7th Circuit Court

Afternoon Briefs: Jim Bakker warned about COVID-19 claims; Reed Smith widow loses in 7th Circuit

Televangelist told to stop peddling COVID-19 elixir Two state attorneys general and two federal agencies are trying to stop televangelist Jim Bakker from peddling a supplement called Silver Solution as a possible treatment for the COVID-19. The Federal Trade Commission and the U.S Food and Drug administration have sent warning…

Mar 10, 2020 4:35 PM CDT

7th Circuit is aghast at ‘obduracy’ of Board of Immigration Appeals, which refused to implement its decision

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Chicago didn’t mince words in a Jan. 23 opinion chastising the Board of Immigration Appeals for defying its remand order and concluding the appeals court had ruled incorrectly in the case.

Jan 27, 2020 6:30 AM CST

7th Circuit sanctions lawyer $1,000 in Walmart lawsuit photo flap

An Indiana lawyer who used Walmart’s own photos to support his client’s slip-and-fall case against the retailer has been sanctioned $1,000 because he maintained the photos were taken on the date of the fall without a sufficient factual basis.

Jan 8, 2020 10:57 AM CST

Lawyer who allowed client to write appeals brief is sanctioned for ‘incoherent’ document

A federal appeals court has ordered an Aurora, Illinois, solo practitioner to pay attorney fees and double costs to his opponent for allowing his client to write and submit an “incoherent” appellate brief using his electronic signature.

Dec 18, 2019 2:22 PM CST

Missing date stamp on photo leads 7th Circuit to threaten sanctions for lawyer’s alleged misrepresentation

A federal appeals court has threatened to sanction an Indiana lawyer after his office left a date stamp off a photo in an appeal of his client’s slip-and-fall case against Walmart.

Dec 2, 2019 11:54 AM CST

Federal judge’s emails lead 7th Circuit to vacate prison sentence

A federal judge who sentenced a drug defendant to more than 17 years in prison should have recused himself because his email communications with the U.S. attorney’s office “invited doubt about his impartiality,” a federal appeals court has ruled.

Oct 31, 2019 2:54 PM CDT

Federal judge vacates $16M settlement after parties claim press release violated secrecy provision

A federal judge in Chicago has tossed a $16 million settlement between Kraft Foods Group Inc. and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission after Kraft Foods claimed that the CFTC’s public statements about the deal violated its confidentiality provision.

Oct 25, 2019 12:39 PM CDT

Jury finds lawyer doesn’t own skyline photo after he sued for infringement in multiple cases

An Indiana lawyer who has filed multiple infringement suits over use of a skyline photo wasn’t able to prove that he actually owned the picture, federal jurors in Indianapolis ruled last Tuesday.

Sep 30, 2019 12:23 PM CDT

Why scraping publicly available information online isn’t a crime

To criminalize public website scraping castrates an open internet by curtailing access to information, says ABA Journal Legal Affairs Writer Jason Tashea. This isn’t just an issue for internet startups and academic researchers but also the legal community.

Sep 23, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

7th Circuit says brewer’s antitrust claims can move forward

The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals partially revived a small Wisconsin brewer’s lawsuit against the two largest American breweries for conspiring to monopolize the sale of beer in Ontario, Canada.

Sep 6, 2019 2:57 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Suit filed over chicken sandwich shortage; judge seen as likely SCOTUS pick

Popeyes sued for running out of chicken sandwiches An East Ridge, Tennessee, man has filed a lawsuit against Popeyes for selling out of its new chicken sandwich. Craig Barr claims in a civil summons that the fast-food chain engaged in false advertising and deceptive business practices. He’s seeking $5,000 in…

Sep 3, 2019 4:47 PM CDT

Overruling its own precedent, 7th Circuit curbs FTC’s ability to obtain restitution

The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday ruled that the Federal Trade Commission did not have the authority to seek restitution from fraudsters by invoking a section of its governing law that allows it to obtain injunctions. The decision by the 7th Circuit overturns a 1989 decision…

Aug 23, 2019 10:38 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Once-high-profile lawyer disbarred; prescription diet cat food lawsuit reinstated

Lawyer who represented Oklahoma City bomber is disbarred A Colorado lawyer who once represented Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh has been disbarred at age 77. Dennis Hartley’s misconduct included converting client funds, disobeying a prior suspension order and failing to report drunken driving and impaired driving convictions. A lawyer who…

Aug 22, 2019 4:02 PM CDT

As federal anti-hacking law turns 35, its meaning, reach and effectiveness are still murky

What had started as a pre-internet computer crime law affecting national security and finance has become a statute that prosecutors, plaintiff attorneys and defense counsels agree isn’t right for its time, and maybe never was. Even with broad agreement on the problem, however, the solution is less clear.

Aug 19, 2019 6:00 AM CDT

7th Circuit allows suit over clogged toilets, unsanitary conditions in 3-day water shutdown at jail

A federal appeals court has ruled for pretrial detainees who allege a sheriff in Lake County, Illinois, skimped on water supplies during a three-day shutoff at the county jail. The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the county sheriff and corrections chief were not protected from the lawsuit…

Aug 13, 2019 4:50 PM CDT