Articles

First impression for habitual offender statute

In an issue of first impression, the Indiana Court of Appeals had to decide whether a defendant's prior conviction for conspiracy to deal in cocaine qualified as a conviction for dealing in cocaine under the state's habitual offender statute.

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Judges disagree as how to review sentence

A panel of Indiana Court of Appeals judges affirmed today that a defendant's sentence following a guilty plea wasn't inappropriate, but the judges didn't agree as to how to reach that conclusion.

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Hearing didn’t consider all statutory factors

In a modification of physical custody case, the Indiana Court of Appeals remanded for further proceedings because the trial court was required to hear evidence on and consider all of the factors listed in Indiana Code Section 31-17-2.2-1(b).

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High court addresses Protected Person Statute

Addressing for the first time under the current Rules of Evidence a case regarding a protected person testifying at trial as well as by videotape or other statement, the Indiana Supreme Court held that if the statements are consistent and both are otherwise admissible, testimony of a protected person can't be presented both in open court and in a pre-recorded statement through the Protected Person Statute.

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Judges disagree on statute’s constitutionality

In an issue with great relevance given today's advances in technology and social networking, the Indiana Court of Appeals concluded someone who uses a computer to download an electronic image and save it on a CD doesn't "create" a digitalized image under the child-exploitation statute.

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Indiana order doesn’t modify Florida order

The Indiana Supreme Court affirmed that a Vanderburgh Superior Court's order requiring a father to pay less than the full amount of a Florida support obligation, which allowed him to avoid incarceration, didn't impermissibly modify the foreign judgment.

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COA rules on re-registration of offenders

Two sex offenders serving or who had completed their 10-year registration period shouldn't have been required to re-register for another 10-year period after being convicted of any other crime, the Indiana Court of Appeals concluded today.

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High court rules on landlord-tenant dispute

Landlords must refund a security deposit and can't get money back for property damage if they don't adequately or timely notify tenants about those claims, but landlords can still recover unpaid rent and other losses, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled today.

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Apartment creates issue of first impression

In an issue of first impression, the Indiana Tax Court decided housing owned by a non-profit that receives governmental subsidies to rent to low- and moderate-income people at below-market rates is not property used for a charitable purpose.

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Suit based on church-member letter may go on

A letter written by a church member and circulated through another member's work e-mail address contains some allegedly defamatory statements that can be considered secular, so a suit for defamation and invasion of privacy could continue on those statements, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled today.

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Insurer’s policy breach a case of first impression

In a case of first impression for state courts, the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed a jury verdict against an insurance company in a breach of contract case, ruling the insured's failure to repair his building following a fire was the fault of the insurance company. In Rockford Mutual Insurance Co. v. Terrey E. Pirtle, No. […]

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Court remands custody case for new hearing

Although all three Indiana Court of Appeals judges came to conclusion that the trial court should revisit its order to grant full custody of a child to her abusive father, the judges differed as how the trial court should have approached the matter.

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Worker’s suicide fails chain of causation test

A widow’s request for workers’ compensation benefits of her deceased husband can’t be granted because his death at work was caused by a knowingly self-inflicted injury, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled today. The woman failed to satisfy the chain of causation test in trying to prove an initial work-related event led to her husband’s death.

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Court reverses conviction over letter

A man's convictions of criminal mischief and operating while intoxicated were reversed by the Indiana Court of Appeals because a letter he wrote while trying to negotiate a plea agreement – which was rejected – shouldn't have been admitted at his trial.

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‘Fireman’s rule’ prevents officer from filing suit

The "fireman's rule" doesn't allow a professional emergency responder to file a claim for the negligence
that creates the emergency to which he or she responds, the Indiana Supreme Court upheld today. As a result of its ruling,
the high court unanimously ruled a police officer's complaint against an adult showclub must be dismissed.

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