A federal judge in the Northern District of Illinois recently granted summary judgment in favor of three City of Morris police officers. The incident giving rise to the suit began when a woman reported to the Morris police department that her boyfriend had struck her in the face. Later that evening, officers went to his…
Read MoreThe Seventh Circuit no doubt raised some eyebrows last month when it reversed a $44.7 million jury verdict in First Midwest Bank v. City of Chicago. But despite the high verdict and tragic facts, the decision simply applied longstanding Supreme Court precedent on the distinction between government wrongs, which certainly do violate the federal constitution,…
Read MoreWhat difference does a dollar make these days? According to the Supreme Court’s holding earlier this month Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski, the difference between continuing with your lawsuit or having it dismissed as moot. Plaintiff Chike Uzuegbunam was a student at a community college of Georgia. He was passing out religious literature on campus when a…
Read MoreOne of the strongest immunities provided the police under the Illinois Tort Immunity Act is immunity for providing inadequate police protection services. The policy behind the statute is based on the common law public duty rule which states that while the police owe a duty to protect the general public at large they cannot be…
Read MoreOn January 13, 2021, the Illinois General Assembly passed HB 3653, a police and criminal justice reform bill, and awaits signature by the Governor. The IML provided a comprehensive summary of the bill, which can be found here. HCB looked closely at the 764-page bill and reported on portions that may impact law enforcement and…
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