7th Circuit vacates robbery sentence
A bank robbery sentence that “far exceeds” the statutory minimum must be revisited, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in vacating the sentence.
Judge Diane S. Sykes
Articles
$11K sanction for unemployment fraud not excessive, 7th Circuit affirms
A woman who failed to report part-time income on her unemployment applications didn’t get an excessive sanction when she was required to repay $11,190 to the state, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday.
7th Circuit affirms summary judgment for employer after employees abused FMLA leave
A husband who was suspended from work along with his wife after they were accused of misusing FMLA leave has failed in his bid to convince the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate his lawsuit against his employer.
7th Circuit: Immigration appeals case wrongly applied new precedent retroactively
A Mexican citizen lawfully living in the United States will have a chance to revisit her challenge to removal proceedings after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals determined a new rule was impermissibly applied to her case retroactively.
7th Circuit: Prisoner failed to exhaust administrative remedies before filing 8th Amendment suit
An Indiana inmate who alleged a doctor and nurse were deliberately indifferent to his medical needs has failed to convince the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that his appeal is not precluded by his failure to exhaust administrative remedies.
7th Circuit uphold dismissal of gun accessory manufacturer’s complaint
The owner of a firearm accessories manufacturing facility in southern Indiana who claimed his rights against search and seizure were violated when federal agents raided his business got a lesson on the Federal Rules of Evidence and the importance of precedent from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
7th Circuit finds investment firm shielded from fiduciary duty claim by power of attorney
An opinion from a state appellate court that was issued while the Southern Indiana District Court was considering a motion to dismiss in a fiduciary duty dispute did not change the federal judge’s decision to grant the motion, but it did alter the reasoning on which the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed.
7th Circuit judges St. Eve, Scudder named Judicial Conference committee chairs
Two 7th Circuit Court of Appeals judges have been selected to serve as chairs of Judicial Conference committees, United States Chief Justice John Roberts announced Thursday.
7th Circuit: Collection agency entitled to fees after woman defaulted on small hospital debt
A collection agency didn’t violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act when it attempted to collect attorney fees and “fees-on-fees” from an Indianapolis woman who defaulted on a small debt to an Indiana hospital system, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled.
Split 7th Circuit orders resentencing for murder defendant after ‘literally no assistance’
A convicted murderer who during sentencing received “literally no assistance from his lawyer” won resentencing after a majority of a 7th Circuit Court of Appeals panel reversed the denial of his habeas petition. A dissenting judge, however, opined that the majority’s holding improperly expands U.S. Supreme Court precedent.
Divided 7th Circuit upholds judgment against mom of injured child
A mother whose son was injured in a “traumatic” birth experience cannot proceed with her tort claims against the federal government because her claims were untimely, a divided panel of the 7th Circuit court of Appeals has ruled. A dissenting judge, however, warned of setting an “extraordinarily harsh” standard.
7th Circuit reverses judgment against postal worker over juror coercion concerns
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed guilty verdicts against a former Merrillville postal worker convicted in a robbery scheme, finding that a holdout juror at the woman’s trial was subjected to “impermissible coercion.”
7th Circuit upholds Indiana’s process for extending polling hours
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the amended Indiana election law that prohibits individual voters from asking state courts to extend voting hours on Election Day.
7th Circuit rules for high school in Title IX harassment suit
A woman who argued that her western Indiana high school inadequately responded to her alleged sexual harassment while she was a student there did not sway the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse a federal judge’s grant of summary judgment to the school on her claims.
7th Circuit remands for new disability benefits hearing
A man with chronic neck and back pain who was denied disability benefits will receive a new hearing, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a Friday remand. The appellate court found a vocational expert’s testimony regarding potential job options was “entirely unilluminating.”
Sykes becomes chief judge of 7th Circuit
Diane Sykes, who has often been mentioned as a possible nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, has become the chief judge of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, assuming the leadership position July 5.
Divided 7th Circuit reinstates manufacturing sales commission dispute
A divided panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has reinstated a sales commission dispute, though the dissenting judge would hold that the Northern District of Indiana’s grant of summary judgment was proper.
7th Circuit splits in loan modification dispute, rules in bank’s favor
A 7th Circuit Court of Appeals majority affirmed Thursday the dismissal of a homeowner’s complaint against a bank that he alleged failed to honor a loan-modification offer that could have kept him from foreclosure.
Indiana must recognize both spouses in female same-sex marriages as parents
A federal court issued an order Tuesday requiring Indiana to include non-birth mothers’ names on their children’s birth certificates, marking a milestone in a long legal battle.
7th Circuit affirms $35 million verdict for Hoosier woman in pelvic implant lawsuit
Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Ethicon Inc. did not persuade the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse a multi-million-dollar verdict for a northern Indiana woman who was injured by a transvaginal mesh implant produced by the company.