Decisions

Every decision we've summarized — searchable, filterable, neutral.

Feb 6 2026
11th Cir. 1:22-cv-21397-KMW Published

Castro-Reyes v. City of Opa-Locka

The Eleventh Circuit reversed the denial of qualified immunity for Officers Bosque and Kelly regarding a false arrest claim, finding they had arguable probable cause to detain the plaintiff under Florida's Baker Act. The court affirmed the denial of immunity for Officers Serrano and Perez on excessive force and state law assault claims, holding that a jury could find their use of force was grossly disproportionate to the threat posed.

Civil Civil Rights - Section 1983 Qualified Immunity
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Feb 5 2026
7th Cir. 25-1344 Panel Decision

MICHAEL D. HICKINGBOTTOM v. CHRISTOPHER HOLCOMB

The Seventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment for prison officials regarding an Eighth Amendment claim about black mold, ruling that reasonable remediation efforts negate a finding of deliberate indifference. The court also upheld a jury verdict against the plaintiff on a heat-related claim, rejecting arguments regarding ineffective counsel and jury composition.

Civil Civil Rights - PLRA / Prisoner Civil Rights - Section 1983 Summary Judgment
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Feb 5 2026
7th Cir. 24-3105 Panel Decision

LOGAN DYJAK v. LANA MILLER and KATE PATAROZZI

The Seventh Circuit affirmed the grant of summary judgment for facility officials, holding that they were entitled to qualified immunity regarding visitation restrictions. The court found that no clearly established First Amendment right existed for civil detainees to unrestricted visitation under the specific pandemic-era and post-pandemic circumstances faced by the facility.

Civil Civil Rights - Employment Qualified Immunity Summary Judgment
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Feb 5 2026
7th Cir. 24-2819 Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. ANTONIO CARRAZCO-MARTINEZ

The Seventh Circuit affirmed a drug trafficking conviction, ruling that the government acted in good faith when using a cell-site simulator warrant authorized under the Pen Register Act. The court also held that specific drug quantities are sentencing factors rather than elements of the crime, so juries need not find them to convict.

Criminal Drug Trafficking
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Feb 5 2026
7th Cir. 25-1110 Panel Decision

IN RE: BROILER CHICKEN ANTITRUST LITIGATION CARINA VENTURES LLC v. PILGRIM'S PRIDE CORPORATION: IN RE: BROILER CHICKEN ANTITRUST LITIGATION CARINA VENTURES LLC v. PILGRIM’S PRIDE CORPORATION

The Seventh Circuit reversed a summary judgment that had enforced a settlement agreement based on a brief email exchange. The court held that because essential terms remained open for future negotiation, the parties had not formed a binding contract.

Antitrust (Civil) Civil
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Feb 5 2026
1st Cir. 24-1697 Panel Decision

Stokinger v. Armslist, LLC

The First Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a negligence and public nuisance suit against an online firearms marketplace for lack of personal jurisdiction based on pre-2017 contacts. However, the court vacated the dismissal to allow jurisdictional discovery, ruling that evidence of thousands of New Hampshire-specific listings from 2018 onward may establish that the company purposefully availed itself of the state's laws.

Civil Intellectual Property
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Feb 5 2026
1st Cir. 24-1951 Panel Decision

KATHLEEN F. HEBERT; TREVOR PARKER HEBERT; ZACHARY R. HEBERT v. KARISSA DONAHUE, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Tiffany Donahue-Hebert, deceased METROPOLITAN LIFE IN...: KATHLEEN F. HEBERT; TREVOR PARKER HEBERT; ZACHARY R. HEBERT v. KARISSA DONAHUE, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Tiffany Donahue-Hebert, deceased METROPOLITAN LIFE IN…

The First Circuit affirmed a district court ruling that a partially completed beneficiary designation form under the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance Act was valid. The court held that the statutory requirement of a signed and witnessed writing was met, and the appellant failed to provide medical evidence proving the insured lacked mental capacity.

Civil ERISA / Employee Benefits
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Feb 5 2026
4th Cir. 24-4410 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. AHMAD RASHAD MCCLAIN, a/k/a Wop

The Fourth Circuit affirmed a 480-month sentence for drug distribution offenses, ruling that any error in classifying protonitazene as fentanyl under the Sentencing Guidelines was harmless. The court held that the district court explicitly stated it would have imposed the same sentence regardless of the drug classification and that the sentence remained substantively reasonable.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Sentencing Guidelines
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Feb 4 2026
United States Court… 25-7122 Panel Decision

Samar Chatterjee v. Yvonne Williams, Judge and District of Columbia Superior Court

The D.C. Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of a civil rights claim against a judge, ruling that the appellant forfeited jurisdictional challenges by failing to raise them on appeal. The court further held that the judge was protected by absolute judicial immunity from the claims brought against her.

Civil Civil Rights - Section 1983
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Feb 3 2026
11th Cir. 5:23-cv-00003-MTT Published

Doe v. United States

The Eleventh Circuit vacated a district court dismissal of parents' negligence claims against the United States regarding child abuse at a government daycare. The appellate court held that the government's duty to protect the children was independent of the abusers' employment status, placing the claims outside the Federal Tort Claims Act's intentional tort exception.

Civil Securities
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