Hernandez v. City of Peoria

Plaintiff filed a lawsuit on behalf of the estate of her deceased brother after he was shot and killed by law enforcement officers. The district court granted summary judgment to one of the defendants and the case proceeded to trial against the remaining defendants where a jury found in their favor. Plaintiff appealed, arguing that the district court abused its discretion in the admission of evidence and in barring the testimony of two individuals. The Seventh Circuit affirmed, finding that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in the admission of evidence relating to underlying crimes allegedly committed by the decedent, a DCFS investigation, and decedent’s prior incarceration and, even if the district court erred, it did not affect the outcome of the trial. The Seventh Circuit also found that the trial court did not err in excluding two witnesses offered by the plaintiff. (SCUDDER and LEE, concurring)