The practice of diverting civil forfeiture proceeds away from the Common School Fund to reimburse law enforcement costs is constitutional under Article 8, Section 2 of the Indiana Constitution, the Indiana Supreme Court has ruled, answering the longstanding question of whether the constitution requires all forfeiture proceeds to go to the Common School Fund.
In response to the question of whether the Department of Child Services can file successive CHINS petitions based on evidence available at the time of the original petition — a practice that has drawn ire from the Indiana Court of Appeals — the Indiana Supreme Court has ruled that such a practice is barred. However, the specifics of the case the court addressed Thursday did not require reversal.
The Indiana Supreme Court has upheld the seizure of $60,000 in cash believed to be drug money, finding the officer who intercepted the parcel holding the cash had probable cause to think the package was related to drug trafficking. The unanimous ruling also upholds the turnover of the cash to the federal government, though it doesn’t address whether the money will be forfeited. The Court of Appeals previously had ruled the seizure was unlawful.
The first candidate to announce for the Republican nomination for Indiana attorney general in the 2020 race is touting his private sector experience and is calling for “principled, conservative leadership” in the Office of the Attorney General.
In its second opinion issued in the years-long dispute between Indiana and IBM Corp. over the failed contract to create a new Hoosier welfare system, the Indiana Supreme Court has allowed IBM to collect post-judgment interest on its $49.5 million damages award. However, that interest will date back only to a 2017 judgment on remand, not the original judgment entered in the company’s favor in 2012, and only serves as an offset to the greater sum IBM owes the state.
A burglary conviction will stand after the Indiana Court of Appeals found race-neutral reasons to strike a black juror, though the appellate court did opine on best practices to avoid confusion in future Batson challenges.
An Indianapolis attorney with a long resume of bar association leadership is now representing a three-state contingent on the American Bar Association’s Board of Governors.
These are the days of manufacturing 4.0, the name of the fourth industrial revolution marked by connectivity among the devices that keep a factory running. In an “internet of things” world, the industrial internet of things allows plant machinery and products to talk to each other and provide real-time data and updates on how the equipment is operating and how the products are functioning out in the market, creating new challenges for lawyers.
The back-and-forth between Congress and the Trump administration over subpoenas might seem like a telltale sign of the political tension dividing Washington, but it’s historically not that uncommon. Subpoena fights, however, are much less common in state and federal courts.
Another chapter has been opened in the ongoing saga surrounding allegations that Attorney General Curtis Hill drunkenly groped four women at a bar more than a year ago. The four women, who up to this point have pursued action within the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, have now taken their complaint to the Southern Indiana District Court.
Lawyers and paralegals largely agree that electronic filing has improved their work, cutting the time and cost of printing and distributing hundreds or even thousands of paper documents. But enjoying the full benefits of the electronic system, they say, is a matter of trial and error.
A Hendricks County stepmother cannot adopt her husband’s son because the child’s mother was justified in her failure to regularly communicate with the child for several years, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled.
Two transgender individuals seeking to keep private their name and gender marker change actions will be able to seal their case records after the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed trial court rulings requiring the transgender women to publish notice of the changes.
An insurance company will not have to defend a man being sued for negligence after a toddler was injured on his property because the toddler was exempt from coverage under the man’s insurance policy, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled.
Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is being sued in federal court by four women who say he drunkenly groping them during a party last year. The women, including an Indiana lawmaker, say their aim is to ensure all individuals working in and around the Indiana Statehouse are able to perform their jobs and pursue their careers free from sexual harassment, gender discrimination and retaliation for reporting such situations.
An Indianapolis attorney with a lengthy disciplinary history has once again been suspended from the practice of law, this time for at least two years after repeatedly neglecting client cases and keeping unearned funds. The discipline divided the Indiana Supreme Court, with two justices believing the attorney’s conduct warranted disbarment.
A Vanderburgh County nursing aid has been sentenced to more than two years of probation after slipping anxiety medication into the food of senior citizens she was charged with caring for.
An Allen County judge has enjoined Fort Wayne from enforcing an ordinance designed to curb “pay-to-play” arrangements that allegedly led to city contracts for businesses that contribute to local candidates’ campaigns.
Attorneys from opposite ends of the state were honored for their contributions to the legal profession Friday during the Indiana State Bar Association Solo/Small Firm Conference. Joseph D. O’Connor, an attorney with Bunger & Robertson in Bloomington, and Jack L. Walkey of Ball Eggleston P.C. in Lafayette each received the GP Hall of Fame Award from the ISBA’s General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Section.
Indiana Supreme Court Justice Christopher Goff won the lottery. That’s how he describes his legal career, at least. Goff spoke about his legal and judicial career during a Friday afternoon session at the Indiana State Bar Association Solo/Small Firm Conference, held over the weekend in French Lick.