The HCBullet: The blog of the Attorneys at HCB

Seventh Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Inmate’s First Amendment Claims

May 19, 2020

Earlier this month, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a decision of the Central District which granted summary judgment to Kankakee County and County officials for allegedly failing to provide adequate religious services to Muslim inmates.  In Thompson v. Bukowski, Walter Thompson alleged that he had requested Muslim group worship services at Kankakee County’s…

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Part 4 of Managing the Risks of COVID-19 in the County Jail Setting

April 28, 2020

Update on Recent COVID-19 Prison Litigation  Mays, et al. v. Dart, et al.  [DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this blog post should be construed as legal or medical advice. Be sure to follow all CDC, IDPH, and IDOC guidance regarding the current COVID-19 pandemic. HC&B is also available for consultation regarding risk management and litigation in this…

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Reporter’s First Amendment Retaliatory Arrest Suit Rejected by Federal Appeals Court

April 27, 2020

Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Nieves v. Bartlett, 139 S. Ct. 1715 (2019), in which it held that the existence of probable cause to arrest defeats a claim of retaliatory arrest. The only exception is where the plaintiff can prove that the police almost never arrest for the particular offense…

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Joliet Police Officers Win Summary Judgement In Suit Over Traffic Stop

April 20, 2020

Several years ago, three City of Joliet police officers stopped a driver for having a broken tail light, wrote him a ticket for that infraction and another for an open bottle of vodka, and towed the car because of the open alcohol. The driver later filed a ten-count, thirty-page federal civil rights lawsuit against the…

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Part 3 of Managing the Risks of COVID-19 in the County Jail Setting

April 15, 2020

Update on Recent COVID-19 Prison Litigation: Money, et al. v. Pritzker, et al. and Mays, et al. v. Dart, et al. [DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this blog post should be construed as legal or medical advice. Be sure to follow all CDC, IDPH, and IDOC guidance regarding the current COVID-19 pandemic. HC&B is also available for consultation…

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