The HCBullet: The blog of the Attorneys at HCB

Seventh Circuit Reverses Grant of Qualified Immunity for Corrections Officer and Corrections Sergeant in Medical Deliberate Indifference Suit

November 15, 2017

On September 18, 2017, the Seventh Circuit in Orlowski v. Milwaukee County, 872 F.3d 417 (7th Cir. 2017), reversed a District Court that had previously awarded summary judgment for a Milwaukee County Corrections Officer and Sergeant in a claim brought by the Estate of an inmate that died of a methadone overdose in the Milwaukee…

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Federal Court Sides with Joliet Police in Section 1983 Civil Rights Case

November 15, 2017

Law enforcement is taking a beating these days in the media and the courts.  For that reason, it’s good to report on a case where the good guys win.  In Patterson v. Remer, Case No. 15 C 8852 (N.D. Ill. Nov. 14, 2017), three Joliet police officers were accused of falsely arresting the plaintiff for…

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Seventh Circuit Allows Retired Police Officer’s Claims Against Former Employer to Proceed

October 31, 2017

The Seventh Circuit recently presented a refresher in what kinds of claims public employees may bring against their employers. In Forgue v. City of Chicago, a retired police officer sued his former employer, the City of Chicago, and co-workers alleging that they violated three of his constitutional rights: freedom of speech, equal protection, and procedural…

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Court Dismisses Diabetic Inmate’s Deliberate Indifference Claim

October 31, 2017

Judge Sue Myerscough of the Central District of Illinois granted summary judgment in favor of Kankakee County jail administrators, correctional staff and nursing staff in Lash v. Bukowski, et al., 16-CV-2138 (C.D. Ill. Oct. 26, 2017). Plaintiff, a fifty-four (54) year old diabetic inmate, sued the Sheriff and various staff members of the Jerome Combs…

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DuPage Judge Rules that Village is Immune From Liability for Failure to Inspect and Repair Sidewalk Defect

October 17, 2017

Judge Brian R. McKillip in DuPage County granted summary judgment in favor of the Village of Itasca in Gentile v. Village of Itasca, Case No. 2016 L 157 (DuPage Co. Cir. Ct. August 11, 2017). Plaintiff, an 80-year old woman, walked her dog down a sidewalk near her home in Itasca in April 2015. She…

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