Lawyer says juror might have stolen opioid evidence at trial
An Ohio defense attorney says at least one juror may have stolen oxycodone pills during a drug trial.
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COA: Continued placement with foster parents not in children’s best interests
Three Miami County children will not be returned to their previous foster parents after the Indiana Court of Appeals found Friday the trial court correctly determined the foster mother had become obsessed with the notion that the children were molested, making continued placement with her not in the children’s best interests.
‘Incredible shrinking airline seat’ gets US court rebuke
Aviation regulators were ordered by a federal appeals court on Friday to consider setting minimum standards for the space airlines give passengers as carriers have steadily shrunk the width of seats and the distance between rows.
Indianapolis man accused of killing officer after car crash
Police arrested a 28-year-old man accused of gunning down an officer who was trying to help him and someone else after their car overturned and came to rest in a front yard along a busy Indianapolis street.
Man sentenced for punching officer at Elizabeth Smart event
An 80-year-old man convicted of battery for punching a police officer who stopped him from approaching kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart with a knife at an Indiana book signing has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.
DOJ files brief in Title VII sexual orientation case
The U.S. Department of Justice is adding its voice to the latest Title VII dispute, echoing 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Diane Sykes that Congress, not the courts, should determine whether civil rights’ prohibitions against discrimination extend to sexual orientation.
Ex-farm employee’s agricultural work precludes workers’ comp benefits
A former employee of an Indiana farm was not entitled to workers’ compensation benefits after an on-the-job injury because the “whole character” of his work was agricultural in nature, thus exempting him under the Worker’s Compensation Act, the Indiana Court of Appeals held Thursday.
Appellate court affirms ruling for landowner denied easement use
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed a ruling Thursday in favor of a Steuben County landowner who claimed he was wrongly denied access and use of a recorded easement.
COA to determine jurisdiction of fire departments’ annexation, taxation dispute
The jurisdictional fate of an annexation and taxation dispute involving the Allen County auditor and two Fort Wayne-area fire departments now rests with the Indiana Court of Appeals, which must decide whether the facts of the dispute lend the case to review by the trial court or Tax Court.
Advocate: 2 pardoned brothers steered into financial straits by lawyers
When two wrongfully imprisoned brothers were pardoned after 30 years behind bars, they stood to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation. Now a federal judge is considering whether too much of their payout is being siphoned away by legal fees and high-interest loans.
Summary judgment for Lake County affirmed in age discrimination case
A group of retired Lake County employees who were fired from part-time, at-will work in order to preserve the county’s financial and health insurance situation cannot succeed on their age discrimination claim against the county because the employees’ age was not the predicate factor in their firing, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled.
US Supreme Court review highlights decisions that raise more questions
During a panel discussion on the U.S. Supreme Court’s most recent term, retired Indiana Chief Justice Randall Shepard advised civil attorneys not to ignore the justices’ ruling in a criminal matter.
Man injured in Hendricks County semi-truck accident wins $18.5M verdict
A 46-year old man severely injured in a crash with a semi-truck on I-74 in Hendricks County in 2013 was awarded $18.5 million by a jury last week.
Jury rules against ex-WellPoint VP in suit over firing
A Marion County jury deliberated less than an hour before finding for the defense in former WellPoint Vice President Dr. Randall C. Axelrod’s long-running lawsuit alleging he was wrongly fired after testifying in a case concerning pharmaceutical pricing.
Indianapolis boy, 15, charged with murder in triple-slaying
Prosecutors have charged a 15-year-old Indianapolis boy with murder in the fatal shootings of three men.
COA rules against mother who used religious exemption to not vaccinate child
An Indiana trial court abused its discretion in denying a father’s petitions to modify custody of his child and to hold the child’s mother in contempt of a paternity decree, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled, finding the mother intentionally circumvented the terms of the decree that required her to vaccinate their child once the girl went to school.
Indiana joins states in urging US Supreme Court to overturn gun ruling
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, joined by Indiana and three other states, has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn an appeals court ruling they say infringes on gun rights.
Indiana county pays ex-inmates $1.23M in mistreatment case
A southern Indiana county has paid a $1.23 million settlement to former inmates who say they were mistreated at a county jail in Indiana.
Man faces prison for hurling chairs at judge, court staff
A man could be sentenced to six years in prison for hurling chairs at a judge and courtroom staff in central Indiana.
7th Circuit affirms dismissal of state-law claims against Carmel
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the dismissal of a series of state-law complaints brought against the city of Carmel regarding the city’s traffic ordinance.