Holcomb’s budget proposal calls for increases in funding for K-12, higher ed
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s budget proposal for the next two years calls for increases to funding for K-12, higher education and broadband internet.
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Pandemic pressures legal aid
Looming evictions with so many Americans unable to pay their rent have been at the forefront of concerns, but legal aid offices and pro bono attorneys see other issues on the horizon. They expect more filings for bankruptcy and guardianships, and they believe more people will reach out for legal assistance with problems connected with consumer debt and domestic violence. Underpinning their ability to help is the need for money.
Punch Bowl Social restaurant chain files for bankruptcy
The restaurant-and-entertainment chain Punch Bowl Social, whose Indianapolis location at 120 S. Meridian St. in Circle Centre mall has been closed since the start of the pandemic, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization.
7th Circuit vacates judgment, dismisses HOA debt dispute
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has tossed a dispute over unpaid homeowners’ association fees, finding that a letter sent to a couple who owed thousands to their HOA did not cause them any concrete harm.
COA remands breach suit to Indiana court in dispute with Florida business
A breach of contract dispute between a company based in Indiana and one based in Florida will continue in Indiana trial court after the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed a dismissal order that was based on a too-narrow reading of a statute.
Warrant issued for former University of Evansville coach
A judge has issued an arrest warrant for former University of Evansville basketball coach Walter McCarty after he missed a court hearing in a civil lawsuit filed on behalf of a bank.
Judge slams DeVos for rejecting 94% of loan relief claims
Months after vowing to process a backlog of 160,000 requests for loan forgiveness from students who say they were defrauded by their schools, the U.S. Education Department has rejected 94% of claims it has reviewed, according to a federal judge who is demanding justification for the “blistering pace” of denials.
Whiting mayor, wife enter pleas in $250K campaign fund fraud
The mayor of Whiting has pleaded guilty to wire- and tax-fraud charges related to allegations he and his wife used more than $250,000 in campaign funds for gambling, paying credit card debt and other personal expenses, then filed false or misleading campaign reports or tax returns.
Supreme Court upholds cellphone robocall ban
The Supreme Court on Monday upheld a 1991 law that bars robocalls to cellphones. Six justices agreed that by allowing debt collection calls to cellphones, Congress “impermissibly favored debt-collection speech over political and other speech, in violation of the First Amendment.”
Hoosier concrete company secures reversal on Ohio collection judgment
Judgment has been reversed for an Indiana concrete leveling company after the Indiana Court of Appeals found an Ohio judgment of more than $155,000 entered against the company is void due to lack of personal jurisdiction.
7th Circuit affirms judgment for collection agency in class-action suit
A district court properly ruled for a debt collector in a class-action suit that sought damages for allegedly misleading letters sent to consumers, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday.
7th Circuit affirms rejected costs award in debt collector suit
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed judgment for a man who claimed he was wrongly accused of owing money to a debt collector but declined to award him the more than $25,000 he had requested.
Supreme Court expands trial court tolling amid COVID-19 backlog
The Indiana Supreme Court is taking steps to help trial courts handle the coming backlog of cases, extending certain emergency operations due to the COVID-19 public health emergency through as late as January 2021.
Supreme Court upholds Puerto Rico financial oversight board
The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the oversight board established by Congress to help Puerto Rico out of a devastating financial crisis that has been exacerbated by the coronavirus outbreak, recent earthquakes and damage from Hurricane Maria in 2017. The justices reversed a lower court ruling that threatened to throw the island’s recovery efforts into chaos.
As more creditors go to court, defaults increase
A new study from the Pew Charitable Trusts highlights a dramatic rise in debt collection lawsuits, but even as one in four cases on civil court dockets are seeking payment for past-due bills, consumers increasingly are absent from the proceedings.
Groups hail Indiana restrictions on stimulus check seizures
Creditors cannot seize federal coronavirus relief payments from Indiana residents under a ruling from the Indiana Supreme Court that was applauded by groups that sought the proscription.
Indiana Supreme Court partially shields COVID-19 stimulus checks from debt collection
The Indiana Supreme Court issued an order Monday protecting some stimulus checks from being seized by creditors to pay past-due bills, but the decision drew a dissent from Justice Geoffrey Slaughter, who asserted the court was overstepping its role.
Supreme Court announces 4:30 deadline for responses to ILS stimulus check petition
Individuals or entities that intend to file a response to a petition brought by legal aid providers and nonprofits seeking to restrict civil collections of federal stimulus check proceeds must do so by 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, the Indiana Supreme Court announced.
Advocates warn stimulus checks could be garnished by creditors
While the federal government won’t seize stimulus checks being deposited into Americans’ bank accounts this week for owed debts, private debt collectors might, consumer advocates are warning.
Nonprofits petition Indiana Supreme Court to protect stimulus payments
Legal aid providers and nonprofits that help the poor are asking the Indiana Supreme Court to protect vulnerable households from having their federal stimulus checks seized by creditors.