Articles

Judges: disparagement provision not violated

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.

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SCOTUS mulling the future of class-action suits

Defense and plaintiffs attorneys alike have their eyes on the Supreme Court of the United States, which has before it a case that some say could spell the end to class-action lawsuits in the name of contractual arbitration.

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Justices address economic loss rule in 2 opinions

In two separate rulings involving the “economic loss rule,” the Indiana Supreme Court ruled against a library
seeking to hold subcontractors and an engineer responsible for negligence, and in favor of a bank in its tort claim against
a title company.

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Justices answer certified question

The Indiana Supreme Court Monday answered the certified question sent to them by the U.S. District Court in New York about
what standard should be applied in determining whether a director is “disinterested” under Indiana Code Section
23-1-32-4(d).

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Appeals court rules on corporate subsidiaries case

The Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled against a Bluffton electric company, finding that corporations can’t simply create
subsidiaries internally and declare them separate entities in order to avoid paying higher tax rates under state unemployment
compensation law.

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Judges differ in non-compete agreement case

In a legal dispute regarding a non-compete agreement, the Indiana Court of Appeals judges disagreed as to whether the agreement could be enforced if the former employee's clients voluntarily left and contacted him to continue to be their accountant.

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Inaugural meeting to feature Secretary of State

The Lake County Bar Association’s inaugural meeting of the business law section will feature Secretary of State Todd Rokita speaking about issues of interest to the business bar.Liz Keele from Indiana Secretary of State’s office and Indianapolis attorney Rich Thrapp, chairman of the Business Law Survey Commission, will also speak. The meeting will be from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. CST, Jan. 30 at Teibel’s, Route 30, Schererville.One hour of CLE credit is pending. The lunch is open to LCBA members…

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Law firms strut their mutts, names

A handful of law firms made their way to the Indianapolis Humane Society’s annual Mutt Strut on Sunday, showing off some clever team names and getting some exercise with their pets.Unofficial figures show that about 4,000 pet owners came to the 2008 event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including seven teams from Indianapolis law firms. Those firms were:•Baker & Daniels – Baker’s Dozen•Barnes & Thornburg – Barnes & Terrier•Bingham McHale – Bingham Bulldogs•Findling Garau Germano & Pennington – The Tails of…

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Bingham McHale forms economic development affiliate

Indianapolis law firm Bingham McHale has created its own independently operated and managed affiliate focused on economic development relating to site-selection analysis, incentive procurement and fulfillment, and community development and planning. The firm announced today the formation of Bingham Economic Development Advisors LLC (BEDA), recruiting five professionals from Carmel consulting firm Ginovus LLC. Leaving Ginovus late last week were Jay Walters, Jenny Massey, Suzanne Davis, Linda Williamson, and Sara McGoun, according to the law firm.The new Bingham McHale practice will be…

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Former lawmaker, public defender champion dies

A former state senator who’d served the legal community as a public defender and lobbyist for the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association has died.Robert Hellmann, D-Terre Haute, died late last week at his home after a yearlong battle with cancer. He was 60.Once minority leader in the Indiana Senate, Hellman had been a part of state government since the early 1980s. He was a member of the House of Representatives for four years before being elected to the Senate in 1986, where…

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