Richard Henry Mills
How Judge Mills rules, drawn from 24 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Mills no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Mills decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
States the disposition in a compressed closing paragraph introduced by 'Ergo,' and writes 'ALLOWED' where most federal judges write 'GRANTED': an idiom carried from nineteen years on the Illinois state bench. The closing line usually names the motion and its docket entry number.
“Ergo, the Motion of Defendant Sugar Creek Realty, LLC d/b/a/ as Pine Woods Apartments for Summary Judgment [d/e 15] is ALLOWED as to the Counts asserting Hostile Work Environment and Constructive Discharge.”
Resolves a motion issue by issue rather than granting or denying it wholesale, and says so expressly in the disposition.
“Ergo, Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss [d/e 6] is DENIED on the issue of personal jurisdiction, but GRANTED on the issue of failure to state a claim.”
Grants summary judgment to whichever side has carried it, including moving plaintiffs and benefit funds; the record is not one-directional.
“Ergo, the Plaintiff’s Motion for Summary Judgment [d/e 11] is ALLOWED.”
Procedural preferences
Where a parallel proceeding makes a threshold ruling premature, prefers a stay to a dismissal and expressly preserves the unreached arguments for renewal once the stay lifts.
“Defendants’ motions [d/e 9,17] are GRANTED in part and DENIED in part. In particular, the motion for a stay is GRANTED. The motions to dismiss are DENIED, though those arguments may be resurrected after the stay is lifted. Lynch’s motion to strike various documents [d/e 19] is DENIED.”
Decides a case on the controlling threshold ground and then clears the remaining motions as moot rather than reaching them.
“All pending motions are DENIED AS MOOT.”
Disposes of related motions together in a single omnibus order rather than issuing them piecemeal; several orders here resolve two or three distinct motions at once.
“In sum: motion to dismiss denied; motion to remand allowed.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“Because the doctrine of judicial estoppel bars Smith’s claims, Franklin Life’s motions for summary judgment and entry of judgment are GRANTED.”
“After investing an unwarranted amount of time in this case, the Court now grants summary judgment for all defendants.”
“The Plaintiffs motion for summary judgment is DENIED.”
“Alternatively, the Defendants’ motion to dismiss is ALLOWED.”
“The Plaintiffs motion for partial summary judgment [d/e 45] is DENIED.”
“the Defendants’ motion for summary judgment [d/e 42] is ALLOWED.”
“Defendants’ motions [d/e 9,17] are GRANTED in part and DENIED in part. In particular, the motion for a stay is GRANTED. The motions to dismiss are DENIED, though those arguments may be resurrected after the stay is lifted. Lynch’s motion to strike various documents [d/e 19] is DENIED.”
“the Defendants’ motion for summary judgment is GRANTED.”
“In sum: motion to dismiss denied; motion to remand allowed.”
“The Defendants are granted summary judgment on all claims, except the Section 1983 due process claims against Mayor Timothy Davlin and Todd Renfrew.”
“the Plaintiffs’ Motion for Leave to Proceed In Forma Pauperis is ALLOWED.”
“the Plaintiffs Motion for Summary Judgment is ALLOWED.”
“The Plaintiffs Motion for Attorney’s Fees and Costs is ALLOWED.”
“The Defendant’s Motion to dismiss is ALLOWED.”
“Ergo, the Government’s Motion to Dismiss Third-Party Claim of Dianna L. Burge is ALLOWED.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
- Sampled assignments run from 1979 to 2022.
- The earliest rows predate his 1985 commission and are inherited reassignments; the 1985-86 cohort is a general civil docket (railroad and towing matters, bank and FDIC collection, Social Security, tax, product liability, environmental and RICO), with nine of twenty carrying Magistrate Judge Charles H.
- Evans as the referral judge. By 1998 the docket is dominated by prisoner petitions, habeas, motions to vacate sentence and prison-conditions cases, alongside employment civil rights, ERISA collection and United States student-loan recovery suits.
- The 2008 window, which overlaps the published opinions in this record, is heavier on ERISA and benefit-fund collection, employment and FMLA claims, natural-gas pipeline condemnation, and contract and insurance disputes.
- He was still being assigned newly filed civil cases in 2021-2022, including consumer credit, ADA employment and telephone-consumer-protection matters, in the last full year of his life.
A historical record
Judge Mills no longer hears cases. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.