Justices take 1 case, reject 20
Indiana justices will review a case involving a search deemed illegal and a subsequent conviction for resisting law enforcement that was reversed by the Court of Appeals.
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Indiana justices will review a case involving a search deemed illegal and a subsequent conviction for resisting law enforcement that was reversed by the Court of Appeals.
The centralized hotline system is among the topics to be discussed when the Department of Child Services Interim Study Committee meets Nov. 8.
Senior Judge Thomas K. Milligan will serve as Tippecanoe Superior 3 judge pro tem after Loretta Rush moves from that court to take her seat on the Indiana Supreme Court Nov. 7.
A federal jury verdict last week awarded 12 Oregon soldiers $85 million for illnesses linked to a military contractor that knowingly exposed them to toxic chromium dust in Iraq. The result could have implications for 60 similarly situated Indiana National Guard members who are awaiting their day in court.
Stories above detail for-publication opinions issued Nov. 2 by Indiana appellate courts. Not-for-publication opinions issued by IL deadline are listed below.
Indiana Court of Appeals
Curtis M. Howard v. State of Indiana (NFP)
79A02-1205-CR-410
Criminal. Affirms revocation of community corrections.
Dennis Leer v. State of Indiana (NFP)
20A04-1204-PC-185
Criminal. Reverses and remands denial of a petition for post-conviction relief, ordering the trial court to correct his sentence to reflect that the sentence for murder is to be served concurrently with an earlier sentence for attempted murder.
In Re The Visitation of M.J. and J.J.: C.M. v. J.J. and I.J. (NFP)
71A03-1205-JM-220
Domestic relation. Affirms granting of visitation with her two minor children, M.J. and J.J., to the children’s paternal grandparents, Jo.J. and I.J.
Kirk Lynch v. State of Indiana (NFP)
40A05-1201-CR-26
Criminal. Affirms in a split decision a conviction for Class A felony attempted child molesting, and vacating the conviction for Class C felony child solicitation, and revises Lynch’s sentence from 40 years with five suspended to probation to 25 years imprisonment with five years suspended to probation. The majority determined the child solicitation count constituted double jeopardy. Judge Terry Crone agreed, but said Lynch’s 40-year sentence was not inappropriate based on the nature of his offense and Lynch’s character.
Indiana Tax Court
Carolyn Gibson v. Indiana Dept. of State Revenue (NFP)
49T10-1204-TA-20
Affirms denial of refund claim.
Indiana Court of Appeals
Joshua A. Bostic v. State of Indiana
12A02-1202-CR-154
Criminal. Affirms convictions of Cass C felony attempted battery by means of a deadly weapon and criminal recklessness; Class D felony arson; Class A misdemeanor criminal mischief; and Class B misdemeanor criminal mischief, holding that Bostic waived his right to appeal under Criminal Rule 4(C) by failing to object to trial delays before the trial court. The court also found he likewise waived his right to appeal the process for appointing a special judge. Remands to the trial court to correct the sentencing order, abstract of judgment, and chronological case summary to reflect that Bostic’s 12-year habitual offender enhancement is an enhancement to his sentence for felony criminal recklessness, and not a separate conviction.
A man convicted of multiple felonies lost his appeal when the court determined he had not objected to matters raised in the appeal during his jury trial or sentencing.
Indianapolis Tea Party Corp. has produced a radio advertisement critical of Justice Steven David ahead of his retention vote on Tuesday.
The way Marion Superior judges are elected is unconstitutional, a suit filed Thursday by Common Cause and the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana alleges.
The following not-for-publication opinions were posted by IL deadline. For-publication decisions are detailed in the opinions stories above.
Indiana Court of Appeals
Joshua Shipley v. State of Indiana (NFP)
07A05-1204-CR-225
Criminal. Affirms sentence for Class B felony criminal confinement with a deadly weapon.
Jeffrey S. Heironimus v. State of Indiana (NFP)
82A01-1204-CR-152
Criminal. Affirms admission of evidence of witness identifications made after a warrantless entry into an accomplice’s residence.
Angela R. Elliott v. State of Indiana (NFP)
13A04-1201-CR-11
Criminal. Affirms convictions of Class A felony dealing in methamphetamine, Class D felony maintaining a common nuisance, and Class A misdemeanors possession of paraphernalia and resisting law enforcement.
Brian S. Fleming v. State of Indiana (NFP)
82A05-1202-CR-100
Criminal. Affirms conviction of Class D felony intimidation.
Stephen L. Reed v. State of Indiana (NFP)
02A03-1205-CR-216
Criminal. Affirms sentence for Class C felony corrupt business influence.
Bryan Jann v. Review Board of the Indiana Dept. of Workforce Development and C&B Custom Modular, Inc. (NFP)
93A02-1112-EX-1185
Agency appeal. Affirms decision by review board that Jann, by failing to appear, had presented no evidence to support claim for unemployment benefits.
Darrius Woods v. State of Indiana (NFP)
20A03-1202-CR-90
Criminal. Affirms conviction of Class A felony dealing in cocaine.
Kenneth Hawkins v. Debra Hawkins (NFP)
49A02-1203-DR-206
Domestic relation. Affirms distribution of assets and declines to award Debra Hawkins attorney fees.
David J. Bogolia and Nikki Schafer v. John Danielson, M.D. (NFP)
64A04-1201-CC-42
Civil collection. Affirms denial of Bogolia’s and Schafer’s motion for partial summary judgment and their motion to strike Dr. Danielson’s response to that motion.
Indiana Court of Appeals
Leslie Bridges v. Veolia Water Indianapolis, LLC, Veolia Water North America Operating Service, LLC, and The City of Indianapolis, Dept. of Waterworks
49A02-1112-CC-1097
Civil collection. Affirms trial court dismissal of Bridges’ class action filed after her water was turned off for nonpayment, finding Bridges failed to exhaust the administrative remedies available at the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission. She had to seek those remedies before seeking judicial relief. Concludes that I.C. 8-1-2-68 through -70 grant the IURC exclusive jurisdiction over Bridges’ claim regardless of whether it is treated as a challenge to and request for reimbursement of the reconnect fee or as a challenge to the allegedly improper act of terminating her residential water service in a manner inconsistent with the terms of the tariff.
Indiana’s newest justice Loretta Rush will have a private swearing in ceremony Nov. 7. Her public ceremony will be held Dec. 28. Rush is just the second woman to serve on the state Supreme Court.
Three Indiana justices have decided that a Boone County attorney should be suspended for at least three years because his repeated misconduct has “injured his clients” and “tarnished the reputation of the legal profession.”
The Indiana Court of Appeals agreed with a Marion Superior judge that the courts do not have jurisdiction over a woman’s lawsuit concerning the disconnection of her water because the woman did not exhaust all her available administrative remedies before suing.
The Indiana Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that in a case involving a boy diagnosed with a mild form of cerebral palsy, the Indiana Patient’s Compensation Fund may not present evidence to dispute the existence or cause of the boy’s injury while defending his petition for excess damages from the fund.
Somerset CPAs P.C. will pay $500,000 to settle litigation brought by the bankruptcy trustee of Fair Finance Co., the Ohio-based firm convicted financier Tim Durham used to conduct a major Ponzi scheme.
The following not-for-publication opinions were posted by IL deadline. For-publication decisions are detailed in the opinion stories above.
Indiana Court of Appeals
Gaude L. Hughes v. State of Indiana (NFP)
49A05-1203-CR-132
Criminal. Affirms conviction of Class A felony voluntary manslaughter.
Billy Fox, Jr. v. Rogers Building Ventures, et al. (NFP)
53A05-1203-CP-160
Civil plenary. Affirms denial of objection to personal jurisdiction and the motion to set aside judgment.
Joshua D. Hughes v. State of Indiana (NFP)
02A03-1112-PC-591
Post conviction. Affirms denial of Ind. Trial Rule 72(E) request for an extension of time within which to appeal the denial of petition for post-conviction relief.
C.L. v. State of Indiana (NFP)
27A02-1203-JV-232
Juvenile. Affirms adjudication as delinquent for would be Class C felony battery if committed by an adult.
Term. of the Parent-Child Rel. of D.C.: L.B. (father) v. The Indiana Dept. of Child Services (NFP)
82A01-1203-JT-114
Juvenile. Affirms involuntary termination of parental rights.
Troy and Mary Hill v. Beta Steel Corporation (NFP)
93A02-1203-EX-215
Agency appeal. Affirms denial of death benefits.
In the Matter of the Term. of the Parent-Child Rel. of A.A.M., and B.J. v. Indiana Dept. of Child Services (NFP)
02A03-1201-JT-42
Juvenile. Affirms involuntary termination of parental rights.
Lukuman Aderbigbe v. State of Indiana (NFP)
49A04-1203-PC-219
Post conviction. Affirms denial of petition for post-conviction relief.
Kenneth W. Gilland v. State of Indiana (NFP)
32A01-1203-CR-143
Criminal. Reverses order that Gilland pay more than $20,000 in restitution. Because Gilland agreed to pay nearly $10,000 in restitution in a plea agreement, he may not challenge the portion that relates to the loss in value of a motorcycle on appeal. Remands with instructions to reduce the restitution order to $9,949.62.
James R. Ferguson v. State of Indiana (NFP)
48A02-1110-CR-968
Criminal. Affirms conviction of Class C felony sexual misconduct with a minor.
Gregory J. Schnelker v. Indiana Department of Insurance Patient's Compensation Authority (NFP)
49A02-1201-CT-33
Civil tort. Affirms order which declined to award Schnelker damages for loss of wages and capacity and for increased risk of future harm.
Timothy A. Stevens v. State of Indiana (NFP)
64A03-1111-PC-525
Post conviction. Affirms denial of petition for post-conviction relief.
Steven Hook, Sr. v. State of Indiana (NFP)
71A04-1204-CR-203
Criminal. Affirms conviction of Class C felony battery with a deadly weapon.
Mark Williams v. State of Indiana (NFP)
49A04-1201-CR-4
Criminal. Grants rehearing and affirms original opinion in all respects, which affirmed the order Williams serve his entire sentence that was suspended at the time of initial sentencing.
Frederic Williams v. State of Indiana (NFP)
49A05-1110-PC-621
Post conviction. Affirms denial of petition for post-conviction relief.
Term. of the Parent-Child Rel. of J.D.: W.H. v. Indiana Dept. of Child Services (NFP)
79A02-1203-JT-201
Juvenile. Affirms termination of parental rights.
Indiana Court of Appeals
Robertson Fowler v. State of Indiana
49A05-1202-PC-68
Post conviction. Affirms denial of petition for post-conviction relief. Fowler received a benefit at the time he entered into his plea bargain, so he may not now challenge the sentence as illegal.
The Indiana Court of Appeals disagreed with an appellant who claimed police did not have reasonable suspicion to believe he and two other men were involved in criminal activity, which led to their stop and his eventual conviction of Class A felony attempted dealing in methamphetamine.
Because a defendant entered into a beneficial plea agreement, the Indiana Court of Appeals denied his request for post-conviction relief. The man argued that a Supreme Court decision handed down while he was appealing should require that his sentence be reduced.