Cooper settles for record $7.5M with Elkhart for wrongful conviction
A former Elkhart resident who spent almost a decade in prison for a crime he didn’t commit will receive the largest wrongful conviction settlement in Indiana history.
Elkhart County
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Husband with 2 wives avoids annulment at COA
A Goshen wife who discovered during divorce proceedings that her husband had actually been married to another woman during their marriage had her decree of annulment overturned after the Court of Appeals of Indiana found the man was not properly notified through a service by summons.
Elkhart man cleared of murder conviction suing city, county officials for constitutional violations
An Elkhart man whose murder conviction was overturned two years ago after he spent nearly 17 years in prison is now suing Elkhart County law enforcement officials who he claims conspired to exploit his mental disability and coerce a false confession.
Couple accused in Indiana barn burnings face more charges
A couple accused of torching eight barns last year in a northern Indiana county now face charges alleging that they also set fire to an Amish school in an adjacent county.
IN justices: Forfeited funds can’t be released for defense, but summary judgment for state was inappropriate
A trial court cannot release money seized from a defendant back to the defendant for the purpose of funding his or her defense, the Indiana Supreme Court has ruled. However, the forfeiture action in question will continue after the high court reversed summary judgment for the state.
Murder charge sought after stabbed Goshen auto dealer dies
A northern Indiana car dealer allegedly stabbed several times last month by a man test-driving a car has died, prompting prosecutors to seek a murder charge against the suspect.
Suggestive cartoons didn’t violate man’s probation against obscene videos, COA rules
The state of Indiana failed to prove that watching sexually suggestive anime cartoons violated an Elkhart County man’s probation, the Court of Appeals of Indiana has ruled.
Prosecutor: Elkhart officers’ killing of suspect justified
Two northern Indiana police officers acted in a self-defense when they shot and killed an armed man in December during a confrontation in a parking lot, a prosecutor says.
7th Circuit upholds dismissal of trailer company’s suit against insurer
A trailer company’s lawsuit brought against its insurer after the company was sued by a competitor for a breach of contract was properly dismissed, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed.
COA affirms nearly 200-year sentence for sex offender
An Elkhart man will not get his 190-year sentence for numerous sexual misconduct and child molesting convictions reduced, the Court of Appeals of Indiana has ruled.
Northern Indiana county on way from 2 courthouses to 1
Work is poised to start on a new $94 million courthouse for northern Indiana’s Elkhart County that will consolidate a court system now split between buildings in the cities of Goshen and Elkhart.
COA denies appeal by man who murdered Goshen College professor
An Indiana man convicted of murdering a Goshen College professor and who also attempted to murder the teacher’s wife should remain behind bars for life, the Court of Appeals of Indiana ruled Wednesday.
COA reduces juvenile’s nearly-max adult murder sentence
A nearly maximum adult sentence for a 13-year-old’s murder conviction was an outlier needing leavening, the Court of Appeals of Indiana ruled in a Thursday reversal.
Elkhart woman charged in May house fire that killed 2 people
A northern Indiana woman has been charged with allegedly setting a May house fire that killed a man and an 8-year-old boy.
Justices: Menards not at fault for customer’s injury caused by defective box
A home improvement retailer wasn’t at fault when a sink fell out of a defective box and injured a customer inside one if its stores, the Indiana Supreme Court has ruled.
COA: Trial court failed to meet pretrial risk assessment requirements
A trial court abused its discretion when it denied an Elkhart County man’s motion to reduce bail because it failed to order and consider the results of a pretrial risk assessment report, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled.
Elkhart man convicted in uncle’s slaying insults judge
A northern Indiana man convicted in his uncle’s fatal 2015 shooting insulted a judge with profanity before he sentenced him to 63 years in prison.
St. Joseph County settles with wrongfully jailed former inmate
A northern Indiana county has reached a financial settlement with a former inmate who was wrongfully jailed for more than 40 days after being charged in two counties for the same offense.
Elkhart man convicted in 2015 slaying of his uncle
A northern Indiana man has been convicted in the 2015 killing of his uncle, who authorities believe was shot and then burned along with the mattress to his bed.
COA: Expired prescription doesn’t support narcotics possession conviction
A woman who still had Oxycodone pills after her prescription had expired should not have been convicted for possession of a narcotic drug, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled.