Capp praised for work in U.S. Attorney’s Office
David Capp, who stepped down as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana over the weekend, is being remembered as a lawyer’s lawyer who was loyal and had a clear sense of right and wrong.
Courts
Articles
7th Circuit rules for CSX in landowner suit
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled against a Roachdale couple’s claims against CSX Transportation Company after finding that CSX has not lost its easement to a portion of its railroad track adjacent to the couple’s property.
Gorsuch might be tough to predict on criminal justice cases
During a decade on the federal appeals court in Denver, Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch has raised concerns about intrusive government searches and seizures that he found to violate constitutional rights. He generally has ruled against defendants appealing their convictions and those who claim they received unfair trials. But he also has warned in writings and speeches about the danger of having too many criminal laws on the books.
Strip club operator accused of exploiting dancers
A Colorado company that owns over a dozen strip clubs around the country, including in Indianapolis, is facing a federal lawsuit over allegations that it exploited its dancers by requiring them to pay fees in order to work.
Floyd County seeks to settle jail lawsuit for $1.23M
A southern Indiana county has proposed settling a federal class action lawsuit alleging inhuman conditions at its jail for $1.23 million.
Judges uphold dismissal of motion to set aside dissolution decree
The Indiana Court of Appeals has rejected a LaPorte County man’s appeal of the dismissal of his motion to set aside a dissolution decree, finding he did not follow the proper procedure to have his motion heard.
COA denies rehearing in Lake Michigan public trust case
The Indiana Court of Appeals won’t rehear its Dec. 7 decision finding that the public trust doctrine controls the shore of Lake Michigan between the ordinary high- and low-water marks, allowing people to walk the shore.
COA affirms summary judgment to GEICO in parking lot altercation
Summary judgment was properly granted to an insurance company that declined to cover the cost of a judgment entered against one of its clients because the client did not have an “active relationship” with the insured vehicle at the time of the incident, the Indiana Court of Appeals held Friday.
Trial court had no statutory authority to impose second public defender fee
The Marion Superior Court abused its discretion in imposing a second supplemental public defender fee on an indigent litigant because it lacked statutory authority to impose the fee, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday.
COA orders transfer of state habeas petition to Monroe County
The Henry Circuit Court must transfer a man’s petition for writ of state habeas corpus to Monroe County, where the man was convicted, after the Indiana Court of Appeals held Friday that Indiana Post-Conviction rules require the petition to be considered in the conviction court.
7th Circuit affirms denial of insurance coverage to Carmel communications group
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of insurers who denied coverage to a Carmel-based communications company, finding that the communications group’s claims were properly denied and that it cannot split its claims against the insurers through two separate lawsuits.
Man accused of eating girlfriend to get mental evaluations
A southern Indiana man accused of killing his former girlfriend and eating parts of her body in 2014 will undergo psychiatric evaluations, despite his insistence that he's competent for trial.
Rucker to retire from Supreme Court May 12
Indiana Justice Robert Rucker used the occasion of an oral argument Thursday at his high school alma mater to announce he will retire from the Indiana Supreme Court on May 12, the court announced.
COA orders man to transfer investment accounts to ex-wife
The Indiana Court of Appeals has ordered an Allen County man to transfer total ownership of three investment accounts to his ex-wife after finding that an original court order from 2011 required him to do so.
Lawsuit challenging forfeiture survives attempt to moot
Marion County has failed in its attempt to derail a lawsuit over the state’s civil forfeiture statute by giving the property back to the named plaintiff.
Pennsylvania sues IBM over $170M jobless claims contract
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf's administration has sued IBM, saying the company failed to deliver on a 2006 contract to build an integrated system to process unemployment claims. IBM has been locked in a legal battle in Indiana for nearly seven years over its failed $1.3 billion contract to modernize the state’s welfare system.
Hawaii files lawsuit over Trump’s revised travel ban
Hawaii has become the first state to file a lawsuit against President Donald Trump's revised travel ban, saying the order will harm its Muslim population, tourism and foreign students.
Judges affirm son not entitled to dad’s deathbed gift of cars
A son whose father deeded him two vehicles on his deathbed must return those vehicles to his father’s estate after the Indiana Court of Appeals found Thursday that the son had not overcome the presumption of undue influence.
Woman gets time served in Indianapolis quadruple homicide
An Indianapolis woman has been sentenced to time served after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery in connection with a quadruple slaying during an Indianapolis drug house robbery.
Judge frees rape convict after tests show DNA not his
A central Indiana man who spent nearly 25 years in prison left a courthouse a free man Wednesday after a judge set aside his 1992 rape conviction because DNA found on the victim was not his.