Midwife ordered to cease operations in wake of child’s death
A northwestern Indiana midwife accused of practicing without a license has been ordered to cease her work following a lawsuit by the state in the wake of the death of an unborn child.
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Health care headache: Ruling bars ISBA from offering insurance to solos, but leaders seek options
When the federal district court in Washington, D.C., ruled in a dispute over the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), Indiana State Bar Association president Todd Spurgeon heard the screech of a locomotive coming to sudden stop.
New laws take aim at those who post ‘revenge porn’
Two new Indiana laws are taking aim at people who post intimate images from previous or current relationships online without consent. The laws separately provide criminal charges against those who post “revenge porn” and civil remedies for those victimized by it.
Murder appeal among 18 rejected by Indiana justices
The Indiana Supreme Court declined to hear almost all of the appeals before it last week, but did accept two medical malpractice cases it consolidated for the clarification of preferred venue.
Big business to Supreme Court: Defend LGBTQ people from bias
More than 200 corporations, including many of America’s best-known companies, are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that federal civil rights law bans job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Civil forfeiture case back before Indiana justices on SCOTUS remand
For the third time in three years, Marion resident Tyson Timbs took his case before a Supreme Court. The man whose name became noted civil forfeiture caselaw said after arguments Friday, “I feel like I stand for something now.”
Land sale proceeds ordered released in long-running Bloomington dispute
The Monroe Circuit Court’s latest orders in a real estate dispute dating to 2002 were largely affirmed Friday, but the Indiana Court of Appeals ordered the trial court to release proceeds of a land sale that it had been retaining.
Divided Supreme Court upholds civil forfeiture reimbursement of law enforcement
The practice of diverting civil forfeiture proceeds away from the Common School Fund to reimburse law enforcement costs is constitutional under Article 8, Section 2 of the Indiana Constitution, the Indiana Supreme Court has ruled, answering the longstanding question of whether the constitution requires all forfeiture proceeds to go to the Common School Fund.
Justices: Principal office, not agent location, determines venue
A divided Indiana Supreme Court has determined that an organization’s principal office, not the location of its registered agent, is the appropriate preferred venue. The ruling in similar consolidated medical malpractice cases affirms one trial court and reverses another.
New trial ordered in suit over deadly propane explosion
An appellate panel has ordered a new trial in a negligence case arising after a propane tank explosion killed two people in Clinton County. The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled that admission of a verbatim hearsay opinion read into evidence by a defense expert witness was prejudicial to the deceased couple’s estate.
AG candidate calls for ‘principled, conservative’ leadership
The first candidate to announce for the Republican nomination for Indiana attorney general in the 2020 race is touting his private sector experience and is calling for “principled, conservative leadership” in the Office of the Attorney General.
IBM awarded post-judgment interest to 2017 in long-running dispute
In its second opinion issued in the years-long dispute between Indiana and IBM Corp. over the failed contract to create a new Hoosier welfare system, the Indiana Supreme Court has allowed IBM to collect post-judgment interest on its $49.5 million damages award. However, that interest will date back only to a 2017 judgment on remand, not the original judgment entered in the company’s favor in 2012, and only serves as an offset to the greater sum IBM owes the state.
Family of Indy legal startup founder sues Tesla over fatal 2016 crash
Survivors of the founder of the Indianapolis-based legal startup Case Pacer, who died after a fiery 2016 crash of a Tesla Model S, have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the electric car maker, claiming the company built and sold a vehicle it knew was defective.
Subpoena showdown: Congressional fights highlight differences from court processes
The back-and-forth between Congress and the Trump administration over subpoenas might seem like a telltale sign of the political tension dividing Washington, but it’s historically not that uncommon. Subpoena fights, however, are much less common in state and federal courts.
AG Hill accusers file harassment, retaliation lawsuit against him, state
Another chapter has been opened in the ongoing saga surrounding allegations that Attorney General Curtis Hill drunkenly groped four women at a bar more than a year ago. The four women, who up to this point have pursued action within the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, have now taken their complaint to the Southern Indiana District Court.
High court: Sex offender law doesn’t violate Constitution
The U.S. Supreme Court says Congress didn’t do anything improper when it gave the attorney general the ability to decide how to apply a sex offender registry law to more than 500,000 people convicted before the law was enacted.
Reversal: Insurance company has no duty to indemnify homeowner after child’s accident
An insurance company will not have to defend a man being sued for negligence after a toddler was injured on his property because the toddler was exempt from coverage under the man’s insurance policy, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled.
Ruling for IU in black student’s discrimination suit upheld
A 7th Circuit Court of Appeals panel affirmed the denial of a black student’s discrimination suit against Indiana University, finding no abuse of discretion in resolving discovery disputes regarding her classmate’s demographics.
SCOTUS sides with Virginia in uranium mining ban case
The United States Supreme Court sided with the state of Virginia on Monday, finding nothing improper about its decades-old ban on mining radioactive uranium. The ruling leaves in place the commonwealth’s prohibition on mining the largest uranium deposit in the United States.
Hill accusers describe ‘retaliatory hostile work environment’ in federal complaint
Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is being sued in federal court by four women who say he drunkenly groping them during a party last year. The women, including an Indiana lawmaker, say their aim is to ensure all individuals working in and around the Indiana Statehouse are able to perform their jobs and pursue their careers free from sexual harassment, gender discrimination and retaliation for reporting such situations.