Western & Southern Life Insurance Company serves as a...

Affirmation of Class Certification in Unpaid Overtime Claims Against PNC Bank

Date: Sep 1, 2015

Affirmation of Class Certification in Unpaid Overtime Claims Against PNC Bank Introduction The case of Mariseli Gomez Bell v. PNC Bank, National Association revolves around allegations that PNC Bank...

Causation in Toxic Tort: Affirmation of Expert Testimony Exclusion in C.W. and E.W. v. Textron, Inc.

Date: Aug 27, 2015

Causation in Toxic Tort: Affirmation of Expert Testimony Exclusion in C.W. and E.W. v. Textron, Inc. Introduction The case of C.W. and E.W., by Guardians and Next Friends Adele A. Wood and Jason A....

Strengthening Fourth Amendment Protections and Addressing Predicate Offense Dependencies in Drug Conspiracy Cases

Date: Aug 27, 2015

Strengthening Fourth Amendment Protections and Addressing Predicate Offense Dependencies in Drug Conspiracy Cases Introduction In the landmark case of UNITED STATES of America v. Brian Wilbourn and...

Enforcement of Timeliness and Non-Retroactive State Law Changes in Federal Habeas Corpus: Gladney v. Pollard

Date: Aug 27, 2015

Enforcement of Timeliness and Non-Retroactive State Law Changes in Federal Habeas Corpus: Gladney v. Pollard Introduction The case of Myron A. Gladney v. William Pollard, adjudicated by the United...

Affirming Intent Sufficiency Under 18 U.S.C. §1958 in Murder-for-Hire Convictions: United States v. Dvorkin

Date: Aug 26, 2015

Affirming Intent Sufficiency Under 18 U.S.C. §1958 in Murder-for-Hire Convictions: United States v. Dvorkin Introduction The case of United States v. Daniel Dvorkin (799 F.3d 867, 7th Cir. 2015)...

7th Circuit Establishes New Precedent for Rule 60(b)(6) Relief in Cases of Ineffective Postconviction Counsel

Date: Aug 26, 2015

7th Circuit Establishes New Precedent for Rule 60(b)(6) Relief in Cases of Ineffective Postconviction Counsel Introduction The case of Israel C. Ramirez v. United States of America serves as a...

State-Created Danger and Class-of-One Equal Protection Claims: Insights from D.S. v. East Porter County School Corporation

Date: Aug 25, 2015

State-Created Danger and Class-of-One Equal Protection Claims: Insights from D.S. v. East Porter County School Corporation Introduction The case of D.S., b/n/f George M. Stahl and Debbie Lynn Stahl,...

FMLA Interference and Retaliation in Preddie v. Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation

Date: Aug 25, 2015

FMLA Interference and Retaliation in Preddie v. Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation Introduction In Terrence Preddie v. Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation (799 F.3d 806, 7th Cir....

Concurrent Sentencing Errors and Judicial Discretion: United States v. Maday

Date: Aug 25, 2015

Concurrent Sentencing Errors and Judicial Discretion: United States v. Maday Introduction The case of United States of America v. Robert Maday, adjudicated by the United States Court of Appeals for...

Nautilus Insurance Co. v. Panfil: Establishing Broader Duty to Defend in Commercial Liability Policies

Date: Aug 21, 2015

Nautilus Insurance Co. v. Panfil: Establishing Broader Duty to Defend in Commercial Liability Policies Introduction The case of Joe Panfil, et al. v. Nautilus Insurance Company (799 F.3d 716)...

Seventh Circuit Establishes Liability of Prison Officials for Eighth Amendment Violations: Gevas v. McLaughlin

Date: Aug 21, 2015

Seventh Circuit Establishes Liability of Prison Officials for Eighth Amendment Violations: Gevas v. McLaughlin Introduction In Gevas v. McLaughlin et al., the United States Court of Appeals for the...

Affirmation of §922(g)(5): Restricting Firearm Possession for Unauthorized Aliens

Date: Aug 21, 2015

Affirmation of §922(g)(5): Restricting Firearm Possession for Unauthorized Aliens Introduction In the case of United States of America v. Mariano A. Meza-Rodriguez, the United States Court of Appeals...

Deliberate Indifference in Correctional Healthcare: Rowe v. Gibson Precedent

Date: Aug 20, 2015

Deliberate Indifference in Correctional Healthcare: Rowe v. Gibson Precedent Introduction Rowe v. Gibson, 798 F.3d 622 (7th Cir. 2015), is a landmark case addressing the obligations of prison...

Reversing Disability Denial: Alaura v. Social Security Administration

Date: Aug 19, 2015

Reversing Disability Denial: Alaura v. Social Security Administration Introduction The case of Kyle D. Alaura v. Carolyn W. Colvin (797 F.3d 503) adjudicated by the United States Court of Appeals for...

State Law and RICO Claims Valid in HEA-Regulated Student Loan Default Cases: Bible v. United Student Aid Funds

Date: Aug 19, 2015

State Law and RICO Claims Valid in HEA-Regulated Student Loan Default Cases: Bible v. United Student Aid Funds Introduction In Bryana Bible, Individually and on Behalf of the Proposed Class,...

Duty of Care and Summary Judgment in Indiana Negligence Claims: Spierer v. Rossman

Date: Aug 15, 2015

Duty of Care and Summary Judgment in Indiana Negligence Claims: Spierer v. Rossman Introduction Spierer v. Rossman, et al. is a pivotal case decided by the United States Court of Appeals for the...

Reversal of Dismissal: Establishing Promissory Estoppel in Financial Default Cases

Date: Aug 11, 2015

Reversal of Dismissal: Establishing Promissory Estoppel in Financial Default Cases Introduction In the case of Firestone Financial Corp. v. John R. Meyer, the United States Court of Appeals for the...

7th Circuit Affirms Class Certification in Racial Discrimination Suit Against Chicago Board's School Reconstitution Policies

Date: Aug 8, 2015

7th Circuit Affirms Class Certification in Racial Discrimination Suit Against Chicago Board's School Reconstitution Policies Introduction In the landmark case of Chicago Teachers Union, Local No. 1,...