Drug court judge discusses successes, challenges
Marion County’s problem-solving courts are helping people break their addictions, but the presiding drug court judge said only a fraction of those who could benefit from treatment are receiving it.
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Supreme Court rejects challenge to California gun control
The Supreme Court is refusing a new invitation to rule on gun rights, leaving in place California restrictions on carrying concealed handguns in public.
Justices skeptical of argument to overturn Va. mining ban
The Supreme Court seemed skeptical of arguments by companies seeking to overturn a decades-old ban on uranium mining in Virginia. The commonwealth has had a ban on uranium mining since the 1980s.
Justices won’t hear beagle death case against DNR
Indiana Supreme Court justices declined to hear a case in which a woman sued the Department of Natural Resources after her pet beagle was killed by a concealed raccoon trap at Versailles State Park.
AG’s office secures $5.1 million dental clinic settlement
The Indiana Attorney General’s Office has helped secure a $5.1 million settlement with two dental firms accused of improperly billing Indiana Medicaid for unperformed or unnecessary dental services. The settlement, reached in conjunction with U.S. Attorney Russell M. Coleman in the Western District of Kentucky, resolves claims that ImmediaDent of Indiana LLC improperly billed Indiana Medicaid for dental services in its nine dental practices in Indiana.
SCOTUS rejects net neutrality appeal
The Supreme Court has ended the court fight over repealed Obama-era “net neutrality” rules that required internet providers to treat all online traffic equally. The court on Monday rejected appeals from the telecommunications industry seeking to throw out a lower court ruling in favor of the “net neutrality” rules.
2 Elkhart police officers face battery charges
Two Elkhart police officers were placed on administrative leave and will be charged with battery for repeatedly punching a handcuffed man in the face. The Elkhart police department on Friday announced the charges against officers Cory Newland and Joshua Titus.
Indiana boy, 13, expected to admit to May school shooting
A 13-year-old boy accused of shooting and wounding a classmate and a teacher at their suburban Indianapolis school was expected to admit during a Monday court hearing to carrying out last May’s attack. The teen was set to appear in juvenile court for an admission/uncontested fact-finding hearing and a disposition hearing in Hamilton Circuit Court.
COA to hear arguments in Hendricks, Tippecanoe counties
The Indiana Court of Appeals will hear two oral arguments on the road this week when it travels to Hendricks and Tippecanoe counties on Monday and Thursday.
Justices hear NIPSCO industrial users’ rate hike appeal
The Indiana Supreme Court heard oral argument Thursday morning on a utility rate increase case, hearing a northern Indiana utility industrial group’s appeal over whether a reversal of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission’s application of its own settlement orders conflicted with a prior settlement.
New judges named in Allen, Monroe counties
An Allen County magistrate judge has been selected to fill one of two upcoming vacancies in the Allen County courts, and the successor has been chosen for a longtime jurist in Monroe County.
Southern District seeks comment on McKee reappointment
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana is seeking comment on whether Magistrate Judge Craig M. McKee should be recommended for reappointment. The current term for McKee, who works in the Terre Haute Division, expires August 22, 2019.
Justices: Mineral-rich property transfers improper in trust case
A bitter dispute between stepsiblings — including a woman who was written out of her inheritance of mineral-rich property — has resulted in the Indiana Supreme Court ruling that a decades-old transfer of the land to her stepbrother was improper.
Valpo attorney suspended for failing to refund unperformed work
A Valparaiso attorney who neglected a client’s appeal and failed to refund a fee paid for his unperformed service has been suspended from the practice of law in Indiana for 90 days and cannot be reinstated until he pays full restitution.
Court reverses judgment for buyer in soured land-sale deal
A Marion Superior judge clearly erred in excluding a contract as evidence, then wrongly ruled for the defendant in a lawsuit arising from a home sale agreement she backed out of, the Indiana Court of Appeals determined Friday.
Unemployment benefits upheld for man who resigned after threatened demotion
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the grant of unemployment benefits to a man who voluntarily resigned from his job after being told he would be demoted, finding the man’s employer failed to provide evidence as to why it wanted to demote him.
Summary judgment for law firm in legal malpractice case reversed
The Indiana Court of Appeals has reversed and remanded summary judgment for an Indianapolis law firm in a legal malpractice case after finding a question of fact as to whether an auto company had a reasonable belief that its attorney was acting as an agent for the law firm.
Justices: Proven misuse a defense to product liability claims
The Indiana Supreme Court has upheld the grant of summary judgment to a tool manufacturer sued after a man lost his eye while using one of the manufacturer’s products, finding the man’s misuse of the tool in question was the cause of his injuries and was a complete defense to his product liability claim.
Two killers keep life sentences despite ‘horrific’ upbringings
Two men convicted for the 2000 murder of a 73-year-old man have once again lost their appeal to reverse their life sentences after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found the sentences were reasonable, despite the men’s unfortunate upbringings.
Southern District ruling makes declawing big cats illegal
A first-of-its-kind federal order has officially held that the process of declawing large exotic cats is illegal and in a violation of the Endangered Species Act and has prohibited a Charlestown veterinarian from providing any care to such exotic cats.