7th Circuit affirms denial of railroad disability benefits
A railroad worker treated in Indiana for years for back injuries and pain failed to convince the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals he was entitled to federal disability benefits.
Court opinions
Articles
Justices find nature of murders supports death penalty
A Gary man who shot and killed his wife and her two children at close range will remain on death row, the Indiana Supreme Court concluded Wednesday.
Man’s life without parole sentence upheld
There is sufficient evidence to affirm a Fulton County man’s sentence of life without parole for his connection in the murder of an elderly woman during a home invasion, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.
Double jeopardy requires reversal of 1 of prisoner’s convictions
An inmate in the Miami Correctional Facility scored a partial victory before the Indiana Supreme Court Tuesday. The justices reversed one of his convictions for battering a correctional officer, but declined to reduce his eight-year sentence.
7th Circuit again denies Notre Dame’s request for injunction in contraception suit
A month after rehearing the University of Notre Dame’s request for a preliminary injunction that it need not comply with the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals again affirmed the denial of the school’s request.
Indiana judge weighs fate of BMV overcharges case
A judge is weighing the fate of a lawsuit targeting the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles after he heard arguments Monday in the case alleging that the BMV overcharged motorists by tens of millions of dollars for fees and services.
Failure to buckle a seatbelt cannot be used to prove contributory negligence
The city of Fort Wayne will not be able to present evidence at trial that an injured passenger in a traffic accident was not wearing a seatbelt. The Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled that a violation of the state’s Seatbelt Act may not be used to prove contributory negligence.
Former Lake County clerk given 4-year suspension
The former clerk of Lake County who used federal funds to pay himself bonuses has been suspended from the practice of law after the Indiana Supreme Court found he had betrayed the public’s trust and violated both his oath of office and of attorneys.
Justices author dissents in appeal denials
The Indiana Supreme Court won’t hear two cases in which justices felt compelled to write dissents arguing why they believed toxic-litigation and marital estate distribution appeals should be heard.
Supreme Court voids Maryland tax similar to Indiana tax
The Supreme Court of the United States on Monday struck down a Maryland tax that has the effect of double-taxing income residents earned in other states.
Police immune from lawsuit over arrest of mentally ill woman
The Supreme Court of the United States ruled Monday that police are immune from a lawsuit arising from the arrest and shooting of a mentally ill woman in San Francisco.
Property owners have no duty for tenant’s free-running dog
Although the landlords provided the means to restrain the tenant’s dog, they are not responsible for the injuries a motorcyclist sustained when the pooch dashed into the road and caused an accident.
Justices make it easier to sue over 401(k) plans
The Supreme Court of the United States ruled unanimously Monday in favor of participants in employee retirement plans who object to companies’ investment decisions that eat into retirement savings.
SCOTUS: Convicted felons can sell their guns
A unanimous Supreme Court of the United States ruled Monday that the government can’t prevent a convicted felon who is barred from possessing firearms from trying to sell his guns after they are confiscated by authorities.
Admission of recording is harmless error
A recording of a victim’s conversation with friends should not have been admitted into evidence at trial, but the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled it was a harmless error.
Tax Court affirms Zionsville office assessment
The Indiana Tax Court on Thursday affirmed the real estate assessment of an office building on Zionsville’s Main Street in Boone County.
COA: Rapper’s brokered peace treaty irrelevant in murder case
A rapper convicted as an accomplice in the murder of Indianapolis disc jockey Thomas Keys failed on appeal to show his brokering of a peace treaty between rival rap groups was wrongly excluded from evidence in his trial.
Justices acquit two involved in fistfight turned fatal
An Indianapolis teen and another man convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison for their roles in a planned beatdown that ended with a fatal gunshot will be freed after the Indiana Supreme Court reversed their convictions and ordered them acquitted.
Divided Supreme Court declines to take med mal case
The Indiana Supreme Court by a vote of 3-2 decided this week to not take the case of a man who sued for medical malpractice those who treated his now-deceased wife. The lower court and Court of Appeals found no existence of a physician-patient relationship between the on-call hospital specialist and the wife, the issue that caused two justices to dissent.
Justices adopt ‘any insurance’ approach in subrogation dispute
Deciding an issue of first impression stemming from a fire that heavily damaged the Jefferson County courthouse in 2009, the Indiana Supreme Court on Wednesday decided Indiana should follow the “any insurance” approach in deciding when property owners waive subrogation rights in certain cases. In doing so, the justices rejected the “work versus non-work” approach that the Court of Appeals has used.