South Bend man wins partial reversal of sewer nuisance suit
A man who sued South Bend claiming that noxious gas from city sewer lines had been forced into his home may proceed with part of his lawsuit against the city.
Dave Stafford
Articles
Justices to hear arguments over Indy OTB smoking
The Indiana Supreme Court has scheduled arguments next month that could determine whether an Indianapolis off-track betting parlor may continue to allow smoking that’s otherwise banned in Marion County bars, restaurants and public places.
Reversal: Expungement petitioner entitled to hearing when prosecutor objects
A trial court erred in denying a man’s expungement petition on a Class B felony conviction of aiding robbery because the statute requires a hearing when a prosecutor objects, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.
Judge limits police expert testimony in excessive force case
A defense expert may not testify whether he believes a Richmond police officer used excessive force when he punched an unruly man in the face three or four times while the man was handcuffed to a hospital gurney.
Retired AM General CEO wins Supreme Court pay dispute
The former president and CEO of South Bend-based AM General LLC was due the full benefit of a long-term incentive plan in cash when he retired, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.
Fraud claims against insurers wrongly dismissed
Plaintiffs who purchased cash-value life insurance policies for their employees and deducted those contributions on income taxes that were later disallowed were wrongly denied their day in court against the insurers.
‘Inference of discriminatory motive’ in striking juror not reversible error
The Indiana Court of Appeals noted one of a prosecutor’s reasons for striking a prospective juror in a criminal case “raises an inference of discriminatory motive,” but this was insufficient to reverse a man’s felony resisting law enforcement conviction.
2 recent cases in federal court showcase trademark treachery
A steel giant’s trade name was used to misrepresent business deals with the intent to procure millions of dollars worth of machinery and financing, and an Amish-country spice maker alleges a local rival is ripping off its registered trademark. These two recent cases in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana illustrate the difficulties in policing registered marks on intellectual property, but the cases also show the means of recovery at rights holders’ disposal when their IP marks are violated.
ITLA’s Micki Wilson reducing role after 37 years as director
Indiana Trial Lawyers Association Executive Director Micki Wilson will hand over day-to-day duties running the organization at the end of the year, but she’ll continue to lobby on its behalf at the Statehouse.
Law office whistleblower key in disbarment
The former office manager who blew the whistle on an Indianapolis lawyer disbarred recently by the Indiana Supreme Court said he paid a personal and professional price and endured threats from his ex-boss after reporting his egregiously unethical conduct.
Reversal: Host owed duty to guest who died after drinking, fight
The host of a birthday party for her live-in boyfriend had a duty to render aid to a guest she saw unconscious after he’d been drinking and involved in a fight, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled. The man later died.
Conour appeals to 7th Circuit to defend self, remove judge
Ex-attorney William Conour claims in a jailhouse motion he filed Thursday that the judge who sentenced him to 10 years in prison for wire fraud appears to be biased in favor of prosecutors and must be removed for preventing him from representing himself.
Lawyer loses fee appeal against defunct Stewart & Irwin
A lawyer who claimed his former law firm and its shareholders wrongly withheld fees he was contractually owed lost his appeal of a judgment in the firm's favor Thursday.
Woman sentenced to 215 years for crash deaths loses PCR appeal
A woman who drove the wrong way on State Road 67 near Martinsville and collided with a minivan killing a man and six children in 2000 lost her post-conviction relief appeal Thursday.
7th Circuit affirms city blocking strip club plans
Plans to open a strip club called “Showgirl” in Angola have been blocked for more than three years, but the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found the city and courts were within their rights to do so.
City workers lose challenge to law, must quit to take office
Five Lake County civil servants lost their lawsuit challenging a state law that forbids them from serving in elected office in the same city that employs them.
Justices disbar lawyer for theft of $150K from clients, ‘brazenness’
An Indianapolis lawyer has been disbarred for stealing about $150,000 from his clients, “disclosing client confidences for purposes of both retaliation and amusement, threatening and intimidating his office staff (and) lying pervasively to all comers,” according to the Indiana Supreme Court.
Survey: Attorney social media use largely governed by personal responsibility
By a more than 2-to-1 margin, attorneys who responded to the IL survey said their organization encourages them to promote themselves and their firm or organization, compared to those who said their organization discourages social media.
Survey finds widespread professional satisfaction, little encouragement to pursue career in law
Life’s not bad being a lawyer. Work is satisfying, there’s time for life outside work, and the pay is good. But I wouldn’t recommend it. Those contradictions in lawyers’ prevailing attitudes were revealed in Indiana Lawyer's Practicing Law in Indiana survey.
Focus for law firms: Clients, clients, clients
Law firms large and small face similar challenges – keeping costs down and quality high while also finding ways to sustain and grow the business.