The HCBullet: The blog of the Attorneys at HCB

Bicyclist Found Not An Intended User of City Street

April 11, 2017

In Zaworski v. City of Joliet, the plaintiff, Michael Zaworksi, fell off his bicycle while riding in his residential neighborhood.  Zaworski alleged in his Complaint that, on July 23, 2015, his bike hit a small hole, several inches wide and several inches deep, in the roadway and that he was thrown over the handlebars of…

Read More

Court Finds Drug Testing of High School Students Not Racially Motivated

April 11, 2017

In L.P. v. Marion Catholic High School, the Seventh Circuit considered a discrimination claim filed under Section 1983 by students at Marion Catholic High School.  The seven high school student-plaintiffs, six African-American and one white, alleged that their school was conducting improper random drug tests, in violation of the Constitution and federal statutes.  Although Marian…

Read More

Court Rules that Inmate Who Creates His Filthy Cell Conditions Does Not State a Constitutional Claim

March 29, 2017

In Key v. Juegens, et al., a jail inmate, Dajuan Key, alleged that defendant correctional officers and a social worker violated his rights based on his living conditions in his cell and their failure to provide him with mental health services while he was on suicide watch for 9 days. U.S. District Court Judge James…

Read More

One-minute Delay in Responding to a Jail House Fight Does Not Violate the Constitution.

March 29, 2017

In Stevens v. Bukowski et al., a jail inmate alleged that the County Sheriff, Chief of Corrections, and certain correctional officers failed to protect him from an altercation with another inmate. He also alleged that the defendants were deliberately indifferent to his serious medical needs by delaying his medical treatment a matter of hours. U.S….

Read More

Supreme Court Expands Police Civil Liability Under the Fourth Amendment

March 29, 2017

In a long-awaited decision, the United States Supreme Court on March 21, 2017, decided that pretrial detainees may challenge the legality of their pretrial detentions under the Fourth Amendment after a probable cause determination has been made.  This decision has the potential for greatly expanding the already large liability risks that police officers face in…

Read More