Equal Protection Claim

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7^th Circuit Court of Appeals

Case Name: John Cannici v. Village of Melrose Park, Illinois

Case No.: 17-1424

Officials: BAUER, MANION, and ROVNER, Circuit Judges.

Focus: Equal Protection Claim

Defendant-appellee, the Village of Melrose Park (“the Village”), terminated plaintiff-appellant, John Cannici, a former firefighter with the Village, for violating the “Residency Requirements for Officers and Employees” (“Residency Ordinance”) found in the Village’s Code of Ordinances. Cannici filed suit against the Village claiming a violation of both his due process and equal protection rights, as well as requesting review under the Illinois Administrative Review Act (“the Act”). The district court dismissed his due process and equal protection claims and refused to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over the remaining state law administrative review claim.

Cannici now appeals the district court’s dismissal of his due process and equal protection claims. Specifically, Cannici claims the district court improperly labeled the Board’s conduct as “random and unauthorized,” and thus, improperly analyzed his due process claim. He further claims the district court improperly applied Engquist in denying his equal protection claim. We affirm.

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Attorney Derek A. Hawkins is the managing partner at Hawkins Law Offices LLC, where he heads up the firm’s startup law practice. He specializes in business formation, corporate governance, intellectual property protection, private equity and venture capital funding and mergers & acquisitions. Check out the website at www.hawkins-lawoffices.com or contact them at 262-737-8825.