Articles

COA upholds termination of mother’s parental rights

The Indiana Court of Appeals found no abuse of discretion by a trial court when it denied a mother’s request to continue her termination of parental rights hearing for several months, when she expected to be released from incarceration. The mother was unable to prove that she would definitely be out of jail at that time.

Read More

Court erred in concluding vested title severed by tax sales

The Indiana Court of Appeals ordered judgment entered in favor of two families on their claim for adverse possession over a disputed tract of land in Pulaski County. The judges found the trial court erred when it found two tax sales involving the disputed property divested the adverse holders of their title to the real property.

Read More

Panel splits over interpretation of corrupt business influence statute

The majority on a Court of Appeals panel tossed out a man’s corrupt business influence conviction after finding his criminal activity did not pose a threat of future criminal conduct. But the dissenting judge noted the majority was inserting a new element into the Indiana statute that does not exist.

Read More

Tax Court orders more proceedings on sale of racetrack and card club

The Indiana Department of State Revenue scored a partial victory in Tax Court on Wednesday when the court granted the agency’s motion for summary judgment regarding whether I.C. 6-3-2-2.2 applied in its taxing of a portion of the gain generated by a Las Vegas-based corporation’s sale of a horse racetrack and card club to an out-of-state company. But there are issues of genuine material fact as to whether the department correctly classified Pinnacle Entertainment’s gain as business income.

Read More

Inconsistency by trial court leads to partial reversal

Because a trial court hearing a child support matter at first declined to impute the income of the stepfather to the child’s mother, but later treated their income as the same when it came to the cost of her child’s health insurance, the Indiana Court of Appeals partially reversed a Hamilton Superior Court’s 2014 ruling.

Read More

Justices: Adoption agency didn’t breach duty to couple

The Indiana Supreme Court ruled 4-1 in favor of an adoption agency that it did not have any duties with respect to the putative father registry in excess of statutory requirements. A couple who adopted a baby through the agency – only later to have her removed from their care after the biological father contested the adoption – sued the agency alleging negligence.

Read More

Parties’ oral modification of land agreement unenforceable

The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld the decision by a trial court finding an oral agreement between a buyer and seller that modified a written land contract had to be in writing based on the Statute of Frauds and that the buyer defaulted on the terms of the agreement.

Read More

COA affirms admission of gun and photographs into evidence

A trial court did not abuse its discretion when it admitted as evidence a handgun and photographs of the gun found in a car being impounded after police discovered the driver did not own the car and believed it was unsafe to operate, the Court of Appeals held.

Read More

Judge concerned about doctor’s contradictory affidavit

An Indiana Court of Appeals judge found it troubling that a member of a medical review panel that unanimously found defendants breached their duty of care to a patient could later issue an affidavit in which he changed his mind relating to a doctor accused of medical malpractice.

Read More

COA upholds man’s belated appeal, molestation conviction

Citing the defendant’s limited understanding of English and his timely request for appellate counsel, the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the decision by the trial court to grant a man’s belated notice of appeal regarding a child molesting conviction.

Read More

COA: No evidence employee violated professional conduct rule

The Indiana Court of Appeals on Tuesday reversed the denial of a man’s application for unemployment benefits, finding the record doesn’t support that he was fired for just cause for violating his employer’s professional conduct rules. The man kept a mentally disabled client in a hot car, citing his safety and the safety of other riders.

Read More