Martin Akerman v. Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company
Whether the denial of in forma pauperis (IFP) status by the district court and the subsequent refusal by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals to review the case without payment of an appeal fee violates the First Amendment's Petition Clause and the due process rights of a financially disadvantaged litigant, particularly when the petitioner has provided substantial evidence of indigence and significant legal questions warranting appellate review.
Whether the denial of a temporary injunction by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, despite evidence of the defendant's actions that jeopardize the applicant's financial stability, including allowing insurance policies to lapse and unauthorized use of assets to service a loan opened in the applicant's name without consent, and despite having a waiver for disability, violates the applicant's contractual rights and poses an imminent threat of irreparable harm to the applicant's financial and personal well-being.
Whether the denial of in forma pauperis status and appellate filing fees violates a pro se litigant's constitutional right to meaningful access to the courts and due process protections