Appellate court affirms judgment in coverage dispute
Indiana Evidence Rule 407 may bar evidence of subsequent insurance policy revisions offered to resolve ambiguity in an executed insurance contract, the Indiana Court of Appeals held today.
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Indiana Evidence Rule 407 may bar evidence of subsequent insurance policy revisions offered to resolve ambiguity in an executed insurance contract, the Indiana Court of Appeals held today.
It cost nearly $400 million to operate Indiana courts last year, according to new reports released by the Indiana Supreme Court Division on State Court Administration.
The Indiana Supreme Court granted transfer to a case filed by a convicted felon who refuses to register as a sex offender for life.
Indiana Supreme Court had posted no opinions at IL deadline.
Indiana Court of Appeals
Brian Keith Thompson v. State of Indiana (NFP)
48A05-1003-CR-268
Criminal. Affirms sentence following guilty plea to Class B felony burglary and Class D felony theft.
Joseph Hackler v. State of Indiana (NFP)
49A02-1004-CR-417
Criminal. Affirms order revoking placement in community corrections.
Darren Witt v. State of Indiana
45A05-1005-PC-319
Post conviction. Affirms denial of petition for post-conviction relief, in which Witt challenged his sentence of life without parole imposed after pleading guilty to murder. Witt can’t prevail upon his attempt to present a free-standing claim of sentencing error and didn’t establish he was denied the effective assistance of counsel.
David A. Lanham v. State of Indiana
60A01-1003-CR-114
Criminal. Affirms convictions of Class D felony possession of marijuana and Class A infraction possession of paraphernalia. The trial court acted within its discretion in admitting the marijuana and drug paraphernalia found in Lanham’s residence.
Earl Budd v. State of Indiana
31A01-0910-PC-504
Post conviction. Grants rehearing to clarify that only sex offenders who are committed to the Department of Correction after committing new sex crimes while required to register as sex or violent offenders are no longer eligible to earn educational credit time. Affirms original opinion in all other respects.
Indiana Tax Court had posted no opinions at IL deadline.
Indiana Court of Appeals
Florence R. Lacy-McKinney v. Taylor Bean and Whitaker Mortgage Corp.
71A03-0912-CV-587
Civil. Reverses summary judgment in favor of Taylor Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corp. on its action to foreclose on Lacy-McKinney’s mortgage that was insured by the Federal Housing Administration. Views the affirmative defense of noncompliance with HUD regulations as the failure of the mortgagee to satisfy a HUD-imposed condition precedent to foreclosure. To hold otherwise would circumvent the public policy of HUD. Remands for further proceedings.
Augustus Mendenhall, the attorney who attacked an Indiana state representative last year, received a 40-year sentence today from a Hamilton County judge.
A mortgagee’s compliance with federal mortgage servicing responsibilities is a condition precedent that can be raised as an affirmative defense to the foreclosure of a Federal Housing Administration insured loan, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled today for the first time.
The Indiana Court of Appeals concluded today that even though a statute uses the word “and” when saying a driver’s actions, thoughts, and normal control of faculties must be impaired, the state isn’t required to prove all three were impaired in order to get a conviction of operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
Indiana Supreme Court had posted no opinions at IL deadline.
Indiana Court of Appeals
Jamie Wicker v. Rodney McIntosh, et al.
72A05-0912-CV-743
Civil. Affirms summary judgment in favor of intervening plaintiff United Farm Family Mutual Insurance Co. on its complaint for declaratory judgment in Wicker’s negligence suit. The trial court correctly entered summary judgment in favor of the insurer as the unambiguous language of the insurance policy excludes coverage. The exception to the exclusion relied upon by Wicker does not apply as it is uncontroverted that the accident leading to the claim of damages occurred at an uninsured location.
Patrick Alvey v. Natalie K. (Alvey) Hite (NFP)
82A05-1002-DR-141
Domestic relation. The dissolution court’s failure to assign any value to Patrick’s inherited property and not including it in the marital estate is a clear error. Remands with instructions for the dissolution court to include Patrick’s inherited property in the marital estate, to value the property, and to issue and new order redistributing the marital assets and liabilities accordingly. Affirms dissolution decree in all other respects.
Indiana Tax Court had posted no opinions at IL deadline.
7th Circuit Court of Appeals
David N. Rain and Paramount International Inc. v. Rolls-Royce Corp.
10-1290
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division, Judge William T. Lawrence.
Civil. Affirms partial summary judgment in favor of Rolls-Royce on Rain’s claim for breach of contract by breaching a non-disparagement provision in a settlement agreement after Rolls-Royce filed a Texas lawsuit involving Rain and Paramount. Affirms the judgment following a bench trial on breach of contract in favor of Rolls-Royce after Rolls-Royce asked Rain to leave an event.
The Indiana Supreme Court, Division of State Court Administration is accepting Phase V Family Court Project Grant Applications. The application includes information about the county's current judicial system, and a request for a family court grant in the amount of $10,000 to $40,000 per year, for a two-year period. Selected counties will begin operation in January 2010.
The same day it heard arguments about the dissolution of a Brown County fire district, the Indiana Supreme Court reinstated the intermediate court’s ruling on the case because of a 2-2 division caused by the recusal of Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard.
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals twice declined to certify questions to the Indiana Supreme Court a litigant raised in his appeal of a suit involving alleged violations of a non-disparagement clause in a settlement agreement.
For only the second time, the Indiana Court of Appeals has addressed the language in a garage insurance policy, and upheld partial summary judgment in favor of the insurer.
For the first time since she was nominated to a post in the Department of Justice, Dawn Johnsen will give a public lecture at Indiana University Maurer School of Law in Bloomington on Friday.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has postponed voting on the nomination of U.S. Judge David F. Hamilton to the 7th Court of Appeals because some senators are concerned about the Indianapolis jurist's record on the bench.
Indiana Supreme Court had posted no opinions at IL deadline.
Indiana Court of Appeals
Randy Horton v. State of Indiana
48A04-1001-CR-89
Criminal. Affirms convictions of and sentences for six counts of Class A felony child molesting and three counts of Class C felony child molesting. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting a videotaped interview of a child-witness under the recorded recollection exception to the hearsay rule, and his sentence is not inappropriate considering the nature of the offenses and Horton’s character.
Darrian Bunch v. State of Indiana
49A04-1002-CR-120
Criminal. Reverses two of the three convictions of and sentences for criminal confinement against the same victim because they constituted only one distinct confinement and the convictions violate the Indiana Double Jeopardy clause. Remands with instructions that those two convictions and sentences be vacated. Affirms his other convictions and sentences for robbery, burglary, intimidation, criminal confinement pertaining to other victims, and carrying a handgun without a license.
R.A. v. State of Indiana
71A04-1005-JV-340
Juvenile. Reverses order that R.A. be committed to the Indiana Department of Correction given the facts of the case and the statutory policy favoring the least-harsh disposition. Remands with instructions for the juvenile court to vacate its dispositional decree and order his placement in an appropriate rehabilitative setting.
The Village Pines at the Pines of Greenwood Homeowners' Assn. Inc. v. The Pines of Greenwood Homeowners' Assn. Inc.
41A01-0912-CV-568
Civil. Reverses trial court ruling as it erred when it concluded that the controlling ordinances did not require the creation of a master homeowners’ association and for the shared use of amenities located in The Pines development. Remands for the trial court to order the parties to engage in mediation.
Marty McConnell v. State of Indiana (NFP)
18A02-1004-CR-400
Criminal. Affirms sentence following guilty plea to five counts of Class C felony robbery and one count of Class C felony possession of cocaine.
Anthony J. Woods v. State of Indiana (NFP)
49A04-1003-CR-158
Criminal. Affirms conviction of Class B felony possession of cocaine within 1,000 feet of a family housing complex.
Curtis E. Cash v. State of Indiana (NFP)
67A05-1005-CR-288
Criminal. Affirms convictions of and sentence for Class B felony attempted burglary, Class C felony attempted burglary, and being a habitual offender.
Kyle E. Beals v. State of Indiana (NFP)
49A02-1004-CR-453
Criminal. Affirms probation revocation and order Beals serve his previously suspended sentence.
Lisa Burress v. Brad Wells (NFP)
82A01-1003-DR-128
Domestic relation. Affirms modification of primary physical custody in favor of Wells and holding Burress in contempt.
Robert Burch, et al. v. Vern Penner (NFP)
85A04-1003-PL-169
Civil plenary. Affirms denial of the Burches’ motion for relief from judgment.
Tracy Trimble v. State of Indiana (NFP)
49A04-1003-CR-163
Criminal. Affirms convictions of Class D felony domestic battery and Class D felony strangulation. Remands with instructions to amend the abstract of judgment.
K.W. v. L.W. (NFP)
54A05-1003-DR-181
Domestic relation. Affirms order awarding L.W. primary physical custody of the parties’ minor child.
Michele Michaylo and Paul Michaylo v. Event Experts (NFP)
02A04-1007-SC-432
Small claims. Affirms judgment against Michaylo and in favor of Event Express for $5,800 in a dispute over a corporate sponsorship agreement.
Steve D. Eller v. State of Indiana (NFP)
14A05-0912-PC-690
Post conviction. Affirms denial of petition for post-conviction relief.
Hirman Jackson v. State of Indiana (NFP)
79A02-1001-CR-85
Criminal. Vacates conviction of and sentence for possession of a schedule I controlled substance as a Class D felony and affirms conviction of and sentence for dealing in a schedule I controlled substance as a Class B felony. Remands for a determination of Jackson’s ability to reimburse the county in part for the costs of his representation.
Jared Beeler v. State of Indiana (NFP)
02A05-1002-CR-153
Criminal. Affirms sentence following guilty plea to Class C felony child molesting, Class C felony vicarious sexual gratification, and Class A felony attempted child molesting.
Indiana Tax Court had posted no opinions at IL deadline.
The Indiana Supreme Court granted one transfer and denied 11 for the week ending Nov. 12.
7th Circuit Court of Appeals
United States of America v. Rosalio Cruz-Rea and Zoyla Garcia-Rea
09-3591, 10-1355
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana, Evansville Division, Chief Judge Richard L. Young.
Criminal. Affirms convictions of and sentences of Cruz-Rea for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, and convictions of and sentences for Garcia-Rea for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine. The government didn’t abuse its discretion in determining that the government laid sufficient foundation for an officer’s voice identification testimony under Fed. Evid. Rule 901(b)(5). Affirms in all other respects.
The Indiana Court of Appeals used common law today to reverse a judgment in favor of a man suing his business partner for failing to contribute to guarantee payments.
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed drug convictions against two defendants, holding the lower court didn’t err in admitting a police officer’s voice identification testimony regarding one of the defendants.