Articles

Indiana sees Syrian refugee stream since Pence order blocked

About 150 Syrian refugees have arrived in Indiana in the months since a federal judge scuttled Republican Gov. Mike Pence's order blocking state agencies from helping their resettlement. Refugee assistance groups expect more this year, even as lawyers for the state go before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago on Sept. 14 to try to have the judge's decision overturned.

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South Bend family questions $18 award for police abuse

The family of a black teenager who was punched and handcuffed by three South Bend police officers then subdued with a stun gun in a case of mistaken identity is questioning why jurors awarded them just $18 in a lawsuit accusing the officers of violating his constitutional rights.

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State appeals ruling for deaf litigant denied mediation interpreter

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller’s office has appealed a federal court ruling that found a Marion County court discriminated against a deaf man in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act when it rejected his request for an American Sign Language interpreter at a court-ordered mediation session during his child custody case.

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Federal judges decide themselves on conflicts of interest

Donald Trump contends the federal judge presiding over a class lawsuit against Trump University has a conflict of interest and must step aside because of his "Mexican heritage." Yet nothing in federal law or codes of judicial conduct requires a judge to withdraw from a case because of his race, ethnicity, gender or other identifying criteria.

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IU challenges part of new abortion restrictions law

The Indiana University board of trustees and three of the school's research officials filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday seeking to block part of the state's new abortion law that bars them from acquiring fetal tissue for scientific purposes.

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Handcuff injury claim against Alexandria officers proceeds

A man who claims he was injured after he asked Alexandria police not to handcuff him during a compliant arrest because he’d had recent rotator cuff surgery that limited his shoulder mobility may proceed with a federal lawsuit against the officers, a judge ruled Wednesday.

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Insurer who paid wrong party doesn’t have to pay correct one

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed summary judgment for an insurance company that acknowledged paying a death benefit to the wrong party but successfully argued that the proper recipient waived its right to the proceeds by allowing the wrong party to claim the money.

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Surgery centers sue No.1 insurer UnitedHealthcare

Several Indiana surgery centers are suing the nation’s largest health insurance company, claiming it violated state and federal law by failing to pay for services the centers’ doctors provided to patients. In a similar lawsuit against the insurer, a key dispute is what the word “pay” means.

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Southern District proposes mandatory pro bono

A proposed rule change would for the first time obligate lawyers to provide mandatory pro bono service to litigants in civil cases filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, the court announced Friday.

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