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Court: No sudden heat, no voluntary manslaughter

The Indiana Supreme Court reversed a defendant’s conviction of voluntary manslaughter after ruling the trial court erred by instructing the jury about voluntary manslaughter in the absence of evidence of sudden heat. In Andrew Lee Watts v. State of Indiana, No. 45S03-0611-CR-452, Watts appealed his conviction of voluntary manslaughter following a jury trial. The state charged Watts with murder following a tavern shooting, but also had the jury instructed on the lesser-included offense of voluntary manslaughter. At trial, Watts requested jury instructions…

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ISBA members approve judges up for retention

The five Indiana judges up for retention this November have received overwhelming support from Indiana State Bar Association members. The ISBA poll shows no judge or justice received less than 83 percent of "yes" votes for retention.

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Court: Broker must pay back commission

A broker who breaches his fiduciary duty to disclose material information to a client loses the right to collect a commission for his services, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled today. The high court unanimously reversed a trial court decision finding that although a broker breached his fiduciary duty to his client, his commission shouldn’t be revoked and be repaid to his client.In Tonda Beth Nichols v. Rex David Minnick and R. David Minnick Inc. d/b/a Commercial Properties, No. 53S01-0711-CV-515, Nichols sued Minnick…

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Supreme Court honors longtime employees

The Indiana Supreme Court this afternoon honored 15 employees who have spent 10 to 30 years working in the judicial branch. It's a tradition for the high court to honor the long-serving employees of the courts with a plaque commemorating their loyalty.

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Prior conviction counts in sentencing decision

A prior drunk-driving conviction – reached pursuant to a state statute now repealed and recodified in a newer law – can be used in determining a person's sentence, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled today.

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SCOTUS: Lethal injection allowed

While lethal injection itself isn’t unconstitutional, a ruling today from the U.S. Supreme Court has left open the door for more legal challenges to how states administer the deadly drugs. But on a broader level, the one justice who supported the 1976 decision to reinstate Capital punishment is now in favor of reigniting the debate on the death penalty and striking it down.In a widely splintered 7-2 decision in Baze, et al. v. Rees, et al., No. 07-5439, justices wrote a series…

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New federal chief judge for Southern District

A new chief judge has taken the leadership reins for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.On Jan. 1, U.S. District Judge David F. Hamilton replaced Judge Larry J. McKinney as chief judge, meaning he’ll be expected to handle the court’s administrative matters and be a chief spokesperson for the court until 2015.During Judge McKinney’s seven-year term as chief of the nation’s third-busiest District Court, he’d led a court handling 23,000 civil and criminal cases, helped launch an…

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Court: Michigan lawyer to stay away for 2 years

An embattled Michigan attorney is barred for two years from taking any new cases in Hoosier courts, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled today. Justices issued a per curiam opinion today in disciplinary action In the Matter of Geoffrey N. Fieger, No. 98S00-0609-DI-340, finding the attorney committed misconduct by making material misrepresentations in a sworn application for temporary admission to St. Joseph Circuit Court in late 2005. Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard and Justices Theodore Boehm and Robert Rucker agreed on the two-year…

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Justices tap special judge in Lake County case

The Indiana Supreme Court has appointed Lake Superior Judge Diane Kavadias Schneider, Civil Division 1, as a special judge in the consolidated Lake County cases involving the operations of early-voting sites in East Chicago, Gary, and Hammond, according to Kathryn Dolan, Indiana Supreme Court spokesperson.

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Students re-enact slavery case

A play documenting a young black woman's struggle for freedom in Indiana nearly 200 years ago will be presented at the Indiana Statehouse Tuesday as an educational tool for students.

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Solvent defendant must pay for interpreter

A solvent, non-English speaking defendant in a criminal case must pay for a defense interpreter, but the court will continue to provide for proceedings interpreters at the public’s expense, ruled the Indiana Supreme Court, upholding a previous decision by the Indiana Court of Appeals. The high court granted transfer to Jesus Arrieta v. State of Indiana, No. 10S05-0704-CR-139, to determine whether Arrieta was entitled to a court-funded defense interpreter. Arrieta, who did not speak English, was charged with dealing cocaine, a Class…

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Supreme Court grants 3 transfers

The Indiana Supreme Court granted transfer late last week to three cases to rule on issues of double recovery, evidence obtained through search warrants, and emotional distress. The court granted transfer to Ronald Mayes v. Second Injury Fund, No. 93A02-0702-EX-162, in which Mayes appealed the Indiana Worker’s Compensation Board’s denial of his petition for compensation from the Second Injury Fund. Mayes argued his settlement with a third-party tortfeasor shouldn’t bar his recovery as a matter of law. At issue in the appeal…

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Appellate office clears backlog

A new shift in the Indiana Appellate Clerk’s Office has helped eliminate a backlog that created delays for some files getting to the appropriate court and appearing on the docket.Dealing with a backlog that’s been evident for months, Appellate Clerk Kevin Smith started making changes late last year after becoming concerned with the ability to keep up with growing caseloads and intake workloads. The office implemented staff and organizational changes in January that involved hiring new employees, shuffling existing staff, and…

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Judges disagree on punitive damages award

The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld a compensatory damage award today for a couple that was attacked, but the majority remanded the trial court's punitive damage award because it was excessive.

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Supreme Court record manager retires

After spending 22 years as the Indiana Supreme Court’s director of information management, John Newman has decided it’s time to leave state government to pursue his passion for writing. Newman’s last day is July 25. Newman started his career in state government in 1970, taking oral history interviews for the Indiana State Library. He was later named Indiana’s state archivist, a position he held until 1986 when he became the director of information management for the Supreme Court.As court records manager,…

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COA Judge John T. Sharpnack retires

After 17 years on the appellate bench, Judge John T. Sharpnack is retiring today from the Indiana Court of Appeals.Though he’s stepping down as a full-time jurist, Judge Sharpnack plans to continue his work as a senior judge starting Monday; he reaches the constitutionally mandated retirement age of 75 May 7.A 3 p.m. retirement ceremony was planned to mark his departure from the court, with Chief Judge John Baker presiding. Judge Sharpnack’s family, colleagues, former law clerks, and special guests were…

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Judges disagrees about jury-verdict reversal

The chief judge on the Indiana Court of Appeals is calling a majority’s decision today a “radical act” in reversing a $45,000 jury verdict in favor of a former Butler University football player who was suspended from the school after being accused of raping a female volleyball player.In Susana Henri v. Stephen Curto, No. 49A02-0709-CV-777, Chief Judge John G. Baker disagreed with his two colleagues – authoring Judge Patricia Riley and Judge Margret Robb, who reversed the Marion County jury decision and…

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COA: Attorney must wait to collect fees

The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed a trial court’s ruling on when an attorney could receive his compensation under a contingency fee agreement, even though the attorney didn’t submit a transcript of the bench trial detailing the trial court’s findings. In Thomas J. Herr v. Carter Lumber Inc., The Carter Jones Lumber Company, and Brian L. Oaks, No. 79A02-0803-CV-290, before ruling on the issue Thomas Herr was appealing – whether the trial court erred in ordering he receive compensation under a…

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