Articles

Judge orders insurance CEO to attend settlement conference

Despite repeated objections, an insurance company’s CEO has been ordered to personally attend an upcoming settlement conference in a contractor’s defamation suit against the insurer. Nationwide Insurance CEO Stephen R. Rasmussen failed to persuade either a magistrate judge or the presiding judge that his presence was unnecessary at a settlement conference in a lawsuit brought by ARAC Roof it Forward.

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Lawyer suspended for alleged trust thefts faces new charges

A suspended lawyer already accused in three counties of stealing money from ex-clients’ special needs trusts has been charged in Indianapolis with allegedly stealing from another victim. The latest charges against Kenneth Shane Service include a count of racketeering.

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Indiana Supreme Court blocks disputed Brownsburg annexation

Brownsburg has lost its final bid to annex nearly 4,500 acres of land after fighting residents who objected all the way to the Indiana Supreme Court. Justices ruled the town “did not satisfy its burden of proving it had met the statutory requirements for annexing the disputed territory.” 

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Lawyer: Judges’ shooting case rife with ‘speculation and conjecture’

Nearly a month after two judges were shot on the streets of Indianapolis, after which the alleged shooter and his accomplice walked free, an attorney representing one of the arrested men in his probation violation case said the unusual nature of the prosecution and lack of information released about the case has left it “open to speculation and conjecture.”

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CHINS reversal: ‘State may not intrude’ where coercion unnecessary

A father who was ordered removed from the home he shared with his wife and four children despite a clean record and no prior reports of domestic violence won a ruling in his favor Wednesday. The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed a CHINS finding and concluded, “when coercion is not necessary, the State may not intrude into a family’s life.”

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Car search after meth dealer’s arrest divides COA panel

A suspected Morgan County meth dealer who pulled his truck into his driveway as police were executing a search warrant on his property failed to overturn his conviction on appeal, but a dissenting judge found a police search of his vehicle after he was arrested failed to “honor the distinction between homes and motor vehicles for purposes of search and seizure.”

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Woman’s murder conviction vacated for ineffective counsel

A woman with a history of mental illness who was convicted in 2002 of murdering her boyfriend after testifying the she heard a voice telling her she was the Messiah has won her federal habeas case asserting ineffective assistance of counsel. She will be freed unless the state opts within 120 days to retry her.

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Hill denies sexual misconduct in urging dismissal of discipline complaint

Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill responded to his disciplinary complaint by denying he touched the lawmaker or three legislative aides who have accused him of groping them and making unwanted sexual advances at a party marking the end of the 2018 General Assembly session. He also says the disciplinary complaint against him should be dropped.

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Lawyer discipline hearing in Park Tudor case could be closed

The attorney facing professional ethics charges over his handling of sexual misconduct accusations against a now-imprisoned former Park Tudor basketball coach will be permitted to provide some evidence under seal, and at least portions of his attorney discipline hearing may be closed to the public.

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Stafford: 29 lawyers and a judge walk into a brewpub …

Sorry, there’s no punchline. That’s just what we’re looking forward to on Wednesday, May 8, when we will celebrate Indiana Lawyer’s 2019 Leadership in Law honorees and past award recipients at a special recognition event at TwoDEEP Brewing in Indianapolis. We hope to see you there!

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