ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT 7th Circ. Sanctions Outed Atty For 'Frivolous' Appeal Law360 (February 12, 2021, 10:43 PM EST) -- The Seventh Circuit has granted a bid for sanctions against attorney Tim Jon Semmerling — who claimed a former colleague outed his sexuality to his client, an alleged al-Qaida member — for filing a "frivolous" appeal the court described as "incomprehensible [and] completely insubstantial." A three-judge panel of the appellate court had upheld a lower court's order tossing Semmerling's lawsuit against former colleague Cheryl Bormann and the U.S. in January, saying the opening brief submitted by Semmerling's counsel "does not remotely" comply with federal rules governing appellate briefs and "offers no legal basis for disagreeing with the judge's dismissal order."