The HCBullet: The blog of the Attorneys at HCB

Court Grants Summary Judgment for Defendants in First Amendment Retaliation Case

September 26, 2017

Summary judgment was granted in the Kankakee County Defendants’ favor in Gilmore v. Briseno, Case No. 15 C 2963 (C. D. Ill. Aug. 28, 2017). Christopher Gilmore filed suit against the Kankakee County jail staff, alleging that they illegally denied him access to a law library and legal resources in retaliation for a suit Gilmore…

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Court Rules Plaintiff’s Access to Courts Claim is Barred by Heck v. Humphrey

September 26, 2017

Judge Sara Darrow of the U.S. District Court of Central Illinois granted summary judgment in favor of the Livingston County Jail Superintendent in Carter v. Cox, et al., No. 15-cv-1512. Jail inmate Anton Carter claimed that his constitutional right to access the courts was violated when he was prohibited from bringing his legal property with…

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Court Rules Correctional Officers Not Liable For Injuries Caused by Fellow Inmates’ Attack

August 22, 2017

Judge Joe Billy McDade of the U.S. District Court of Central Illinois granted summary judgment in favor of corrections staff in Sandridge v. Allen, et al., 15-cv-2176. Plaintiff Jeffery Sandridge claimed that his constitutional rights were violated when he was pushed into his cell and attacked by other inmates while the jail security desk and…

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Illinois FOIA Updates Inmate Exemptions

August 22, 2017

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has been updated, effective August 4, 2017, to add 3 new exemptions applicable to inmate requests: (e-8) Records requested by a person committed to the Department of Corrections or a county jail, the disclosure of which would result in the risk of harm to any person or the risk of…

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Seventh Circuit Vacates Jury Verdict for Officers in Excessive Force Case

August 22, 2017

Citing faulty jury instructions, the Seventh Circuit recently vacated a jury verdict in an excessive force case arising from a confrontation at a Chicago Red Line stop. Doornbos v. City of Chicago, No. 16-1770 (Aug. 18. 2017). In doing so, the Court offered guidance for when officers conducting Terry stops should announce their identity before…

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