Lawmakers: Longer sentences, more police will deter crime
Harsher sentences and an increased police presence can help fight crime in Indiana, Republican state senators said Wednesday.
Courts
Articles
Rush proposes business court, makes pitch for e-filing funding
In her first State of Judiciary speech, Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush on Wednesday said the judiciary is “currently working on the development of a business court model focused on complex commercial litigation,” and urged the General Assembly to help fund the courts’ electronic filing initiative.
7th Circuit upholds use of GPS unit on car in 2011
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a defendant’s claim that his motion to suppress drugs and guns found by police at a storage locker through the use of a GPS unit should have been granted because attaching the device to his car for purposes of gathering information was a search under the Fourth Amendment.
Court orders termination of spousal maintenance following ex-wife’s remarriage
A woman who remarried and now has substantial income and assets as a result of that marriage is no longer entitled to spousal maintenance, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday.
Teen injured in stage collapse loses challenge of tort liability
A Cincinnati girl who was injured when a concert stage collapsed in 2011 at the Indiana State Fair and later declined to settle with the state lost her challenge that the tort claim caps are unconstitutional, ruled the Indiana Court of Appeals Wednesday.
COA reverses in part judgment for agents on man’s insurance claim lawsuit
Finding the owner of a home that burned designated additional evidence which created a genuine issue of material fact, summary judgment should not have been awarded to agents on his claim, the Indiana Court of Appeals held.
Woman can sue Evansville over bungled SWAT raid
A woman who was 68 years old when her home was raided in 2012 by an Evansville SWAT team tracking down online threats against police can sue the city for unreasonable use of force, a federal judge has ruled.
Protective order filings rise during past 9 years
Attorneys say the 25 percent increase reflects more understanding and less victim blaming.
Appeal remands suit for trial court to determine legal fees
A law firm that represented a company in the sale of a Fishers sign franchise will have its day in court to argue it is entitled to a greater judgment of legal fees than the $11,085.50 a trial court ordered.
Appeals court remands grandparents’ visitation order
Grandparents rightly were awarded visitation with their granddaughter after their daughter died, but the Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday a trial court abused its discretion in establishing the amount of time grandparents could spend with the child.
Ruling extends standing in adoption cases to those with ‘lawful custody’
The sometimes-bitter litigation between a child’s adoptive parent and her grandparents who raised her from a young age yielded a decision from the state’s highest court that family law experts believe may represent a significant shift in adoption cases.
Judge cuts damages for teacher fired for in vitro treatment
A federal judge has cut by more than two-thirds the damages awarded to an Indiana teacher who was fired by a Roman Catholic diocese for trying to get pregnant through in vitro fertilization.
Innovative networking tool connects lawyers across practices
Some are good at networking, others not so good. With the development of the Indianapolis Bar Association’s Indy Attorneys Network Section, lawyers old and new, those skilled at networking and those not as adept, have found there are always opportunities to meet and connect with colleagues and that doing so builds camaraderie and strengthens the local legal community.
Deaf man sues state courts over denial of interpreter for mediation
A deaf man’s federal lawsuit against Indiana courts claiming the state failed to provide a sign language interpreter for mediation in his child custody hearing has survived the state’s initial efforts to dismiss.
‘Settlement Week’ helped to change public policy in civil cases
Lawyers 25 years ago had a radical concept: Let’s see how many civil lawsuits we can settle in a week.
Justices to hear appeal of man convicted in son-in-law’s stabbing
The Indiana Supreme Court has added to its docket a case that split the Court of Appeals over whether allegedly inconsistent statements of a man stabbed by his father-in-law should have been admitted.
COA: County Commissioners can’t amend fire district ordinance
Brown County commissioners who created a countywide fire district lost an appeal of a trial court order saying they had no authority to later amend the ordinance that had created the district.
Title conveyance travels winding road but COA finds owner
A fresh batch of legal questions are headed to the Wabash Circuit Court for resolution after the Indiana Court of Appeals found feuding neighbors were not co-owners of a lane that connects to all their properties.
Justices appear to favor small church over sign law
The Supreme Court of the United States on Monday appeared likely to side with a small church in its fight with a Phoenix suburb over limits on roadside signs directing people to Sunday services.