Charles P. Kocoras

Charles Petros Kocoras (born 1938) is a United States federal judge of the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Early life, education, and career

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Kocoras received a B.S. from De Paul University in 1961 and a J.D. from De Paul University College of Law in 1969. He was an Illinois Army National Guard from 1961 to 1967. He was in private practice in Chicago from 1969 to 1971, and from 1979 to 1980. He was a First assistant U.S. attorney of Northern District of Illinois from 1971 to 1977. Adjunct professor, John Marshall Law School, 1975–present. He was a Chairman, Illinois Commerce Commission from 1977 to 1979.

Federal judicial service

On June 2, 1980, Kocoras was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois vacated by Alfred Y. Kirkland. Kocoras was confirmed by the United States Senate, and received his commission on September 30, 1980. He served as chief judge from 2002 to 2006, assuming senior status on June 30, 2006.

Notable cases

Kocoras presided over the September 2006 suit brought by bulk email company e360 Insight against the anti-spam organization Spamhaus. He awarded e360 a default judgement totaling $11.7m in damages,^[1] an amount reduced to just $3 on appeal.^[2]

In January 2014, Kocoras sentenced Ty Warner, the billionaire sole owner of Ty Inc. (maker of Beanie Babies and other plush toys), for failing to declare and pay income tax on earnings in a Swiss bank account. Warner paid $80 million, including $75 million in interest and penalties, but was sentenced to no jail time due to the judge's respect for his exceptionally generous ongoing philanthropy.^[3]

Sources

• Charles P. Kocoras at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

References

1. "Can an American judge take a British company offline?". Retrieved 3 September 2013.
2. "Spamhaus Victory in Final Appeal in E360 Case", 2011-09-05, Quentin Jenkins
3. "Behind the Beanie Babies: The Secret Life of Ty Warner", 'Chicago' Magazine, April 2014