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Justices establish ‘public interest privilege’ in defamation suit

A Vigo County Schools superintendent is protected from liability for defamation relating to comments he made in 2001 about an unidentified gunman who’d fired a shotgun at him, the Indiana Supreme Court has ruled.In a unanimous decision late Wednesday, the court followed what other states have done and adopted a public interest privilege for Indiana designed to protect certain communications for private citizens. The privilege ruling puts an end to the six-year defamation dispute involving comments Superintendent Daniel T. Tanoos made…

Court of Appeals in Franklin, Evansville on Thursday

The Court of Appeals will be on the road on Thursday, hearing cases in Franklin and Evansville. It will hear its 180th and 181st cases on the road since 2001 when the court began regularly hearing arguments at venues around the state.State v. Karl Jackson will be heard at Franklin College at 10 a.m. in the Branigin Room of the Napolitan Student Center. It marks the court ;s fifth visit to Franklin. The three-judge panel includes Chief Judge John G. Baker,…

Court dismisses INDOT appeal for not following procedure

The Indiana Department of Transportation and the State of Indiana had their appeal dismissed by the Court of Appeals today because of a technicality in following procedure.In Indiana Department of Transportation and State of Indiana v Robert Howard, et al., 49A05-0701-CV-36, the Court of Appeals dismissed and remanded INDOT’s appeal of the trial court’s denial of their motion for summary judgment because INDOT did not have an interlocutory order certified by the trial court and accepted by the Court of Appeals as…

Federal magistrate to retire

A federal magistrate judge in Indianapolis will step down from the bench in early December.U.S. District Magistrate Judge John Paul Godich in the Southern District announced this week plans to retire Dec. 6. This is his second retirement after leaving the federal court bench full time in 2001; he took recall status that year and continued working part time in a senior judge-type capacity.Judge Godich has served more than 34 years on the court, having been appointed Oct. 1, 1973 and…

ISBA adds 3 new memberships

The Indiana State Bar Association has approved three new membership categories, describing the recent additions as a way to have the entire legal community represented within its membership ranks.On June 30, the Board of Governors added the categories of law librarians, legal administrators, and court administrators as affiliate members. They join the paralegal class in that ranking, meaning the four professional groups can serve on committees or join sections, but they cannot vote on issues or hold office.”This is a natural…

First District to honor pro bono attorneys

Court of Appeals Judge Margret Robb will be the special guest at the First Judicial District Pro Bono Committee’s Fifth Annual Pro Bono Attorneys Night July 16. The event features a buffet supper and awards presentation from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Bennigan’s at the U.S. Steel Yard and a Gary RailCats baseball game against the Schaumberg Flyers at 7 p.m.The event honors volunteer lawyers from Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Jasper, Newton, Pulaski, and Starke counties. The Richard P. Komyatte “Access to…

Court rules on med mal statute of limitations

The Indiana Court of Appeals today reversed and remanded to Lake Circuit Court a medical malpractice case, holding that it is unconstitutional to apply the state statute’s “occurrence-based” nature to the man suing a surgeon.In Victor Herron v. Anthony A. Anigbo, M.D. http://www.in.gov/judiciary/opinions/pdf/05230712jsk.pdf , No. 45A03-0608-CV-378, the three-judge panel ruled the trial court erred in concluding that Herron’s discovery date allowed for sufficient knowledge to discover the malpractice.The suit stems from Herron’s fall outside his home and his admittance to a…

Public defenders could see change in St. Joseph County

The public defender system in St. Joseph County could be up for an overhaul as soon as July.County officials have given a favorable recommendation to ordinances revamping the system, action that comes on the heels of a presentation by Circuit Judge Michael Gotsch earlier this week. If the county council approves the measures at its June 12 meeting, the changes would take effect for the second half of the year.Under the proposal, the county could hire 10 more public defenders, which…

Judge: Parents must pay fees in frivolous suit

Two parents challenging a new school-uniform policy in Anderson lost their legal battle in August after a federal judge dismissed the case. This week, parents Laura and Scott Bell have been ordered to pay attorneys’ fees and court costs of approximately $40,931 to defendants Anderson Community Schools and the board of trustees.U.S. District Judge John D. Tinder issued the order Thursday, recounting reasons for ruling in favor of the school district four months ago and issuing a note of caution for…

Juvenile entitled to separate hearing

The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed a juvenile court judgment after ruling the court improperly incorporated the record of a child hearsay hearing into the fact-finding hearing. In L.H. v. State of Indiana, No. 49A04-0701-JV-45, L.H. appealed his conviction in juvenile court of child molesting, a Class C felony if committed by an adult, and battery, a Class B misdemeanor if committed by an adult. In 2006, the then 12-year-old was accused of inappropriately touching his 8-year-old cousin, A.H., over the course…

Second appellate judge vacancy nearing

Indiana Court of Appeals Judge John T. Sharpnack has officially announced his last day will be May 3, 2008, and the process to appoint a successor will begin in the coming weeks.Judge Sharpnack plans to stay on with the appellate court as a senior judge following his leaving the bench, which comes just days before his 75th birthday and mandatory retirement. He is the second appellate judge in a year to leave the court; Judge Patrick D. Sullivan ended a 38-year…

Court tosses property assessment suit

The Indiana Tax Court has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state’s property tax assessment system because the petitioning taxpayers didn’t exhaust their administrative options.Indiana Tax Judge Thomas G. Fisher ruled Nov. 9 in Mel Goldstein, et al. v. Indiana Department of Local Government Finance, et al., No. 49T10-0709-TA-45, which was brought by 14 taxpayers and 10 citizen groups from across the state.Indianapolis attorney John Price filed the suit in September on behalf taxpayers statewide pushing for tax reform,…

Court reverses motion-to-dismiss denial

The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed the denial of a defendant’s motion to dismiss because he was improperly subjected to successive prosecutions prohibited under Indiana Code 35-41-4-4. In Virgil Lee Haywood, Jr. v. State of Indiana, 48A02-0612-CR-1131, police approached Haywood after an alleged drunk-driving incident. Haywood’s child was in his car, and he smelled of alcohol and failed several field sobriety tests. Haywood struggled with police and kicked an officer in the leg while refusing to sit in the back a police…

Death penalty fairness discussed Sept. 26

Evaluating fairness and accuracy in state death penalty systems will be the topic of discussion on Sept. 26 at noon at Baker & Daniels, 300 N. Meridian St., Suite 2700, Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society will sponsor the talk, which is free and participants are welcome to bring a brown bag lunch. Drinks will be provided.The featured speakers are co-authors of “The Indiana Death Penalty Assessment Report” Joel Schumm and Paula Sites. Schumm is clinical associate…

Court rules on privatization, public bidding

The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled today that state officials violated the law by not adhering to the public bidding process when privatizing a Fort Wayne development center two years ago.In Anita Stuller, et al. v. Mitchell Daniels Jr., et al., 02A05-0601-CV-22, the court unanimously reversed and remanded the case to Allen Superior Judge Nancy Boyer with instructions to hold a hearing to determine if a preliminary injunction should be granted.The 27-page opinion points out that Judge Boyer misinterpreted a state…

Historical marker will commemorate slavery case

Anyone wanting a taste of how Indiana Supreme Court justices decided on slavery issues in the late 19th century can travel to northern Indiana next week.On Aug. 25, a state historical marker is being dedicated in recognition of Graves et al v. Indiana, which stemmed from the 1847 capture of a fugitive slave in Bristol and a later justice of the peace ruling that freed the slave. An Elkhart Circuit judge convicted the three men the following year for causing a…

Sex offender wants to return to his home

A convicted sex offender in Lafayette is asking a judge to allow him to move back to his home. The man, referred to as John Doe in court documents, is required to relocate because of a state law that took effect in 2006. The law prohibits sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a school, public park, or youth program center. The plaintiff was convicted of child molestation in 1988 and released from the Indiana Department of Corrections in 1992….

Lake County judgeship finalists forwarded to governor

Gov. Mitch Daniels is now considering three finalists for a Lake County judicial seat left open by the March death of Superior Judge Robert Pete.The Lake County Judicial Nominating Commission selected the finalists out of 23 attorneys vying for the spot and sent those names to the governor Wednesday. Finalists are: Lake Superior Court Magistrate Kathleen M. Belzeski; Calvin D. Hawkins, a U.S. bankruptcy trustee and an attorney in Gary; and Christina J. Miller, a former Lake Circuit Court magistrate and…

7th Circuit rules on police chase violations

Police chases do not violate the Fourth and 14th Amendments when the officers involved do not intentionally and forcibly halt the fleeing subject, according to a ruling today by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.