Articles

Bankruptcy delays collection effort

Former East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick has filed for bankruptcy, putting on hold the state’s attempt to seize his property to help pay off the $108 million he owes from a civil racketeering default judgment against him.

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Justices appoint judge pro tempore

Judge Julian L. Ridlen was appointed by the Indiana Supreme Court as judge pro tempore in Howard Superior Court 2, effective Jan. 1, 2011. Judge Ridlen takes over for Judge Stephen M. Jessup, who retired from the bench Dec. 31, 2010.

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Court clarifies, reaffirms its prior back pay ruling

The Indiana Court of Appeals denied an Attorney General’s request to clarify a previous ruling that slashed a $42.4 million damages award, and clarified the two-month period from which state employees can recover back pay.

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Governor names two new trial judges

Gov. Mitch Daniels has chosen two new judges for the state’s trial bench roster, one of those to succeed the jurist elevated earlier this year to the Indiana Supreme Court.

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Court examines statute about paternity, child support

The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled on a matter of first impression today, analyzing a specific state statute relating to how a court can cancel child support arrearage after a man’s paternity is vacated based on new genetic testing.

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6 counties get federal grant for drug courts

Drug courts in Delaware, Marion, Monroe, Spencer, Vanderburgh, and Vigo counties will share $1 million from a Bureau of Justice Assistance Drug Court Discretionary Grant, the Indiana Supreme Court announced today. The award will help courts increase graduation rates and lower recidivism.

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Politics pivotal in legal world

Some may say law and politics go together like love and marriage, but it’s more than a cliché when looking at how the Indiana legal community is being influenced and even transformed by the political process.

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Madison County joins Odyssey system

Madison County is the latest county to go online with the Indiana Supreme Court’s Odyssey case management system. The system connects counties to a network of courts, clerks, law enforcement, and other state agencies.

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COA rules in favor of town on breach of contract claim

The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed partial summary judgment to a city that collected a lower monthly bill rate than what was required for wastewater treatment from a town for 15 years and then sued to recover more than $500,000 it believed was owed to it. The city never informed the town the sewage treatment rate increased or that it was embroiled in a lawsuit over the matter.

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Settlement reached on foster care rates

The Indiana Department of Child Services has agreed not to cut subsidies for foster and adoptive parents and other caregivers as part of a class-action settlement in federal court.

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Fewer filings, newer trends

The number of cases filed in the state courts dropped slightly in 2009 from the previous year, but the nearly two million filings still amounted to the second-highest number ever for Indiana.

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