Justices accept parental-rights termination case
The Indiana Supreme Court has taken a Marion County case involving the termination of a mother’s parental rights in which the Indiana Court of Appeals took issue with several details in the case.
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Federal judge rules against state on immigrant paternity case
Sitting at the crossroads between immigration law, paternity establishment, and the controversy on how the United States handles illegal immigrants, a federal judge in Indianapolis has ordered state health officials to stop denying unmarried immigrant parents without a Social Security number the ability to file an affidavit establishing paternity.
Appeals court rules on Ohio River phone-stalking case
The Indiana Court of Appeals has reaffirmed its standing that prosecutors can’t elevate a misdemeanor crime to a felony if the defendant didn’t know the victim worked in law enforcement.
90+ applications received for BLE director job
More than 90 people applied for the state Board of Law Examiner's executive director position by the Jan. 21 application deadline.
Court seeks ICLEO applicants
The Indiana Supreme Court posted a reminder on its website today that applications for the Indiana Conference for Legal Education Opportunity are due March 1 for the 2011 ICLEO summer institute that will take place at Notre Dame Law School from June 13 through July 22.
Longtime Bloomington law professor dies
An Indiana University Maurer School of Law professor who taught at the law school for more than 40 years died Wednesday. The law school announced Patrick L. Baude, the Ralph F. Fuchs Professor Emeritus of Law and Public Service at Indiana University Maurer School of Law died in his Bloomington home after a brief illness.
Federal judge certifies state question on misdemeanor voting
A federal judge in Indianapolis wants the Indiana Supreme Court to decide whether the term “infamous crime” as used in the state constitution applies to misdemeanors and can be used to keep those convicts from voting.
7th Circuit: Staff should have told inmate to stop taking aspirin
A District Court erred in granting summary judgment for the government on an inmate’s suit claiming his complications from a surgery were the result of the prison medical staff disregarding instructions he stop taking blood thinners prior to his surgery.
Majority upholds dismissal of unemployment benefits appeal
The Indiana Court of Appeals split today on whether a woman’s appeal after she was denied unemployment benefits should be reinstated. The woman claimed she missed the administrative law judge’s phone call because of confusion regarding different time zones.
Marion County has first human trafficking conviction
The conviction of a man on human trafficking charges Tuesday is the first time the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office has convicted someone on that charge since the state’s human trafficking law was enacted in 2007.
Justices uphold Baer’s death penalty
The Indiana Supreme Court has unanimously affirmed the denial of a murderer’s petition for post-conviction relief, leaving his death sentence in place.
Law firm files class-action lawsuit for estate planning UPL
A Logansport law firm has filed a class-action lawsuit against an Indianapolis company that the state’s highest court last year determined engaged in the Unauthorized Practice of Law, suing on behalf of thousands of residents for what attorneys estimate could be $10 million to $20 million in damages.
Federal act preempts state law claims
The Indiana Court of Appeals held that the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Act preempts state law claims brought by a man’s first ex-wife seeking to keep her and her grandchildren as beneficiaries of the man’s life insurance policy.
Court’s community-service policy is unenforceable
The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed a trial court’s order that an indigent small claims litigant perform community service in lieu of paying a filing fee, holding the informal local rule requiring community service is unenforceable.
Lawsuit challenges free-expression restriction at airport
A Fort Wayne man is suing the Allen County Airport Authority because he claims a recently enacted resolution severely restricts his ability to protest the new screening procedures implemented by the Transportation Security Administration.
Judges order consideration of discovery demands
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a Northern Indiana District Court to reconsider a German company’s discovery demands made in relation to a lawsuit pending in Germany over the alleged theft of trade secrets.
ALJ, problem-solving courts bills moving
A House bill dealing with problem-solving courts and a Senate bill that involves administrative proceedings and administrative law judge disqualifications have made it out of their respective judiciary committees.
Jasper County joins Odyssey
Jasper County became the state’s 26th county to go live on the Indiana Supreme Court’s Odyssey case management system. The county’s courts and clerk’s office joined the system Jan. 21, bringing the total of courts on Odyssey to 81.
COA: Man needed to submit claim under Wage Claims Statute
An employee’s status at the time he or she files the claim is the relevant inquiry in determining whether he or she proceeds under the Wage Payment Statute or the Wage Claims Statute, ruled the Indiana Court of Appeals.
AG swears in new victims’ advocate
The new director of victim advocacy programs for the Indiana Attorney General’s Office was sworn in at 11 a.m. today in the Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis Wynne Courtroom.