COA to hear arguments at Indy cathedral
The Indiana Court of Appeals will hear arguments in Indianapolis tomorrow, but not in their usual courtroom venue.
Courts
Articles
COA: Offender residency law not OK
The Indiana Court of Appeals today upheld a lower court’s ruling that the state’s law prohibiting violent and child sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a school or public area where children congregate is unconstitutional.The ruling came in State of Indiana v. Anthony W. Pollard, No. 05A02-0707-CR-640. Judges heard arguments in the case March 31. The state argued that Indiana Code Section 35-42-4-11 was not considered ex post facto law as applied to Pollard, but the appeals court disagreed and…
Chief public defender delays departure
Expect to see David E. Cook’s face at the Marion County Public Defender Agency a little longer than anticipated.The chief public defender is delaying for a month his departure – originally planned for Feb. 15 – to help make sure the agency has adequate leadership while its board of directors searches for a successor. Cook is stepping down after 12 years as the county’s top public defender to work for immigration firm Gresk & Singleton in Indianapolis.Because the agency needed leadership…
Supreme Court travels to IU-Bloomington
The Indiana Supreme Court will be in Bloomington Thursday to hear arguments in a case involving a dispute between a landlord and his former tenants.
No summary judgment in mailbox case
The owners of a mailbox struck by a woman's car that left the road inexplicably aren't entitled to summary judgment on the woman's negligence claim, the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed today.
Termination of rights affirmed despite error
A trial court erred when it failed to follow Indiana Code in a termination of parental rights hearing, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled today. Because the appellate court found the error to be harmless, it affirmed the involuntary termination of a father's parental rights.
Appeal moot, but attorney fees allowed
The Indiana Court of Appeals dismissed an appeal as moot but awarded the defendant appellate attorney fees and costs because the plaintiff engaged in procedural and substantive bad faith during the appeals process. In Samuel Lesjak v. New England Financial, No. 29A02-0706-CV-499, Lesjak appealed the trial court’s order that he arbitrate a claim filed against him by New England Financial in a forum other than the National Association of Securities Dealers. Lesjak worked for New England Securities as a broker/dealer. He registered…
SCOTUS set to start term
Next week will be a big one for Indiana in the Supreme Court of the United States.The nation’s highest court will hear six arguments next week, including a much-anticipated and publicized case involving Indiana’s voter identification law, and another state’s case that has Hoosier interest on the constitutionality of lethal injections.On Tuesday, the justices will take on a pair of Indiana cases. The combined cases are Crawford v. Marion County Election Board, No. 07-21, and Indiana Democratic Party v. Rokita, No….
Court rules on 2 water-related cases
The Indiana Court of Appeals decided two environmental cases today involving issues pertaining to lake levels and the rights lakefront property owners enjoy.In Center Townhouse Corp., et al. v. City of Mishawaka, No. 71A04-0612-CV-707, the court tackled an issue it hasn’t specifically dealt with before and decided not to expand Indiana’s riparian rights, or those privileges extended to waterfront property owners, to include the right of unobstructed view of the water.A group of eight townhome owners brought an inverse condemnation action against…
School, student settle pledge suit
Within a week of filing a federal lawsuit, a settlement has been reached on a case involving a high school student who was punished for not standing during the Pledge of Allegiance.The Franklin Community School Corp. superintendent said the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana has agreed to drop the lawsuit. The school district will pay the student’s $1,000 in attorney fees, clear his school record, and not require participation by standing or any other way during the Pledge of Allegiance…
SCOTUS denies Vanderburgh County case
The nation’s highest court won’t take a Vanderburgh County case decided last year by the Indiana Supreme Court, which by a split vote reinstated the death sentence for a man convicted of murdering his wife and two young children.At its weekly private conference March 28, the U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari in Paul M. McManus v. State of Indiana, No. 07-8435. After ruling in State of Indiana v. Paul M. McManus, No. 82S00-0503-PD-78, June 27, 2007, the Indiana Supreme Court denied a…
High court overturns confidentiality order
The Indiana Supreme Court today overturned a Marion Superior Court's approval of a "Confidentiality Stipulation and Order," clearing the way for hundreds of documents to be opened and available for public inspection.
Justices to hear 2 arguments
The Indiana Supreme Court will hear two arguments Thursday morning.At 9 a.m., justices will hear a direct appeal in David Camm v. State, No. 87S00-0612-CR-499, which comes from Warrick Superior Court and involves a former state trooper convicted two years ago of murdering his family.Camm is serving a life sentence without possibility of parole following his second conviction in the September 2000 murders of his wife and their two children, 7-year-old Bradley and 5-year-old Jill, in southern Indiana. The Indiana Court…
COA: Gun test-firing not an unlawful search
Routine test-firing of handguns that police have in their custody isn't a violation of a person's Fourth Amendment rights, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled today.
Plainfield political sign ordinance challenged
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana has filed a federal lawsuit challenging a Plainfield ordinance restricting political lawn signs.
Judge named vice chair of commission
The Indiana Supreme Court has named Lake Circuit Judge Lorenzo Arredondo to serve as vice chair of the Commission on Race and Gender Fairness.
Courts may modify custody upon relocation
Trial courts are not required to order a change in custody upon a parental relocation under a 2006 Indiana statute, the Indiana Supreme Court decided today. The high court ruled trial courts are allowed to modify custody arrangements at their own discretion. In Valerie Raich Baxendale v. Samuel Raich, III, No. 64S05-0709-CV-372, the Indiana Supreme Court reversed the Indiana Court of Appeals decision, finding the trial court’s balancing of relevant considerations in granting physical custody of A.R. to Raich was not erroneous….
Court to consider juvenile detention funding
The Indiana Court of Appeals is considering a case this week that has statewide implications on who must pay to operate juvenile detention facilities – the state or individual counties.Arguments are set April 17 in Marion County and St. Joseph County v. State of Indiana, 73A01-0705-CV-238, a suit the counties brought after Indiana tried to recover about $75 million it spent in operating juvenile detention facilities in those two areas. The court will decide whether the trial court erred in entering a decision…
Judge denies motion to reconsider
A federal judge took some time this week to defend a previous decision that dropped Indiana as a defendant in a suit filed by a Fort Wayne man who accuses police, prosecutors, and the Allen Circuit Court of discriminating against him.Pro se plaintiff Derrick O. Martin asked U.S. District Judge Philip Simon, Northern District of Indiana, Fort Wayne Division, to reconsider the court’s ruling from earlier this year. The judge issued a three-page opinion Wednesday denying the request that claimed the…
COA sides with Lauth in casino suit
Indianapolis commercial developer Lauth didn’t breach a joint venture contract or any of its duties with other parties by partnering with the Bloomington-based Cook Group on an Orange County riverboat casino project, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled today.In a unanimous holding in Lauth Indiana Resort & Casino LLC v. Lost River Development LLC, et al., 29A02-0710-CV-839, the court ruled on an issue of first impression about when a joint venture terminates in situations where the agreements contain no specific termination date,…