Articles

COA reopens estate after improper probate closing

The St. Joseph Probate Court must reopen an estate that led to years-long litigation between two siblings after the court failed to follow proper statutory procedure when closing the estate, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday.

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Tax reform creates uncertainty for estate, wealth planning

Passage of federal tax reform spelled numerous changes for wealthy Americans, and taxpayers and their lawyers have been forced to learn new nuances to estate planning and wealth management procedures as they try to determine how the new legislation will impact them.

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Summary judgment for gastroenterologist affirmed

The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed summary judgment for a gastroenterologist who was alleged to have committed malpractice by not informing a patient of the criteria for a liver transplant. The court ruled Friday the patient’s estate failed to prove their claim should be allowed to proceed after a seven-year delay in its filing.

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Indiana high court to hear Simon-Starbucks dispute

The Indiana Supreme court will decide whether Starbucks Corp. can close 77 Teavana stores in malls across the country after granting an appeal in Simon Property Group’s case against the coffee giant. The high court asserted its authority to assume jurisdiction in cases it deems an emergency.

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COA: Divorcing husband has no claim on wife’s trust

An Indiana trial court correctly determined that a woman’s interests in discretionary family trusts are too remote and speculative to be included in the marital pot as part of her dissolution proceedings, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.

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Justices: Employer’s admission limits theories of recovery

Indiana precedent does not allow both a respondeat superior and negligent hiring claim against an employer to proceed if the employer has admitted their employee was acting within the course and scope of their employment when the negligence occurred, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled in an opinion that upheld partial summary judgment for Pizza Hut.

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Law restores will challenges as separate actions

An unintended change in law that temporarily required will challenges to be filed within the probate case was reversed under a bill that took effect July 1 and tweaked several provisions of Indiana’s Probate Code.

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