7th Circuit says lawyer failed mentally disabled client by not seeking unfitness finding

An Illinois lawyer failed a mentally disabled teenager he was defending in a first-degree murder case by not seeking to prove that Melvin Newman was unfit for trial, a federal appeals court has ruled. Then 16, with a first-grade reading level and what the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of…

Aug 14, 2013 6:25 PM CDT

Ex-prosecutor fired after testifying against boss can assert 1st Amendment claim, 7th Circuit says

A former assistant prosecutor in suburban Chicago can assert a First Amendment claim concerning his allegation that he was fired for cooperating when he was subpoenaed by a special prosecutor to testify against his then-boss, a federal appeals court has ruled. Reversing a district court judge, the Chicago-based 7th U.S.…

Aug 5, 2013 10:50 PM CDT

With latest $10M payment to ex-prisoner, Chicago tally in cases linked to jailed ex-cop nears $70M

Although Eric Caine said he felt better about the 25 years he spent behind bars for two murders he didn’t commit after receiving a $10 million settlement from the city of Chicago, nothing can make up for the lost time. And he, his lawyers and others at a Wednesday press…

Jul 25, 2013 8:30 PM CDT

Posner tells how Internet research has helped him draft opinions

Judge Richard Posner thinks judges and lawyers are too often ignoring a valuable source of information: the Internet. In a forthcoming book, Reflections on Judging, the Chicago-based federal appeals judge writes that the Internet is “an incredible compendium of data” that isn’t going away, the Wall Street Journal Law Blog…

Jul 19, 2013 11:15 AM CDT

7th Circuit erases $400K sanction against Motley Rice, revives whistleblower case

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has revived a whistleblower suit brought by a former employee alleging ITT Educational Services submitted false claims to the U.S. Department of Education. In reviving the qui tam suit, characterized by a lower court as “frivolous,” the 7th Circuit panel vacated a $395,000…

Jul 10, 2013 7:44 PM CDT

Judge jails lawyer accused of stealing $4.5M from clients, says he dissipated assets

Once a top Indiana construction accident attorney who was featured in 2009 on a Super Lawyers magazine cover, William Conour was jailed last month after a prosecutor argued that he’d violated a court order by dissipating tens of thousands of dollars worth of assets and repeatedly lying to the court.…

Jul 9, 2013 4:05 PM CDT

First Hispanic judge to head Chicago-area federal court district says juries need to be more diverse

The first Hispanic judge to take the the helm of the federal district court system in the Chicago area is calling for juries to be more diverse. Although he does not have a specific fix to offer to the problem, which other judges also have recognized, Castillo said in an…

Jul 2, 2013 9:45 PM CDT

7th Circuit revives acquitted lawyer’s malicious prosecution suit over witness bribery case

Acquitted almost immediately in a 2009 trial over a claimed witness bribe, attorney Michael J. “Mick” Alexander then filed a civil suit against his accusers under the Federal Tort Claims Act He contended that the Delaware County, Ind., prosecutor and two FBI agents had conspired to make a false accusation…

Jul 2, 2013 6:05 PM CDT

Along with political speech, many companies also claim they have religious liberty rights

Jun 1, 2013 8:30 AM CDT

‘Wide open’ probe ongoing into alleged sale of coke ‘eight-ball’ to 2 judges by probation officer

A probe is ongoing in the case of a probation officer accused of selling part of a cocaine “eight-ball” to two Illinois state-court jurists, one of whom died from the effects of the drug not long afterward. The other judge has resigned following a not-guilty plea in federal court on…

May 29, 2013 4:25 PM CDT

Feds say assets of ex-lawyer charged in $4.5M client theft are missing, ask judge to revoke bond

Released on bond as he awaits trial in a federal wire-fraud case related to his alleged theft of $4.5 million in client funds, former Indianapolis lawyer William F. Conour is now accused of having violated bond conditions by disposing of personal assets without court approval. A new inventory ordered last…

May 8, 2013 7:27 PM CDT

Privacy’s benefits are exaggerated, Posner says in op-ed

Privacy is really about concealing aspects of yourself from others, according to federal appeals judge Richard Posner. We want to hide our arrest records, medical histories and peccadilloes, Posner writes in a New York Daily News op-ed. “We want to present sanitized versions of ourselves to the world. We market…

Apr 30, 2013 11:05 AM CDT

Lawyer sued for ‘fake nun’ comment wins appellate ruling that court can’t decide religious issue

Updated: A Chicago-based federal appeals court has ruled on behalf of a lawyer seeking to prove the truth of his comment that a woman was a “fake nun.” Sued for defamation, Indiana lawyer Kevin McCarthy produced a statement by the Holy See’s diplomatic mission to the United States that the…

Apr 11, 2013 1:42 PM CDT

7th Circuit OKs $25K student-loan discharge for ‘destitute’ paralegal

A “destitute” paralegal who has made reasonable efforts to repay her student loan debt is entitled to a bankruptcy discharge of the remaining $25,000 or so despite the fact that she never enrolled in a federal income-contingent repayment plan, a federal appeals court has ruled. Reinstating a bankruptcy court’s determination…

Apr 10, 2013 6:20 PM CDT

Woman who sued Google over ‘Levitra’ link to her name loses in 7th Circuit

A federal appeals court has tossed a lawsuit by a Wisconsin woman who claims Google violated state misappropriation laws by linking her name to erectile dysfunction drugs through its Google Suggest feature. In an opinion issued on Wednesday, the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found no violation of…

Mar 7, 2013 2:53 PM CST