High court clarifies preliminary injunction issue
The Indiana Supreme Court issued an opinion today explaining its reasoning for granting a permanent writ of mandamus last year against Clark Circuit Court.
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Couple not a ‘successful party’ in settlement
Despite a lack of Indiana caselaw addressing the use of the term "successful party" for an award of attorney
fees after a settlement, the Indiana Court of Appeals deemed the term interchangeable with the term "prevailing party."
SCOTUS denies Evansville shopping center case
The nation's highest court has refused to accept a case from the Indiana Supreme Court, which almost a year ago reduced a $2.3 million jury award in favor of an Evansville shopping center owner because of traffic flow issues created by the state.
Judicial Center education director to retire
The longtime education director for the Indiana Judicial Center is retiring at the end of April, capping a career that's given her the chance to develop and put in place countless instructive programs for the state's judiciary.
Prosecutor ordered lenient deal for business partner’s client
Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi last year intervened in a major drug case to offer a reduced sentence over objections from both law enforcement officers and his own deputy prosecutors.
Mistake invalidates termination of dad’s rights
A father's consent to voluntarily terminate his parental rights so his sister could adopt his daughter was invalidated by misrepresentations made by a family case manager for the Department of Child Services. As such, the father's petition to set aside the judgment should have been granted, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled today.
Judges disagree on retroactive support issue
In a matter of first impression, a panel of Indiana Court of Appeals judges couldn't agree on whether an initial support order can be retroactive to a date preceding the filing of a petition for resolution. The judges disagreed as to whether a court has the authority to reach into an intact marriage and order a party to pay child support to the other.
Justices take question on salvage statute
The Indiana Supreme Court has accepted a certified question from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals about a statute on salvage titles that the federal court deemed ambiguous.
Appeals court split on parol evidence issue
Judges on the Indiana Court of Appeals were split on whether a boss's oral promise to a future employee regarding a severance package would be barred from consideration by the parol evidence rule.
Silent settlement doesn’t include fees, costs
A federal judge rejected a northern Indiana sheriff's argument that a settlement agreement in a civil rights case includes attorney's fees and costs when the agreement doesn't say anything on the issue.
COA discusses jury-selection procedures
Despite being sensitive to a defendant's concerns about having no African-Americans included in his jury pool, the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed his felony convictions of altering an original identification number and auto theft.
BREAKING: Senate panel OKs Johnsen
Dawn Johnsen, nominated to be a key legal advisor for the president, was approved 12-7 along party lines by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Also, two of the three Indiana judicial nominees for the federal bench have gotten a green light from the committee.
Judges split on duty owed to injured teen
A majority on the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed summary judgment for a golf course, golf scramble organizers, and golfer in a teenager's suit after she was hit with a golf ball. Today's decision also expanded language from a previous ruling involving the duty to prevent injury to sports participants to now include sporting event volunteers.
COA: No presumption of undue influence
A 2005 amendment to Indiana Code sets aside the common law presumption of undue influence with respect to certain transactions
benefiting an attorney in fact, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled today on an issue of first impression.
Justices decide statute, court rule issue
Even if a court rule is no longer relevant and an underlying state statute has been removed from the books, the Indiana Supreme Court says it still applies and must be followed until the justices revisit it themselves or say otherwise.
Lawmakers revising sex-offender registry rules
Hoosier lawmakers are revising state law following the confusion created by an Indiana Supreme Court ruling last year relating to how convicted sex offenders can be removed from a statewide registry if they believe registration wasn't required at the time of their conviction.
Superior judge steps aside because of illness
A Grant County judge’s illness has forced him from the bench temporarily, and the Indiana Supreme Court has appointed a deputy prosecutor from Marion as judge pro tempore.Grant Superior 2 Judge Randall Lee Johnson filed a petition earlier this week that notified the state’s highest court that he was unable to perform Superior Court 2 duties because of illness. While details of his illness aren’t outlined by the Supreme Court, Judge Johnson has been experiencing health problems for more than…
Justices abandon ‘mere possession’ rule
The Indiana Supreme Court's decision Thursday abandoned the "mere possession rule" when it comes to convictions of theft and receiving stolen property and restored the state's original view that the possession of recently stolen property should be considered with other evidence in the case.
Prior misconduct negates self-defense claim
Evidence of a defendant's prior alleged domestic violence incidents against his ex-wife shouldn't have been admitted to explain the ex-wife's animosity toward him, the Indiana Court of Appeals concluded today. However, the evidence was admissible because it was relevant to prove the ex-husband's motive to commit the domestic violence he was charged with in the instant case.
Judges affirm rulings in Iraq name-selling case
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the District Court's decisions in the appeals by the central Indiana man who tried
to sell the names of CIA agents working covertly in Iraq shortly before the U.S. invaded the country in 2003.