Dreyer: ‘The future ain’t what it used to be’
When Yogi said “the future ain’t what it used to be,” he was talking about uncertain times to come. So what is the future of the legal system?
Civil Case
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Courts as conveners: Task force led by Rush releases recommendations for judicial response to opioid crisis
The National Judicial Opioid Task Force was created in 2017 to delve into ways the judiciary could get a handle on the opioid crisis. Co-chaired by Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush, the task force’s work culminated late last month in the release of a report that includes four findings and six recommendations for how courts can respond to the current drug scourge and be better prepared for the next addiction crisis.
Indiana petitions SCOTUS to block South Bend abortion clinic
The state of Indiana has asked the nation’s highest court to reverse a ruling that permitted a South Bend abortion clinic to open its doors earlier this year after a year-long licensing battle.
Entrepreneurial endeavor: New Indianapolis law firm thinks like a startup
Like the entrepreneurs they represent, the three lawyers who recently formed JBJ Legal — Kimberly Jeselskis, B.J. Brinkerhoff and Hannah Kaufman Joseph — got restless working for someone else. Befitting their entrepreneurial spirit, the three have leveraged technology and capitalized on modern-day office concepts in starting their firm.
Rent-to-own housing lawsuit settlement comes at a cost
Although the legal battle with rent-to-own housing company Casas Baratas Aqui ended with what the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana calls a “groundbreaking resolution that will have national impact,” the bitterness and damage invoked by the defendants’ counterclaims continues to rankle both sides in the litigation.
AG Hill once again moves to dismiss accusers’ civil case
Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is reviving his efforts to have a discrimination and retaliation lawsuit against him and the state dismissed, also filing motions this month asking a federal judge to stay all discovery.
Med-mal claim reinstated against Bloomington nurse practitioner
A ruling that favored a Bloomington nurse practitioner was reversed Thursday after the Indiana Court of Appeals found a question remained about whether she had provided health care to a patient just days before he suffered from cardiac arrest.
7th Circuit affirms for Marion County sheriff in disability dispute
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed on Friday a grant of summary judgment to the Marion County Sheriff’s Department in an employment discrimination dispute with an ex-deputy who claims she was harassed by co-workers because of her disability.
Litz & Eaton co-founder facing three lawsuits, including one from his former partner
Three new lawsuits have been filed against one of the co-founders of floundering Indianapolis residential development firm Litz & Eaton — including one suit that could tee up a legal fight with his former business partner.
Supreme Court weighs whether Mexican family can sue in US
The Supreme Court’s left-leaning justices on Tuesday appeared willing to allow a lawsuit filed by the parents of a Mexican teenager shot over the border by an American agent, but the case will depend on whether they can persuade a conservative colleague to join them.
Marion Superior reminds lawyers to not monopolize hearings
Indianapolis attorney Fred Pfenninger is baffled and slightly miffed about the Marion Superior Court imposing a limit of roughly 15 cases per law firm per supplemental hearing. But James Joven, presiding judge of the Civil Term for Marion Superior Courts, said the limitation on the number of filings has been in place for several years.
‘Precedent setting settlement’ ends rent-to-own housing lawsuit
A legal fight over a rent-to-buy real estate business that included the landlord hitting back and filing a counterclaim for defamation against the plaintiffs ended Friday with the parties reaching a settlement that, among other provisions, requires the defendants pay nearly $400,000 plus attorney fees.
Justices steer defective dump-truck suit back to trial court
A lawsuit alleging an Indianapolis manufacturer delivered dozens of defective dump trucks in 2005 has taken a U-turn back to the trial court after the Indiana Supreme Court found it could not grant summary judgment sought by the truck builder in litigation brought against it by the truck buyers.
Supreme Court lets Sandy Hook shooting lawsuit go forward
The United States Supreme Court said Tuesday a survivor and relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting can pursue their lawsuit against the maker of the rifle used to kill 26 people.
‘Irritated’ judge again ordered to make immigration findings for teen girl
The Indiana Court of Appeals has ordered a southern Indiana judge for the second time to make required findings regarding the immigration status of a teen girl originally from Guatemala, this time spelling out those findings for the jurist who refused to do so.
Abortion parental notification law possibly headed for SCOTUS after 7th Circuit denial
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals will not revisit a prior ruling that upheld an injunction on an Indiana law requiring “mature minors” to notify their parents before they have an abortion, setting the case up for a possible trip to the United States Supreme Court.
Divided COA lets man stay in disputed final resting place
A man mistakenly buried at a gravesite that had already been sold to another individual will continue to rest in peace after the Indiana Court of Appeals declined to order the cemetery to exhume the man and relocate his grave. A dissenting judge, however, said Indiana statute and legal principles require the cemetery to correct the “wrongful entombment.”
Indiana logs on to Facebook investigation
The Indiana Attorney General’s office is among the 47 nationwide that have joined a multistate antitrust investigation into Facebook, focusing on the social media giant’s dominance in the industry and the potential for anticompetitive conduct.
Indiana Supreme Court weighs blinded West Virginia delegate’s case
Indiana’s Supreme Court is weighing whether to take up a lawsuit by West Virginia Del. Eric Porterfield over a 2006 parking lot brawl that left him blinded years before he was elected to office.
Madison schools must face injured student’s suit, COA rules
Madison Consolidated Schools on Wednesday lost an appeal of a summary judgment denial in a lawsuit brought by a former student who was injured in a school bus crash.