⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

The Seventh Circuit hears Derek Lauritsen's appeal over a troubled repossession in Wisconsin. Hiawatha National Bank had a court order to take property securing a debt. Sheriff's officers and private contractors spent three days collecting cattle, farm equipment, and tools. Some property was damaged, and belongings stored there by other owners were taken too. The order was a writ of replevin: a direction to recover possession of personal property. The owners sued the officers and Polk County under Section nineteen eighty-three, the federal law used to seek relief for constitutional violations by people acting under state authority. The federal judge ruled for the county defendants by summary judgment, deciding those claims without a trial. The appeal asks whether the officers' involvement made the seizure unreasonable and whether the other owners had adequate procedures to recover their property.

Derek Lauritsen v. Hiawatha National Bank (No. 25-3320) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, argued October 1, 2026.