Judges: PerCuriam
Filed: May 28, 2014
Latest Update: Mar. 02, 2020
Summary: In the United States Court of Appeals For the Seventh Circuit _ No. 13---2949 YVONNE AVERHART, Plaintiff---Appellant, v. SHERIFF OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS, et al., Defendants---Appellees. _ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. No. 10 C 7444 — Charles R. Norgle, Judge. _ SUBMITTED MAY 21, 2014 — DECIDED MAY 28, 2014 _ Before POSNER, FLAUM, and EASTERBROOK, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM. Yvonne Averhart, formerly employed as a guard a
Summary: In the United States Court of Appeals For the Seventh Circuit _ No. 13---2949 YVONNE AVERHART, Plaintiff---Appellant, v. SHERIFF OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS, et al., Defendants---Appellees. _ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. No. 10 C 7444 — Charles R. Norgle, Judge. _ SUBMITTED MAY 21, 2014 — DECIDED MAY 28, 2014 _ Before POSNER, FLAUM, and EASTERBROOK, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM. Yvonne Averhart, formerly employed as a guard at..
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In the
United States Court of Appeals
For the Seventh Circuit
____________________
No. 13-‐‑2949
YVONNE AVERHART,
Plaintiff-‐‑Appellant,
v.
SHERIFF OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS, et al.,
Defendants-‐‑Appellees.
____________________
Appeal from the United States District Court for the
Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.
No. 10 C 7444 — Charles R. Norgle, Judge.
____________________
SUBMITTED MAY 21, 2014 — DECIDED MAY 28, 2014
____________________
Before POSNER, FLAUM, and EASTERBROOK, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM. Yvonne Averhart, formerly employed as a
guard at the Cook County Jail, was suspended without pay
in 2001 and fired in 2003. She filed her first federal lawsuit in
2001; the current suit is her fourth. She has lost them all. She
filed and lost two state suits as well. The district court dis-‐‑
missed the current suit as barred by the earlier decisions.
Averhart believes that the Sheriff’s Department, which
manages the Jail, set out to punish her for corroborating a
2 No. 13-‐‑2949
coworker’s accusation of sexual harassment by a male
guard. See Smith v. Sheahan, 189 F.3d 529, 531 (7th Cir. 1999).
The Department retaliated, she maintains, by falsely accus-‐‑
ing her of insubordination and other infractions. In 2000 she
filed an administrative charge of discrimination. That charge
was pending before the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission in January 2001 when Averhart learned that the
Department was investigating her recent arrest for shoplift-‐‑
ing and allegations that she was fraternizing with prisoners
and smuggling drugs and other contraband into the jail. The
Sheriff decided that Averhart should be fired and in May
2001 suspended her without pay. He asked the Merit Board
to approve her discharge, contending that Averhart had lied
to the Department during its investigation and engaged in
inappropriate contacts with prisoners.
The Merit Board, whose members are appointed by the
Sheriff with the approval of the Cook County Board of
Commissioners, see 55 ILCS 5/3-‐‑7002, approved Averhart’s
discharge in mid-‐‑2003, effective as of May 2001. (In other
words, the Board decided that Averhart would not receive
back pay for the time between her suspension and her dis-‐‑
charge.) Averhart challenged the Board’s decision in state
court. In 2007, after twice remanding the matter to the Board
for further consideration, a circuit judge upheld Averhart’s
discharge. The judge later denied Averhart’s motion to va-‐‑
cate that ruling, and the appellate court affirmed both rul-‐‑
ings. Averhart v. Cook County Sheriff’s Department, 387 Ill.
App. 3d 1170 (2009) (table decision), 2011 IL App (1st)
103109-‐‑U (Dec. 16, 2011). Averhart also sued the Merit Board
and each of its members; the circuit court dismissed that suit
in 2008 for want of prosecution. See id. at ¶12 n.1.
No. 13-‐‑2949 3
Federal litigation began even before Averhart was fired.
Before receiving a right-‐‑to-‐‑sue letter from the EEOC, Aver-‐‑
hart filed a Title VII case in the district court. She alleged
that the Sheriff’s Department had imposed discipline for
contrived or exaggerated infractions because she supported
her female coworker. Then in June 2002, after receiving the
EEOC’s permission but while the Merit Board was still con-‐‑
sidering her case, Averhart filed a second Title VII suit. This
time she alleged that the Sheriff’s Department had retaliated
against her “by suspending her based upon false allegations
on or about May 29, 2001.” The district court consolidated
the two lawsuits and in September 2004 granted summary
judgment for the defendants. The judge explained that the
Department had “offered a legitimate explanation for termi-‐‑
nating Plaintiff, which Plaintiff has failed to rebut.” We af-‐‑
firmed. Averhart v. Sheahan, No. 04-‐‑3625 (7th Cir. Nov. 29,
2005) (nonprecedential disposition).
Averhart filed and dismissed a third federal suit. This is
her fourth. Her complaint again alleges that her discharge
was retaliatory, and for the first time she raises allegations of
race and sex discrimination. The district court concluded
that Averhart does not have a claim against the Merit Board,
because it was an adjudicatory body rather than her em-‐‑
ployer. With respect to the Sheriff’s Department, the court
concluded that Averhart’s claims are precluded by her earli-‐‑
er lawsuits in both federal and state court. 2012 U.S. Dist.
LEXIS 133530 (N.D. Ill. Sept. 11, 2012).
Averhart’s appeal is frivolous. She does not explain how
the Merit Board, as an adjudicator, could be liable under Ti-‐‑
tle VII or any other federal statute. She was never the
Board’s employee. As for the claim against the Sheriff’s De-‐‑
4 No. 13-‐‑2949
partment: it was filed almost a decade beyond the statute of
limitations (which allows only 90 days from the right-‐‑to-‐‑sue
letter, see 42 U.S.C. §2000e–5(f)(1)) and, as the district judge
observed, also is barred by the doctrine of preclusion (res
judicata). That Averhart added new theories (race and sex
discrimination) to this latest suit does not avoid preclusion,
which requires all legal theories that concern the same
events to be brought in a single suit. See, e.g., Herrmann v.
Cencom Cable Associates, Inc., 999 F.2d 223 (7th Cir. 1993);
Czarniecki v. Chicago, 633 F.3d 545, 549–50 (7th Cir. 2011); Pal-‐‑
ka v. Chicago, 662 F.3d 428, 437–38 (7th Cir. 2011).
Averhart has abused the judicial process by attempting
to relitigate the outcome of her earlier suits. Refusal to take
no for an answer, and a campaign of unending litigation, are
intolerable and sanctionable. See, e.g., Homola v. McNamara,
59 F.3d 647 (7th Cir. 1995). We give her 14 days to show
cause why the court should not impose sanctions under Fed.
R. App. P. 38. The potential sanctions include but are not
limited to a financial penalty and an order revoking her
privilege of proceeding in forma pauperis. Any financial
penalty must be paid promptly, or Averhart will be subject
to a preclusion order under Support Systems International, Inc.
v. Mack, 45 F.3d 185 (7th Cir. 1995). See also, e.g., In re Chica-‐‑
go, 500 F.3d 582 (7th Cir. 2007).
AFFIRMED; ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE ISSUED