Criminal probe opened into veterans agency mismanagement
A criminal investigation has been opened into mismanagement at the Indiana Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
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New lawyers advised they cannot achieve success by themselves
As the newest group of Indiana attorneys raised their right hands and took their admission oaths Tuesday, they were reminded that just as they needed to achieve this success, they will continue through their careers to need a little help from their friends. The 120 individuals who passed the February 2019 Indiana Bar Exam were admitted to the Indiana Supreme Court as well as the Northern and Southern Indiana District Courts.
Web Exclusive: Supported decision making makes strides
After three years of collaboration and research, efforts to create more options of independence for Hoosiers who face the confines of a guardianship have come to fruition. Those new options include legal recognition of supported decision making.
Tax Court affirms calculated property tax cap on Kokomo property
The Indiana Tax Court has affirmed the property tax liability assessed against a Howard County urban development company, finding issue with the company’s argument concerning Indiana’s definition of gross assessed value.
Justices to hear murdered student’s wrongful death, denied TPR cases
More than 50 cases were denied transfer last week, but Indiana Supreme Court justices agreed to hear arguments in two cases involving a teen’s murder and a reversed denial to terminate a mother’s parental rights.
Indiana Court Decisions — April 25-May 8, 2019
Read Indiana appellate court decisions from the most recent reporting period.
Disciplinary Actions
See who has been suspended and who’s suspension was lifted in the most recent reporting period.
Bedford attorney appointed judge pro tem to fill McCord vacancy
A judge pro tempore has been appointed to replace former Lawrence Circuit Judge Andrea K. McCord following her appointment to the federal judiciary as the newest bankruptcy judge in the Indiana Southern District Court. Serving in McCord’s place as judge pro tempore will be Bedford attorney Nathan G. Nikirk.
Despite dissolution petition, Carmel family law firm not shuttering
Despite the filing of a dissolution petition, prominent Indianapolis-area divorce law firm Hollingsworth & Zivitz, P.C., is not ceasing operations.
Prisoner rights case challenges forced labor in private prisons
An inmate lawsuit filed against New Castle Correctional Facility seemingly marks the first time a judge has ruled that a private prison operator can be liable for human trafficking in a punitive setting.
IU McKinney announces rural justice judicial clerkships
A second Indiana law school has partnered with the Indiana Supreme Court to expose more students to the practice of law in less urban communities through a rural judicial clerkship program. Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law announced its collaboration with the state’s highest court, introducing five students who will take part in the “Supporting Rural Justice Initiative.”
Apps cost too much? Court allows suit adding to Apple’s woes
Consumers can pursue a lawsuit complaining that iPhone apps cost too much, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, adding to Apple’s woes that already include falling iPhone sales and a European investigation. The lawsuit could have major implications for the tech giant’s handling of the more than 2 million apps in Apple’s App Store, where users get much of the software for their smartphones.
Judges’ shootings: What happened, and what happens next?
Two Clark County judges are recovering from gunshot wounds after being shot in downtown Indianapolis earlier this month. Meanwhile, two men accused in the shooting have been released from their bonds after the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office declined to file charges.
IU McKinney students bring energy, enthusiasm to re-entry program
Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law students have been meeting monthly with participants in a re-entry program for much of the school year, mentoring them and helping them overcome barriers in whatever they need to succeed.
Tax Court limits boat maker’s witness, expands discovery
The Indiana Tax Court has partially denied the Indiana State Department of Revenue’s motion to exclude a tax service provider’s report in the Department’s litigation against a southern Indiana boat maker.
COA reverses judgment in siblings’ estate dispute
A disagreement between two siblings has been squashed now that an appellate court has sided with a woman who was granted last-minute possession of her mother’s estate just days before her death, canceling a former transfer on death deed shared with her brother.
SCOTUS says 1 state can’t be sued in another’s courts
The Supreme Court of the United States is ruling that one state cannot unwillingly be sued in the courts of another, overruling a 40-year precedent.
Fired whistleblower’s case against IDEM reinstated, remanded
A long-running dispute between the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and a terminated employee has been partially revived after a panel of appellate judges agreed the former worker could have been held personally liable for misuse of state funds.
Father convicted of murdering children’s mother denied TPR appeal
An imprisoned father who murdered the mother of his children and burned down her home lost his appeal of the termination of his parental rights after an appellate court concluded that the children were better off out of his care.
Father convicted of murdering children’s mother denied TPR appeal
An imprisoned father who murdered the mother of his children and burned down her home lost his appeal of the termination of his parental rights after an appellate court concluded that the children were better off out of his care.