United States Seventh Circuit

In a federal civil rights suit alleging that the actions of a county sheriff led to a reporter's death, dismissal of the complaint is affirmed where: 1) a settlement agreement entered into by the sheriff only covered him in his individual capacity; and 2) the complaint did not allege a direct, causal link between the death and a policy or custom of the sheriff and the Sheriff's Department, thus only individual capacity liability was possible.

Appellate Information

• Argued 02/26/2003
• Decided 10/19/2007
• Published 10/19/2007

Judges

• KANNE, Circuit Judge., Before EASTERBROOK, Chief Judge, and FLAUM and KANNE, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Seventh Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Richard L. Steagall (argued), Nicoara & Steagall, Peoria, IL, for Plaintiffs-Appellants.


• For Appellees:
  
• George J. Casson, Jr. (argued), Clifford G. Kosoff, O'Halloran, Kosoff, Geitner & Cook, Northbrook, IL, William W. Kurnik (argued), Knight, Hoppe, Kurnik & Knight, Des Plaines, IL, for Defendants-Appellees.