Every decision we've summarized from United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed Bernard Seidling's bankruptcy fraud conviction, ruling that the district court properly admitted video evidence to rebut his claims of severe illness. The court held that the videos were relevant to the truth of his health representations and that their probative value was not substantially outweighed by any risk of unfair prejudice.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed Aaron Strong's conviction for witness tampering, ruling that evidence of routine federal-state collaboration on excessive force cases satisfied the statutory requirement for federal involvement. The court held that a defendant's false statements to a state investigator can constitute a federal crime when the underlying conduct is a common target of federal civil rights prosecutions.
The Seventh Circuit certified a question of Kentucky state law to the Kentucky Supreme Court to determine if a state conviction for receiving stolen property categorically matches the federal definition of an aggravated felony. The court could not discern whether the state statute requires subjective knowledge of the stolen nature of the property, which is a mandatory element under federal immigration law.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment for an insurance company, holding that a Nursing Care Policy does not provide home health care benefits under Illinois regulations. The court ruled that the policy's alternative plan of care provision is discretionary and does not trigger state protections designed for policies that affirmatively guarantee home care.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment for prison guards, ruling that a prisoner's failure to use established religious accommodation procedures precluded a finding of liability for refusing to hire him. The court further held that a guard's offhand comment calling a prisoner a snitch did not violate clearly established First Amendment law, shielding the officer from liability.
The Seventh Circuit vacated the district court's grant of summary judgment in an employment retaliation case, ruling that genuine disputes of material fact existed regarding the employer's motive. The appellate court held that a reasonable jury could find the employee's termination was retaliatory based on timing, policy inconsistencies, and the applicability of probationary rules.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Dr. Peterson's appeal regarding his removal from the Veterans Administration, holding that the agency's procedures were not arbitrary or capricious. The court found that Peterson received adequate due process, including advance notice and multiple opportunities to be heard, despite delays caused by the pandemic.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the Board of Immigration Appeals' denial of Gurmeet Singh's adjustment of status application, holding that room and board provided by temples outside his sponsoring entity constituted unauthorized employment. The court found no reversible error in the agency's determination that Singh violated the terms of his R-1 visa by working for over 180 days at locations not authorized by his original petition.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment in a civil rights case alleging excessive force during a jail booking. The court held that body-worn camera footage contradicted the plaintiff's version of events, leaving no genuine dispute for a jury to resolve regarding the reasonableness of the officers' actions.
The Seventh Circuit vacated a district court's dismissal of a pretrial detainee's failure-to-protect claim, ruling that the lower court erred in treating defendant-authored documents as incontrovertible contradictions of the plaintiff's allegations. The appellate court held that the attached grievance responses did not definitively refute the detainee's claim that officials had a record of a keep-separate order.