7th Circuit dogs insurer’s defense
An insurance company’s argument that a houseguest injured by the family dog was legally responsible was mauled, chewed and spit out by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
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His hair now white, Blagojevich appears for resentencing
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich appeared on a courtroom video in Chicago Tuesday in prison-issued clothing, his once dark hair now white, as a judge weighed whether to cut his 14-year sentence after an appeals court threw out some convictions related to his alleged attempt to sell or trade an appointment to President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat.
GM seeks to extend winning streak in Texas ignition-switch trial
General Motors Co. has put two civil trials over its defective ignitions behind it without a loss. A third trial started Tuesday in what could be one of its toughest cases: a Texas teenager arrested for manslaughter in a death later linked to the faulty switch seeks compensation.
Former prison guard pleads guilty to sex with inmate
A former corrections officer at the Indiana Women's Prison in Indianapolis has pleaded guilty to having sex with an inmate.
COA splits over earliest, latest possible release dates
Two of three judges on an Indiana Court of Appeals panel urged lawmakers to revisit a requirement that trial courts advise convicts of their earliest and latest possible release dates, but a third judge dismissed the majority’s position that the requirement “imposes an impracticable burden on our trial courts.
Service, silence to mark anniversary of Michael Brown’s death
A memorial service and moment of silence are planned today to mark the two-year anniversary of Michael Brown's fatal shooting by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Brown’s death was a catalyst for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Man pleads guilty in church school’s paddling incidents
A former southern Indiana church employee has pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors after being accused of paddling children at the church's boarding school.
Man charged in deadly house explosion reaches plea deal
A man charged with murder for his role in a deadly Indianapolis house explosion has reached a plea deal weeks before his scheduled trial.
Keaton: NIED: Impact, involvement and injury
Must a physical injury occur before a plaintiff may recover for negligent infliction of emotional distress? Perhaps not.
Legal battles spark EPA to set emission standards for composite wood products
Nearly 11 years after the survivors of Hurricane Katrina began blaming their FEMA trailers for their health problems, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a new rule addressing what is believed to have been the main cause of their suffering — formaldehyde.
Patel decision restricts feticide prosecutions
The Indiana Court of Appeals holds the Legislature didn’t intend feticide charges for pregnant women.
Fitness trackers add to flood of digital evidence in courts
The law surrounding the information is still evolving, particularly in the area of privacy and Fourth Amendment rights. Civil, but more likely criminal, attorneys will be handling digital evidence more and more especially as law enforcement increasingly relies on technology to track suspects and link them to crimes.
$25M verdict poses tough questions for COA
Hearing arguments about a case that resulted in what may be among the largest awards for loss of consortium, the Indiana Court of Appeals repeatedly questioned what amount of damages is too much and when a jury’s decision should be overturned.
E-filed documents may tell more than attorneys intend
Court officials are recommending lawyers be cautious when submitting e-filed documents, because those submissions may carry metadata revealing more than an attorney might intend.
Indiana voter ID law differs from recent overturned rulings
Indiana's voter identification law differs from recently overturned laws in other states that legal experts say have caused disenfranchisement among minorities.
NCAA athletes allowed to pursue $1B compensation case
The National Collegiate Athletic Association must face claims by tens of thousands of current and former students testing the limits on how much compensation they can get for years of playing basketball and football.
Whirlpool tries freezing copycat fridge filters with 40 lawsuits
Whirlpool Corp. has filed 40 lawsuits to protect one replacement part: a $50 refrigerator water filter.
State seeks mental health, addiction professionals for symposium
State agencies hosting a September forum to raise awareness of mental illness and addiction are seeking professionals to discuss solutions at the eighth annual Indiana Annual Recovery Month Symposium Sept. 26-27.
Aetna judge hands off Anthem merger case to speed trials
The judge overseeing two U.S. cases challenging mergers among four of the biggest health insurers gave up one case, improving the odds for rulings on both tie-ups by the end of the year and reducing the chance they fall apart beforehand.