U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Recent News About U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
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Judge: Adding Walgreens as defendant can beat try by J&J to take talc cases out of Cook County courts
A Chicago federal judge has granted a tactical victory to a group of five plaintiffs suing Johnson & Johnson over claims talc powder caused cancer, saying the plaintiffs’ move to also aim their legal actions at Walgreens is enough to keep the lawsuits in Cook County court, rather than federal court, even though J&J and Walgreens assert the pharmacy chain was named as co-defendant just to keep the lawsuits on relatively friendlier legal turf for the plaintiffs. -
Appeals court: Indiana law barring abortions on basis of race, sex, disability unconstitutional; Dissent: Abortion now 'super-right'
A federal appeals court in Chicago has struck down an Indiana state law supporters argued was needed to extend anti-discrimination protections to unborn children, making it illegal for women and practitioners to perform an abortion strictly on the basis of the race, sex or potential disability of a fetus. -
Appeals court: College of DuPage wrong to fire scandal-plagued president without chance to contest accusations
Former College of DuPage President Robert L. Breuder can proceed with his wrongful termination and defamation complaint, after a federal appeals court said potentially questionable language within his contract – including a provision requiring a supermajority among the college’s trustees to fire him - did not mean the college’s board was justified in firing him without giving him a hearing to dispute accusations of mismanagement leveled against him. -
Appeals court rules card-issuing banks can’t sue retailer directly for losses from retailer's data breach
A federal appellate court upheld a lower court’s ruling that banks whose customers’ information was compromised in a grocery store data breach cannot recover losses directly from the retailer. -
Judge: Chicago can allegedly choose to pay more for 'worse' lighting products without breaking antitrust laws
A Chicago federal judge has pulled the plug, for now, on an antitrust action accusing the city of Chicago, the city’s municipal financing group and a contractor in charge of a huge city public lighting project of jumping the bidding process to ensure General Electric would come out on top. -
Massachusetts product liability ruling may have bearing on GSK appeal of $3M verdict over lawyer's suicide
The thinking behind a Massachusetts ruling that brand-name manufacturers can he held liable for injuries suffered by patients who take generic versions of the drug those manufacturers innovate could have bearing in a case before a federal appeals court in Chicago. -
News service: Cook courts clerk's reliance on rules to delay access to lawsuits invented from 'whole cloth'
Saying Cook County’s courts clerk shouldn’t be allowed to use court administrative rules to sidestep the public's constitutional rights, the news organization accusing the clerk of delaying access by days to new lawsuits has asked a federal appeals court to reject the clerk’s assertions she has no obligation under the Constitution to provide swift public access to newly filed court documents. -
Federal appeals court revives shelved data breach suit vs Barnes & Noble; 'trifling loss' still actual loss: Judges
Saying a “trifling loss” is still a loss under state consumer protection laws, a federal appeals panel has reopened the book on a potential class action lawsuit against Barnes & Noble over a 2012 data breach that cost customers some time and money in protecting themselves from potential identity theft, and which the appellate judges took care to note also victimized the chain of big box bookstores. -
Federal appeals panel echoes state court: No right to vote for elected Chicago school board
Echoing a state appeals court’s ruling, a federal appellate panel says the right to vote doesn’t entitle Chicago voters to the right to vote for the members of the Chicago school board. -
Appeals panel: Jury verdict OK to end court fight over Park Forest townhomes, discrimination
A federal appeals court found no errors in a lower court’s ruling in a 'sprawling' suit that claimed, among other things, that the village of Park Forest took racially motivated action against the owners of a townhome complex. -
SC Johnson fails to wipe away class action alleging kids' sunscreen's SPF ratings were false
One of the world’s largest makers of household chemical products, SC Johnson, was unable to persuade a federal judge to wipe away a class action lawsuit, accusing the company of misleading consumers about the SPF rating of its Babyganics mineral sunscreen. -
Appeals court: Chicagoans don't have constitutional right to school board elections
Chicago residents could have the right to vote in a school board election. But under Illinois’ state constitution, Chicago residents do not necessarily have the right to a school board election, a state appeals court has ruled. -
Appeals judge: Public schools need to do more than stage play with religious content to 'establish' religion
Concord Community Schools in Indiana would have to do more than put on a play with religious content to "establish" a religion, a federal appeals court judge in Chicago said in his special concurrence to a court decision that recently upheld the public school's annual "Christmas Spectacular." -
Judge nixes nationwide class-action claims in junk fax suit against Cirque du Soleil
Applying a new standard set by the U.S. Supreme Court, a Chicago federal judge has ruled that a junk fax suit against Cirque du Soleil can continue, but limited the class action claims only to Illinois residents. -
Can Lincolnshire become right-to-work? Question may center on home rule, appeals court told
Whether the Chicago suburb of Lincolnshire can designate itself as a “right-to-work” community may come down to the question of whether, under Illinois’ home rule provisions, home rule communities, like Lincolnshire, can qualify as “the state” under federal labor laws. -
Melrose Park didn't violate fired firefighter's due process rights in termination over residency rules
The village of Melrose Park was within its rights to fire a firefighter for failing to abide by its residency requirements, a federal appeals court has ruled, dismissing an attempt by the firefighter to claim his termination violated his due process rights. -
Daughter not 'authorized user' of mom's card, bank can't arbitrate class action over collections calls to kid's phone
A woman and her daughter have been cleared to continue their class action lawsuit against Credit One Bank over collection calls the bank placed to the daughter’s cell phone, as a panel of federal appellate judges have said the bank can’t send the matter to arbitration by claiming, under the mother’s credit card agreement, the daughter should be considered an authorized user subject to the agreement, because she once used the card to pay for smoothies at the age of 14. -
Judge says lawsuit vs Madigan can continue over placement of 'sham' Hispanic candidates on ballot
A former primary election challenger to Illinois’ top state Democratic politician has been cleared to continue to sue Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan and some of his supporters for allegedly placing “sham candidates” on the ballot two years ago to confuse and split the Hispanic vote, reducing the threat the opponent posed to the powerful Chicago lawmaker. -
Citing ministerial exception, appellate court rules Hebrew teacher wasn't discriminated against
A federal appeals panel in Chicago has barred an employment discrimination lawsuit brought by a former Hebrew teacher at a Milwaukee Jewish school, saying the teacher held a "ministerial role." The decision could help shed light on which employees of religious organizations should be considered exempt from federal anti-discrimination laws. -
Appeals panel: Man who fired lawyer right before signing settlement can't escape $87K attorney fees
A federal appeals court in Chicago has cleared the way for an attorney to collect $87,500 in fees owed by a former client, who the lawyer said refused to pay him after helping him navigate the path to a six-figure settlement in a legal dispute over an allegedly defective hip implant.