Employment Law-Evidence

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7^th Circuit Court of Appeals

Case Name: Kevin Deeren v. Richard Anderson

Case No.: 21-3394

Officials: Flaum, Scudder, and Kirsch, Circuit Judges.

Focus: Employment Law-Evidence

In 2017, Deputy Deeren announced his candidacy for the position of Sheriff of Trempealeau County. However, in early 2018, it was discovered that Deeren had failed to disclose his arrest record when he applied to become a deputy. Despite being asked about prior contact with law enforcement during a job interview in 2015, Deeren did not disclose his 2007 arrest and criminal sexual assault charges. When the Sheriff’s Department became aware of the arrest in 2018 and questioned Deeren, he again omitted the information and refused to answer related questions. Then-Sheriff Anderson, Chief Deputy Reinders, and Deputy Semingson, who won the sheriff’s race, were accused by Deeren of engaging in retaliatory actions against him in violation of the First Amendment. However, the district court granted the defendants summary judgment, and the Seventh Circuit affirmed the decision, as Deeren failed to provide evidence supporting a reasonable conclusion of unconstitutional retaliation by any of the defendants.

Affirmed.

Decided 06/26/23

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