As drone sales soar, legal and regulatory atmosphere remains turbulent
Attorneys are at the horizon of what could be a new body of law involving drones, some of which could be decided by the courts.
Dave Stafford
Articles
Med-mal reform bill unexpectedly derailed
A proposal to raise caps on medical malpractice damages by $400,000 appears to face a grim prognosis after a key lawmaker said parties to the legislation have failed to agree on certain provisions of the bill.
Med-mal, administrative law reform bills set for hearing
A proposal to raise the cap on medical malpractice damages by $400,000, index future increases to inflation and make other reforms to the Indiana Medical Malpractice Act will be introduced to a Senate committee Monday.
Senate passes adoptee birth-records bill
Advocates for granting Indiana adoptees access to their birth certificates appear on the way to victory this year after years of trying.
Divided Senate panel OKs guns for Statehouse staffers
Indiana General Assembly staff members would be allowed to carry handguns inside the state Capitol under a bill recommended for passage on a party-line vote Wednesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Bill adding goats, sheep as fenced-hunting targets advances
Indiana lawmakers are poised to add bighorn sheep and exotic mountain goats to the kinds of animals the state sanctions to be shot by hunters in high-fence enclosures not regulated by the Department of Natural Resources.
State cites security threat in bid to block Syrian refugees
The administration of Gov. Mike Pence defended its bid to halt the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Indiana by asserting the federal government has not satisfactorily addressed security concerns.
Veteran Muncie attorney ‘Chic’ Clark dies at 81
Charles R. “Chic” Clark, a Muncie native and longtime lawyer who served his community and gained a reputation for success as a litigator, died Wednesday. He was 81.
Lawmakers table easing access to gun permits for alcohol abusers
Confusion over whether alcohol abusers are considered proper people to receive permits to carry handguns caused a Senate panel to delay action on a bill that would erase such language from state law.
7th Circuit affirms denial of disability benefits
A worker with myriad health complaints failed to persuade the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse a district court’s decision denying him long-term Social Security disability benefits.
Indy lawyer assisting estate of late NFL player Phillips
An Indianapolis attorney said he will be assisting the family of late former NFL player Lawrence Phillips document brain injuries that might have contributed to his apparent suicide in a California prison this week.
Rush: Dickson’s last argument to be where Supreme Court began
Chief Justice Loretta Rush announced Wednesday in her State of the Judiciary address that the court will hear a case in the historic southern Indiana building at a date to be determined in April. The case will be the final matter Dickson hears before his retirement on April 29.
Rush sites growth of problem-solving courts during State of Judiciary
A Lawrence County schoolteacher who lost her job after she fell victim to heroin addiction is emblematic of Indiana’s problem-solving courts that Chief Justice Loretta Rush said are helping communities statewide deal with a crippling drug crisis.
Troubled ex-Colts QB Schlichter sues NFL plan seeking benefits
One-time Indianapolis Colts quarterback Art Schlichter has sued the NFL Player Retirement Plan in an effort to receive benefits he claims are being wrongly denied. Schlichter alleges he’s suffering brain injury as he serves time in a federal prison.
Court erred in granting mom relief from dad’s Wyoming order
An Indiana trial court erred when it granted a mother’s request for Trial Rule 60(B) relief from a Wyoming court order that reduced a father’s child support arrearage to zero.
Man convicted in swordfight death loses PCR appeal
A man convicted of killing his great-uncle in a 2009 swordfight that also took the life of his grandmother failed Tuesday in his pro se post-conviction relief appeal.
Justices again suspend Anderson attorney facing multiple theft counts
An Anderson lawyer suspended from the practice of law and accused of stealing from trust and estate clients sums that could total $500,000 has drawn another suspension order for failing to cooperate with three disciplinary investigations.
Collaborative divorce use lagging in Indiana
Lea Shelemey learned about collaborative divorce a dozen years ago when she heard what lawyers were doing in her native Alberta, Canada. She’s been sold ever since, but she wishes more lawyers were trained in the process and more clients were willing to take the option
Expunged criminal records still may show up and might be required in some cases
If you’ve stayed out of trouble for the required number of years, Indiana’s expungement statute will erase your criminal record and give you a clean slate. (Individual results may vary.)
Munster cardiologist’s practice faces some 300 medical malpractice complaints
The sweeping medical malpractice claims against Dr. Arvind Gandhi and other practitioners at Cardiology Associates of Northwest Indiana could take years to unwind, and they may change the calculus that sets surcharges physicians pay to the Indiana Patient’s Compensation Fund.