Justices rule for firefighters claiming age discrimination
The Supreme Court has decided unanimously that local governments with small workforces must comply with a federal law against age discrimination.
Court opinions
Articles
Mom in wheelchair loses ADA access appeal against school district
A Warrick County woman who uses a wheelchair and was unable to attend her son’s school Christmas concert two years in a row lost her argument of discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act after it was determined the concert was not provided by the school corporation.
Justices hear NIPSCO industrial users’ rate hike appeal
The Indiana Supreme Court heard oral argument Thursday morning on a utility rate increase case, hearing a northern Indiana utility industrial group’s appeal over whether a reversal of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission’s application of its own settlement orders conflicted with a prior settlement.
Justices: Mineral-rich property transfers improper in trust case
A bitter dispute between stepsiblings — including a woman who was written out of her inheritance of mineral-rich property — has resulted in the Indiana Supreme Court ruling that a decades-old transfer of the land to her stepbrother was improper.
Valpo attorney suspended for failing to refund unperformed work
A Valparaiso attorney who neglected a client’s appeal and failed to refund a fee paid for his unperformed service has been suspended from the practice of law in Indiana for 90 days and cannot be reinstated until he pays full restitution.
Court reverses judgment for buyer in soured land-sale deal
A Marion Superior judge clearly erred in excluding a contract as evidence, then wrongly ruled for the defendant in a lawsuit arising from a home sale agreement she backed out of, the Indiana Court of Appeals determined Friday.
Unemployment benefits upheld for man who resigned after threatened demotion
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the grant of unemployment benefits to a man who voluntarily resigned from his job after being told he would be demoted, finding the man’s employer failed to provide evidence as to why it wanted to demote him.
Summary judgment for law firm in legal malpractice case reversed
The Indiana Court of Appeals has reversed and remanded summary judgment for an Indianapolis law firm in a legal malpractice case after finding a question of fact as to whether an auto company had a reasonable belief that its attorney was acting as an agent for the law firm.
Justices: Proven misuse a defense to product liability claims
The Indiana Supreme Court has upheld the grant of summary judgment to a tool manufacturer sued after a man lost his eye while using one of the manufacturer’s products, finding the man’s misuse of the tool in question was the cause of his injuries and was a complete defense to his product liability claim.
Appellate court upholds $256K award for man acquitted of theft
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed an award of more than $250,000 to a man falsely accused of theft after finding that the man’s accuser was not entitled to summary judgment based on qualified privilege and that the award was not excessive.
Probation revocation petition after term ended affirmed
A man convicted of a misdemeanor marijuana offense must face the prospect of revocation of his probation even though the state didn’t file a petition until after his term of probation expired.
Weepy wedding guest gets conviction affirmed
Just about everybody cries at weddings, but a woman arrested while driving home from a marriage ceremony was unable to convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that the tears she shed “by the second” in the back of the police cruiser falsely elevated the concentration of alcohol in her breath.
COA: Marijuana grinder not ‘paraphernalia’ under statute
A misdemeanor paraphernalia charge against a man found with a marijuana grinder in his car has been overturned after the Indiana Court of Appeals determined the grinder did not constitute “paraphernalia” under the applicable statute.
COA upholds dismissal of adoption petition after ‘fraud on the court’
The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld a trial court ruling setting aside a Lawrence County adoption, finding the child’s mother and grandfather committed fraud on the court by falsely claiming they did not know who the child’s biological father was in an effort to allow the grandfather to adopt the child.
COA: Angry shopper wrongly convicted of resisting
A Kroger shopper upset by the store’s refusal to cash her check without ID became disorderly and refused to leave, but the evidence against her did not support her conviction of resisting law enforcement, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday.
COA orders summary judgment for insurance company after postal worker’s death
The Indiana Court of Appeals has ordered the entry of summary judgment for an insurance company after finding that although the airbrushing business the company insures made multiple mistakes that led to the death of a postal worker, those mistakes resulted in only one accident.
COA reverses incest, child molesting convictions after double jeopardy violation
The Indiana Court of Appeals partially reversed a man’s conviction for child molesting and incest when it found a double jeopardy violation in the convictions.
Inmate who dressed as old woman, carried urine into court loses appeal of denial of pro se rights
A Marion County defendant whose right to proceed pro se was terminated after a judge determined his physical state precluded him from doing so has lost his appeal of that termination, with the Indiana Court of Appeals finding the man used his illness to try to influence the court and jury.
Reversal: Officers entitled to qualified immunity after inmate death
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a grant of judgment in favor of a deceased inmate’s estate, finding two officers who placed the inmate in a cell while he was intoxicated were entitled to qualified immunity.
COA upholds mixed sentences for murder, attempted murder convictions
A Lake County man sentenced to an aggregate 225 years lost his pro se appeal after the Indiana Court of Appeals determined his sentence, which included a mix of terms running consecutively and concurrently, did not violate state statute,