Humvee maker wins $27.9M judgment against supplier
A supplier of armored doors for Humvees made for the military overcharged the manufacturer, a federal judge ruled Monday, awarding South Bend-based AM General LLC a $27.9 million judgment.
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Evidence doesn’t show existence of family housing complex at time of crime
The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed a man’s Class A felony conviction for dealing cocaine within 1,000 feet of a family housing complex because the state didn’t prove the complex qualified as family housing under the law at the time of the offense.
Keeping death certification accessible is ‘victory for the public’
Both the Hoosier State Press Association and the Indiana attorney general are applauding the Indiana Supreme Court’s ruling Tuesday that cause of death information is public.
Unanimous Supreme Court holds death certificates are public records
Taking what it called a “plain reading” of the state statute, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled death certificates which include the cause of death are public records and should be available to anyone who requests access.
7th Circuit rules against insurer in jurisdiction dispute
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a federal court judgment in favor of an insurer after the insurer’s motion to intervene in a state court lawsuit on the same matter was denied. The federal court incorrectly determined the state court did not have jurisdiction over an injured worker’s lawsuit.
Mother loses custody after COA rules trial court had jurisdiction
A mother’s argument that the trial court did not have jurisdiction to grant full custody of her daughter to the girl’s father did not convince the Indiana Court of Appeals, which found an agreement between the parents gave the court jurisdiction.
Accomplice in jewelry store robbery loses sentence appeal
The 45-year sentence imposed on an accomplice in a jewelry store robbery was affirmed by the Indiana Court of Appeals Tuesday, even though the crime to which he pleaded guilty is now punishable by a maximum sentence of 20 years.
Officer’s meth-exposure claims untangled by appeals court
The Indiana Court of Appeals rules an injured city policeman must exhaust workers’ comp remedies before turning to the injured-on-duty statute.
Judge: Yorktown’s door-to-door soliciting restriction unconstitutional
Yorktown’s ordinance forbidding door-to-door canvassing before or after daylight hours is unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled.
Appeals court affirms rejection of YouTube defamation claims
The sister-in-law of a Boston woman who disappeared in 1981 and whose body was found buried in Massachusetts nine years later lost a defamation appeal Friday stemming from comments to a YouTube video she posted about the case.
Appeals court affirms disbarred attorney’s convictions
The South Bend attorney who was disbarred in 2010 and convicted of forgery in 2013 lost his appeal before the Indiana Court of Appeals Thursday.
Defendant’s breach of plea agreement allows state to back out
The Indiana Court of Appeals addressed an issue of first impression Thursday: whether the state can withdraw from a plea agreement after the trial court has accepted it. The state was allowed to withdraw its agreement with a defendant after the man refused to testify at his co-conspirator’s trial, which was part of the deal.
Judge concerned remonstrators may not have enough time to ask for a stay
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the annexation by the city of Martinsville of approximately 3,000 acres, finding the remonstrators’ appeal is moot because they did not ask for a stay of the annexation approval. But one judge had concerns that municipality clerks may be able to make an annexation final before remonstrators have enough time to consider requesting a stay.
Judge tosses suit over IU student’s disappearance
A federal judge has thrown out the lawsuit filed by the parents of an Indiana University student last seen more than three years ago against two men who were with her the night she vanished.
Court must reconsider man’s request for credit time
A trial court mistakenly believed it could not award educational credit time to a man serving his sentence on home detention, so the Indiana Court of Appeals ordered the court to re-evaluate his petition.
Justices order $7,025 credit applied for father’s arrearage
In a per curiam decision released Wednesday, the Indiana Supreme Court accepted a case involving owed child support and ordered the father be credited for more than $7,000 seized from his bank account for the arrearage.
Justices reverse COA, reinstate ex-teacher’s attempted seduction charge
A former high school teacher must face a charge of attempted child seduction for Facebook communications propositioning a 16-year-old student for sex, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, reinstating a case the Court of Appeals had dismissed.
JQC files charges against judge following OWI arrest in Kentucky
The Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications filed one count against a southern Indiana town court judge who was arrested and pleaded guilty to operating while intoxicated in Louisville, Kentucky.
Supreme Court tells judges how to deal with prolific, abusive litigants
The Indiana Supreme Court released a per curiam decision Tuesday dismissing the appeal of a man described as a “prolific, abusive litigant” based on the 123 cases he has filed in state court throughout Indiana. In its opinion, the justices also provide guidance to trial courts on how to deal with abusive and vexatious litigation practices.
Court properly denied grandmother visitation rights
A trial court properly ruled on a case as a petition for grandparent visitation, not as a modification of already established visitation, the Indiana Court of Appeals held Tuesday. The judges affirmed the denial of a paternal grandmother’s request for visitation.