Opinions Aug. 23, 2023
Court of Appeals of Indiana
Pink Allen Robinson v. State of Indiana
22A-PC-1102
Post-conviction. Affirms the denial of Pink Allen Robinson’s change-of-judge motion. Finds the post-conviction court did not clearly err.
Court of Appeals of Indiana
Pink Allen Robinson v. State of Indiana
22A-PC-1102
Post-conviction. Affirms the denial of Pink Allen Robinson’s change-of-judge motion. Finds the post-conviction court did not clearly err.
A teen’s placement in the Department of Correction for a “relatively minor” juvenile offense was erroneous, the Court of Appeals has ruled, finding a juvenile court did not sufficiently explore less restrictive options.
Court of Appeals of Indiana
Gareth Sylvester Earl Jones v. State of Indiana
22A-CR-2661
Criminal. Affirms Gareth Jones’ convictions of Level 1 burglary resulting in serious bodily injury and Level 5 robbery, and his 40-year aggregate sentence. Finds the Clark Circuit Court did not abuse its discretion in the admission and exclusion of evidence. Also finds the state presented sufficient evidence to support the convictions. Finally, finds the sentence is not inappropriate.
A man convicted of breaking into an elderly woman’s home and severely beating her could not convince the Court of Appeals of Indiana that his felony convictions or sentence should be overturned.
An insurance company is not contractually required to cover losses related to a class-action lawsuit filed in Taiwan, the Court of Appeals of Indiana affirmed Tuesday.
Court of Appeals of Indiana
The Estate of Joyce Gillette and Kathryn Gillette v. Franciscan Alliance, Inc., Physician On Duty – St. Francis, Chris Hyman, and John Doe Employees of St. Francis (mem. dec.)
22A-CT-1625
Civil tort. Affirms Marion Superior Court’s order granting summary judgment to the defendants. Finds that because the designated evidence shows the defendants did not render life-prolonging care in the face of a valid refusal, they cannot be liable for medical battery.
Court of Appeals of Indiana
Vincent S. Horns v. State of Indiana
22A-CR-2813
Criminal. Affirms Vincent Horns’ convictions of Level 6 leaving the scene of an accident and Level 6 obstruction of justice, and his aggregate sentence of four years. Finds the evidence was sufficient to support Horns’ convictions in the Hendricks Circuit Court. Also finds the sentence is not inappropriate.
A man convicted of setting fire to his sister’s property failed to convince the Court of Appeals of Indiana that the trial court erred in denying his request for a mistrial or in admitting “silent witness” evidence.
Court of Appeals of Indiana
Kenneth R. Kirby, III v. State of Indiana
22A-CR-2917
Criminal. Affirms Kenneth Kirby III’s conviction of Level 4 felony arson. Finds the Vanderburgh Circuit Court did not abuse its discretion in denying Kirby’s motion to dismiss or in admitting testimony regarding the substance of a surveillance camera video recording that was not offered into evidence. Also finds the state presented sufficient evidence to support Kirby’s conviction.
A trial court did not violate a convicted child molester’s rights with its jury instructions or abuse its discretion by imposing probation conditions that limit the man’s contact with children, the Court of Appeals of Indiana affirmed Thursday.
Mail-order access to a drug used in the most common form of abortion in the U.S. would end under a federal appeals court ruling issued Wednesday that cannot take effect until the Supreme Court weighs in.
Court of Appeals of Indiana
Kevin Martin v. J. Harvill, et al. (mem. dec.)
23A-CT-416
Civil tort. Affirms the LaPorte Superior Court’s dismissal of Kevin Martin’s complaint. Finds Martin’s arguments are too poorly developed for review.
On June 29, the U.S. Supreme Court clarified the “undue hardship” standard that allows employers to reject some employees’ requests for a religious accommodation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Read the latest Indiana appellate court decisions from the most recent reporting period.
Indiana’s requirement for political independents and minor-party candidates to obtain ballot access via petition — a process estimated to cost roughly $500,000 — is not unconstitutional, a federal judge has ruled.
Tuesday opinions
Court of Appeals of Indiana
Derek Fingers v. Robert Carter, et al. (mem. dec.)
23A-PL-132
Civil plenary. Affirms the LaPorte Superior Court’s summary judgment in favor of Robert Carter and others. Finds there is no genuine issue of material fact that Derek Fingers failed to exhaust his administrative remedies prior to bringing his cause of action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Also finds the trial court properly concluded that his claims are barred.
Monday opinions
Court of Appeals of Indiana
Shane Willingham v. Anderson Center
23A-CT-459
Civil tort. Affirms the dismissal of Shane Willingham’s complaint. Finds the Madison Circuit Court did not err in granting Anderson Center’s motion to dismiss and dismissing without prejudice. Also finds Willingham’s claim is a medical malpractice claim and falls under the Indiana Medical Malpractice Act.
Court of Appeals of Indiana
L.T. Garrett v. Nissan of Lafayette, LLC
22A-CT-2583
Civil tort. Reverses the Bartholomew Circuit Court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of Nissan of Lafayette. Orders the trial court to vacate that judgment. Rejects Nissan of Lafayette’s cross-appeal contending that the trial court erred when it declined to rule that a set of requests for admission should be deemed admitted. Finds the designated evidence is insufficient to allow the trial court to conclude that Garrett’s reliance on the verbal representations of the dealership was unreasonable as a matter of law. Remands the case for further proceedings.
A man whose motions to change the judge in his post-conviction relief case have been denied failed to demonstrate the judge would be biased against him, the Court of Appeals of Indiana has ruled in affirming a lower court’s decision.
The Court of Appeals of Indiana has ordered a trial court to award attorney fees to a woman who successfully fought her neighbor’s nuisance claim.