COA: lawyer-client privilege protects information
A defendant's belief that his right to seek exculpatory evidence trumps the attorney-client privilege is incorrect, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled today.
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Justices disagree about evidence issue
Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard didn't agree with his colleagues' decision that a defendant couldn't introduce evidence to dispute the judgment of an injured plaintiff's medical providers in choosing certain treatment.
Judges uphold child pornography sentence
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found no procedural or substantive errors in a sentence following a man's guilty plea to a child pornography charge. In United States of America v. Brad Coopman, No. 09-2134, Brad Coopman challenged his sentence of 151 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to […]
High court clarifies preliminary injunction issue
The Indiana Supreme Court issued an opinion today explaining its reasoning for granting a permanent writ of mandamus last year against Clark Circuit Court.
Couple not a ‘successful party’ in settlement
Despite a lack of Indiana caselaw addressing the use of the term "successful party" for an award of attorney
fees after a settlement, the Indiana Court of Appeals deemed the term interchangeable with the term "prevailing party."
Mistake invalidates termination of dad’s rights
A father's consent to voluntarily terminate his parental rights so his sister could adopt his daughter was invalidated by misrepresentations made by a family case manager for the Department of Child Services. As such, the father's petition to set aside the judgment should have been granted, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled today.
7th Circuit addresses post-trial factual stipulation
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals addressed an issue of first impression today about whether a District Court may disregard a post-trial factual stipulation between the defendant and the government regarding the amount of drugs for sentencing purposes.
Judges disagree on retroactive support issue
In a matter of first impression, a panel of Indiana Court of Appeals judges couldn't agree on whether an initial support order can be retroactive to a date preceding the filing of a petition for resolution. The judges disagreed as to whether a court has the authority to reach into an intact marriage and order a party to pay child support to the other.
Appeals court split on parol evidence issue
Judges on the Indiana Court of Appeals were split on whether a boss's oral promise to a future employee regarding a severance package would be barred from consideration by the parol evidence rule.
COA discusses jury-selection procedures
Despite being sensitive to a defendant's concerns about having no African-Americans included in his jury pool, the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed his felony convictions of altering an original identification number and auto theft.
Judges split on duty owed to injured teen
A majority on the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed summary judgment for a golf course, golf scramble organizers, and golfer in a teenager's suit after she was hit with a golf ball. Today's decision also expanded language from a previous ruling involving the duty to prevent injury to sports participants to now include sporting event volunteers.
COA: No presumption of undue influence
A 2005 amendment to Indiana Code sets aside the common law presumption of undue influence with respect to certain transactions
benefiting an attorney in fact, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled today on an issue of first impression.
Justices decide statute, court rule issue
Even if a court rule is no longer relevant and an underlying state statute has been removed from the books, the Indiana Supreme Court says it still applies and must be followed until the justices revisit it themselves or say otherwise.
Justices abandon ‘mere possession’ rule
The Indiana Supreme Court's decision Thursday abandoned the "mere possession rule" when it comes to convictions of theft and receiving stolen property and restored the state's original view that the possession of recently stolen property should be considered with other evidence in the case.
Prior misconduct negates self-defense claim
Evidence of a defendant's prior alleged domestic violence incidents against his ex-wife shouldn't have been admitted to explain the ex-wife's animosity toward him, the Indiana Court of Appeals concluded today. However, the evidence was admissible because it was relevant to prove the ex-husband's motive to commit the domestic violence he was charged with in the instant case.
Judges affirm rulings in Iraq name-selling case
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the District Court's decisions in the appeals by the central Indiana man who tried
to sell the names of CIA agents working covertly in Iraq shortly before the U.S. invaded the country in 2003.
COA reverses 4 attempted robbery convictions
The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed four convictions of attempted robbery after finding the evidence didn't support a reasonable inference that the defendant intended to rob each of the alleged victims.
Justices rule on casino land-ownership dispute
A land-ownership dispute about an Ohio River riverboat-casino docking site is the subject of an Indiana Supreme Court ruling today, touching on land deeds from the 1800s and who had the right to use and give away ownership of less than an acre of land.
Majority affirms conviction despite no witnesses
An appellate judge dissented from the majority's decision to uphold a woman's conviction of operating a car after her driving privileges had been forfeited for life, finding that confirming her conviction would break from precedent.
FMLA leave doesn’t accrue hours for benefits
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed an Indiana District judge's decision that an employee on family medical
leave doesn't accrue those hours for benefits and can be fired for violating attendance policies.