Editor

Olivia joined Indiana Lawyer as a reporter in September 2016 and was promoted to managing editor in April 2018. Olivia has experience reporting on local, state, and federal government entities, including the state and federal court systems. She has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists for her work individually and with the Indiana Lawyer staff each year since she joined IBJ Media.

First job: Watering flowers around the yard for my dad
Favorite movie: Tie between The Devils Wear Prada and Pride & Prejudice (2005)
Favorite book: Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen (seeing a pattern?)
Personal hype song: “Respect” by Aretha Franklin
Hobbies: Reading, biking, taking walks, listening to music

Articles

COA finds warehouse not liable for cargo-related deaths

An Indianapolis-based warehouse facility has been cleared of liability in a tractor-trailer accident that killed three and injured one after the Indiana Court of Appeals found the warehouse had neither a contractual nor a common law duty to the victims.

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Appeals court orders Yorktown clerk-treasurer’s removal

The Indiana Court of Appeals has ordered the removal of the Yorktown clerk-treasurer from office after determining that her failure to properly reconcile the town books for four consecutive years warranted her removal. In response, the elected office holder has pledged to take her case to the Indiana Supreme Court.

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COA: French Lick Resort not negligent in hotel rape

A former guest of the French Lick Resort & Casino cannot bring a negligence case against the hotel after the Indiana Court of Appeals determined the sexual attack against the guest was not foreseeable as a matter of law, making summary judgment for the resort appropriate.

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COA: Participating in needle exchange doesn’t excuse drug activity

A Lawrence County man who argued he had “legal authority” to possess two syringes under the county’s needle exchange program has lost his appeal of his possession of paraphernalia conviction, with the Indiana Court of Appeals rejecting the notion that needle exchanges excuse illegal drug activity. However, the court overturned another of the man’s drug convictions for lack of evidence.

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Appellate court upholds contempt finding against mother

A Marion County mother was unsuccessful in her attempt to seek relief from an order finding her in contempt of court for interfering with her ex-husband’s parenting time, with the Indiana Court of Appeals finding she failed to develop a cogent appellate argument.

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7th Circuit prohibits sex offender from voting at local high school

In a decision handed down one day before Indiana’s 2018 primary election, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found a rational relationship between an Indiana statute prohibiting sex offenders from entering school property and the state’s interest in protecting children. The court ruled the state does not violate a convicted sex offender’s voting rights by prohibiting him from voting at a polling place located in a high school, and instead requiring him to vote via one of three alternatives.

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Appellate court allows slip-and-fall negligence case to proceed

A negligence case against a Lake County senior living facility will continue after the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed summary judgment, finding a genuine issue of material fact as to whether the facility knew or reasonably should have known about icy conditions that led to an elderly woman’s fall.

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Confinement conviction reversed; robbery, burglary counts stand

Burglary and robbery convictions against a man convicted in a Marion County break-in will stand, but related criminal confinement convictions must be vacated because the confinement was “part and parcel” of the underlying robbery, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday.

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District court ordered to reopen drug felon’s life sentence

A convicted drug felon whose previous New Mexico convictions were vacated has successfully appealed an Indiana district court’s decision not to reopen his federal life sentence, with the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling his sentencing challenge was based on the notion that his New Mexico convictions no longer exist.

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7th Circuit grants review to Indiana immigrant’s torture case

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ordered the Board of Immigration Appeals to re-examine a Honduras native’s case against his forced removal to his home country, finding the board did not adequately consider the man’s evidence of the threat of gang violence against him if he were returned home.

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AG Hill: Prosecutors have no say in defending Indiana abortion law

Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is hitting back at three county prosecutors who have declined to defend the state in its most recent abortion-related lawsuit, saying the prosecutors have no authority to determine how the case proceeds. Prosecutors in Marion, Lake and Monroe counties said Wednesday the ceded the merits of a case challenging a new law that would require reporting of “abortion complications.”

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COA upholds admission of marijuana found in home

A multi-count drug trial against an Indianapolis man will continue with evidence obtained from a search of the man’s home after the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled there was probable cause to issue for a search warrant.

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