Disciplinary Actions – 6/1/16
Read who’s recently been disbarred, suspended or reinstated by the Indiana Supreme Court.
Courts
Articles
High-profile cases deplete county’s public defender fund
Officials are blaming an increase in drug-related activity and crime spilling over from Indianapolis for draining a suburban county's $500,000 public defender fund.
Federal Bar Update: Southern District’s proposed local rule on court appointments
As an active participant in drafting and review of the Local Rule, this author has observed first-hand the careful, thoughtful and patient consideration by the court of the clear need for more lawyers to take on more pro bono cases in the court, and the balance of limits on an individual lawyer’s time and resources to take on these cases.
Federal judge weighs order to halt homeless camp sweeps
A federal judge is weighing whether to issue an order barring Fort Wayne from conducting periodic sweeps of the city's homeless camps.
Indiana ministry sues zoning board over dairy farm approval
An eastern Indiana ministry that operates a children's church camp is suing zoning officials over their approval of a large dairy farm that would be built within a half-mile of the camp.
COA: Court cannot order juvenile to pay restitution as a civil judgment
The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled a trial court may not order a juvenile to pay restitution as a civil judgment after a minor was ordered to pay restitution in two cases where he violated his probation.
Man charged in Madison bombings targeting police, judge
Federal authorities announced Friday a 37-year-old Madison man has been charged in connection with two pipe bombings that rattled the Ohio River city in March.
Indiana Supreme Court deadlocks on protective order case
The Indiana Supreme Court reinstated an Indiana Court of Appeals decision in a protection order case it took on transfer after the four justices deadlocked on how to resolve the case.
Valparaiso woman gets $200K for sexual harassment at Purdue
Attorneys for a Valparaiso woman say Purdue University has paid her a $200,000 settlement after she alleged she was sexually harassed by two professors while serving as a graduate student and teaching assistant.
7th Circuit grants en banc hearing in Indiana prison death suit
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals set aside its ruling affirming summary judgment in favor of a medical services provider in an Indiana prison death lawsuit, ordering a review by the full panel of circuit judges.
Billionaires are allowed to pay for people to sue their enemies
One of the weirder court cases in recent memory became even stranger this week when news broke that Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit against Gawker was being secretly funded by billionaire Peter Thiel.
COA upholds adoption venue transfer
The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld transfer of an adoption petition from Greene to Monroe County Circuit Court, ruling Monroe was the preferred venue because of other cases related to the petition that also were happening there.
COA: Man did not have expectation of privacy after he was tracked by GPS
Tracking of man by GPS did not violate his Fourth Amendment or Indiana constitutional rights, the Court of Appeals ruled, because he did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy. The appellate court upheld Joseph Sidener's Class C felony burglary conviction and the finding he is an habitual offender.
COA rules DCS has duty to protect caller’s identity
The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled in a 2-1 decision the Indiana Department of Child Services had a duty to protect a man’s identity after he called the DCS hotline and reported his neighbors’ children as children in need of services.
Evansville reaches settlement over SWAT raid lawsuit
The city of Evansville has reached a court settlement with a woman whose home was damaged during a SWAT raid as investigators searched for the source of online threats against police.
IU challenges part of new abortion restrictions law
The Indiana University board of trustees and three of the school's research officials filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday seeking to block part of the state's new abortion law that bars them from acquiring fetal tissue for scientific purposes.
7th Circuit upholds lifetime supervised release
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday affirmed a federal judge’s findings and explanations were sufficient to support lifetime supervised release for 66-year-old man in poor health.
Uber vies to force arbitration in surge-price antitrust suit
Uber Technologies Inc. is trying to force an antitrust suit over the company’s surge-pricing algorithm into arbitration, arguing the class-action case is attempting to dodge a ban on customers taking disputes to court.
Governor: Texas suing over Obama’s transgender directive
The state of Texas is suing the Obama administration over its directive to U.S. public schools to let transgender students use the bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity, Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday.
COA: Gun evidence lawfully obtained
In its third Fourth Amendment case in two weeks, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled evidence obtained during a stop of a man who was loitering around an apartment complex and then left suspiciously was lawfully seized. The judges affirmed the trial court’s denial of his motion to suppress on interlocutory appeal.