The HCBullet: The blog of the Attorneys at HCB

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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Court Grants Summary Judgment in Favor of Jail Nurses on Inmate’s Deliberate Indifference Claim

August 8, 2017

In Laureano v. Doe, et al., No. 14-cv-2144, U.S. District Court Judge James Shadid granted summary judgment in favor of nurses employed by the county jail on Plaintiff Gilberto Laureano’s deliberate indifference claims. The plaintiff-inmate suffered from a litany of medical conditions necessitating multiple surgeries and continuing treatment. He alleged that the defendants failed to…

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Court Rules That Jail’s Strip Search Policy is Constitutional

August 8, 2017

Judge Tom Schanzle-Haskins of the U.S. District Court of Central Illinois granted summary judgment in favor of Kankakee County Sheriff, the Chief of Corrections, and jail staff in Jackson v. Bukowski, et al., No. 16-cv-2050. Plaintiff Brandon Jackson claimed that his constitutional rights were violated when he was strip searched by the correctional officers on…

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