United States Seventh Circuit

A victim's negligence is not a defense to an intentional tort such as commercial bribery; thus, the judge erred in instructing the jury to return a verdict for defendants if it found that plaintiff "should have known" that its buyer was taking bribes. No ratification instruction should have been given; reversed and remanded.

Appellate Information

• Argued 02/24/2004
• Decided 04/29/2004
• Published 04/29/2004

Judges

• POSNER, Circuit Judge., Before POSNER, RIPPLE, and EVANS, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Seventh Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Edward M. Kay,Clausen Miller, Damon E. Dunn, Glenn A. Rice, Funkhouser Vegosen Liebman & Dunn, Chicago, IL, for Plaintiffs-Appellants.


• For Appellees:
  
• Anthony Pinelli, Chicago, IL, John N. Gallo (argued), Sidley Austin Brown & Wood, Chicago, IL, for Defendants-Appellees., James R. Ferguson (argued), Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, Chicago, IL, for Defendant-Counter Plaintiff-Appellant and Defendants-Appellees., Damon E. Dunn (argued), Funkhouser Vegosen Liebman & Dunn, Chicago, IL, for Plaintiff-Counter Defendant-Appellee and Plaintiff-Appellant., Wilson P. Funkhouser, Funkhouser Vegosen Liebman & Dunn, Chicago, IL, for Plaintiff-Counter Defendant-Appellee., Kenneth M. Kliebard (argued), Howrey, Simon, Arnold & White, Chicago, IL, for Defendants-Cross Defendants-Appellees.