Indiana man accused of molesting 17 children faces lawsuit
A southern Indiana man who worked as an elementary school teaching assistant is accused of sexually assaulting 17 young children and is being sued by one of his alleged victims.
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COA upholds transfer of dog-shooting case to Warren County
The Tippecanoe Circuit Court properly surrendered jurisdiction of a dog-shooting case because none of the incidents giving rise to the case, including the shooting, took place in Tippecanoe County, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday.
Sweeney nomination sails through Judiciary Committee
The nomination of James Sweeney II to the Southern Indiana District Court brought bipartisan unity Thursday to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary that was divided over other nominees to the federal bench.
Judge orders ex-CEO to pay nearly $850K in SEC farm loan case
A former finance company chief who a court noted had a history of securities law violations has been ordered to pay almost $850,000 in connection with the sale of allegedly shady securities based on farm loans.
Justices consider pre-mortem family settlement agreements
The Indiana Supreme Court must decide whether pre-mortem settlement agreements addressing the division of an estate’s assets are enforceable after hearing oral arguments Thursday in a probate dispute between two siblings.
Lawyers for Mueller case defendant ask to withdraw
Lawyers for one of the four people charged in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation have asked to withdraw from the case. Attorneys for Rick Gates say in a newly unsealed motion that "irreconcilable differences have developed with the client which make our effective representation of the client impossible."
7th Circuit reverses, orders special needs trust group to pay estate
The estate of a woman whose special needs trust was drained under questionable circumstances prevailed Wednesday before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. The founder of the organization that took the money is a suspended Indiana attorney facing charges that he stole from other clients’ trusts. The organization must now repay the estate more than $200,000.
Prosecutor: No more charges for Nassar despite new reports
Michigan prosecutors aren't planning to bring additional sexual assault charges against imprisoned sports doctor Larry Nassar, even though abuse allegations are still being reported.
Summary judgment vacated for prison officers accused of beating prisoner
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has vacated summary judgment for two correctional officers accused of attacking a prisoner unprovoked, determining the evidence could support the inference that the prisoner did all he could to exhaust his administrative remedies, yet was prevented from doing so.
COA reverses restitution for public transportation, pain and suffering
An Indiana trial court abused its discretion in ordering a man to pay restitution on the costs a woman incurred for having to take public transportation after he criminally damaged her car and the costs of her pain and suffering, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled.
Facebook defamation judgment may set precedent, Indiana lawyers say
Southern Indiana attorneys who won defamation damages over a defamatory Facebook post say the court’s monetary award appears to set a precedent as the first reported judgment of its kind in the nation.
Guatemalan man charged in crash that killed Colts linebacker
State and federal authorities have filed criminal charges against the Guatemalan man illegally living in Indiana who is suspected of driving the vehicle that struck and killed Indiana Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson and his Uber driver on Sunday morning.
COA upholds dismissal of claim against construction company
The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld the dismissal of a White County woman’s fraud and damages claim against the construction company that built her home, finding the woman’s claims were barred by the doctrine of res judicata based upon an earlier small claims judgment.
COA: State can’t demand jury trials in misdemeanor cases
When prosecuting misdemeanor cases, the state does not have the right to demand a trial by jury, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled in a Tuesday opinion upholding the denial of the state’s request for a jury trial in a misdemeanor case.
Judiciary committee to vote on Sweeney nomination
The nomination of James Sweeney II to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana is scheduled for a vote Thursday by the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
Gerrymandering challenges keep rising
Attorneys at Faegre Baker Daniels LLP are part of the legal team representing Michigan voters who filed a complaint in December over partisan gerrymandering. The suit brought to seven the number of such challenges filed since 2016 and fueled hope that the U.S. Supreme Court will rule the practice unconstitutional and offer guidance for how to draw district lines.
Panel recommends 6-day suspension for Blackford judge
A state panel has recommended that an Indiana trial court judge be suspended for six days without pay, following charges filed by the Indiana Judicial Qualifications Commission pertaining to a dispute with the former county clerk.
COA traveling to Vermillion County
The Indiana Court of Appeals will travel to Vermillion County this week to hear oral arguments in a case challenging a resisting law enforcement conviction.
Probate question to come before Supreme Court
Oral arguments before the Indiana Supreme Court this week will focus on the question of when family members can enter into settlement agreements regarding the distribution of an estate’s assets.
COA grants summary judgment to teacher, school corporation
A Fort Wayne mother’s claims of battery and constitutional violations against her daughter, a first-grader, will not proceed after the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled the teacher and school corporation were entitled to summary judgment on those claims.