Hill wins AG race as voters retain 4 appellate judges
Elkhart County Prosecutor Curtis T. Hill Jr. sailed to a resounding victory in the Indiana attorney general race Nov. 8, and voters retained four Court of Appeals judges by wide margins.
Dave Stafford
Articles
Justices weigh whether child abuse reporter can sue DCS for breach of confidentiality
A southern Indiana church van driver who suspected children to be in need of services due to dangerous living conditions in his small community followed the law requiring him to report his suspicions. He didn’t want to provide his name, but he did so after a Department of Child Services hotline worker assured him his identity would remain confidential, as the law also requires.
Marion County’s new electronic system speeds process for searches
Police working a crime scene who need a search warrant sometimes feel they can’t wait, but they often have no choice. For law enforcement agencies in Marion County, though, the wait is decreasing due to a new electronic system for requesting and approving search warrants.
Hill cruises to win in AG race as voters retain appellate judges
Elkhart County Prosecutor Curtis T. Hill Jr. sailed to a resounding victory in the Indiana attorney general race Tuesday, and voters retained four Court of Appeals judges by wide margins.
Courts open comment period on online records access plan
Trial court orders and judgments in most non-confidential civil and criminal cases will be posted and universally available online, but attorneys and parties to cases initially will have far greater access to filings than the public, according to recommendations now open for public comment.
Woman’s wage suit against Indiana medical supplier goes forward
A federal judge has rejected an Indiana-based medical supplier’s effort to dismiss a former employee’s lawsuit seeking enhanced damages over withheld pay.
DCS insists no right to sue over disclosed identity
A state attorney argued before the Indiana Supreme Court Thursday that the Department of Child Services cannot be sued by a man who reported suspected child abuse but whose promise of confidentiality was violated when his identity was disclosed to those he reported.
Greenfield police officer loses suit over discipline for profane texts
A Greenfield police officer has lost his federal lawsuit filed against the city after he was suspended for allegedly sending profane text messages that insulted and threatened his superior officers.
ISP officer loses whistleblower appeal
State workers alleging retaliation for whistleblower activities must first exhaust all administrative remedies before suing, the Indiana Court of Appeals held Wednesday, affirming a trial court ruling against a 27-year Indiana State Police officer.
Indiana attorney with failed Florida firm calls ethics complaint against her a ‘witch hunt’
By outward appearances, Divina K. Westerfield is an attorney practicing in Indianapolis. But looks can be deceiving.
Q&A with the Indiana AG candidates
Voters on Nov. 8 will replace outgoing Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller. Indiana Lawyer asked the candidates, Democrat Lorenzo Arredondo and Republican Curtis Hill, to respond to the same five questions. Here’s what they had to say.
Undocumented worker’s injury suit puts major issues before justices
An undocumented immigrant’s workplace injury — and how much he may be entitled to — has put the rising number of foreign-born workers, the rights they can expect, and the responsibilities of employers squarely before the Indiana Supreme Court.
New report critical of Indiana’s indigent defense
The report found Indiana is failing to equally provide constitutionally mandated effective counsel to indigent people accused of felony, misdemeanor and juvenile offenses.
State brief cites religion in defending fetal-remains statute
The state is continuing to defend Indiana’s fetal-remains statute that a federal judge blocked after a U.S. Supreme Court decision this year reinforced prohibitions against laws restricting a woman’s right to abortion. The state is relying in part on “astonishing” religious practices to make its case.
Planned Parenthood asks judge to strike abortion law
Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky has asked a federal judge to throw out abortion restrictions signed this year by Gov. Mike Pence that were blocked from taking effect July 1.
Report: Indiana fails to provide consistent indigent defense
Indiana is failing to equally provide constitutionally guaranteed effective counsel to indigent people accused of misdemeanor, felony and juvenile offenses, according to a report released Monday. In some counties, poor people facing criminal charges are encouraged to negotiate directly with prosecutors before being appointed counsel.
Stanley ruling extends to government medical reimbursements
The Indiana Supreme Court on Friday extended the admission of evidence of reduced health care payments in personal injury suits to include reimbursements from government payers.
Suspended lawyer ‘cannot take no for an answer,’ must pay sanctions
A suspended Gary lawyer continues to pursue cases that federal judges have ruled frivolous, and a judge in Hammond this week rejected his claim that he couldn’t afford to pay a $500 sanction imposed in one of the cases.
COA dismisses car-crash claim for lack of jurisdiction
A lawsuit filed after a car crash on Interstate 65 allegedly caused by an intoxicated driver was dismissed by the Indiana Court of Appeals Thursday, which ruled it lacked jurisdiction in a case the trial court appeared to dismiss after an appeal was filed.
Split COA affirms denial of Land Rover civil forfeiture
Civil forfeiture of a heroin dealer’s Land Rover purportedly worth about $40,000 would be an unconstitutionally excessive fine, the majority of an Indiana Court of Appeals panel ruled Thursday, but a dissenting judge wrote that it shouldn’t matter whether the dealer used a shiny new car or a “beater” to facilitate his drug trade.