Articles

Court OKs admission of tweets, reverses criminal gang activity conviction

In a case of first impression regarding the authentication of social media posts, the Indiana Court of Appeals held that the testimony from the defendant’s girlfriend that the Twitter account belonged to her boyfriend, as well as content from that account, sufficiently showed the defendant was the author of its tweets.

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Man’s conviction from controlled drug buy upheld

An Anderson man who was criminally convicted for selling drugs to a confidential informant waived both his arguments on appeal, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Thursday. And, the judges found no fundamental error in a jury instruction given or the admission of cash found on the defendant by police.

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Revised sentence modification statute not applicable in defendant’s case

A trial court did not err in denying a man’s petition to modify his sentence after finding that the current version of the sentencing modification statute is not applicable to his sentence, which he began serving in 1989. The Indiana Court of Appeals panel relied on a January decision by its colleagues to affirm the denial of Mitchell Swallows’ petition.

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Wiretap evidence properly admitted at murder trial

The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld a man’s conviction of murdering his stepfather, finding that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting wiretap evidence in which the defendant told a friend he was involved in the killing.

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Brothers’ murder convictions upheld by COA

Two brothers convicted in the murder of a man with whom they previously had an altercation are not entitled to a new trial based on one juror’s concerns for her safety after recognizing someone sitting in the gallery, the Indiana Court of Appeals held Wednesday.

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COA affirms new trial on motorcyclist’s negligence claim

A trial court did not abuse its discretion when it set aside a jury verdict allocating 70 percent of fault to a motorcyclist who hit a dog that darted in front of his bike, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled. The motorcyclist was injured in the accident and sued the dog’s owners.

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Appeals court declines to revise battery sentence

Even though a trial court did not specify why it imposed consecutive sentences for a man convicted of two counts of battery – one as a Level 6 felony and the other a Class A misdemeanor – the Indiana Court of Appeals found the rationale for consecutive sentences is apparent on the face of the record.

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8 apply to be next COA judge

The Indiana Supreme Court released the names of the eight people who want to replace Court of Appeals Judge Ezra Friedlander after he retires from the bench in August.

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Woman’s battery conviction reversed due to fatal variance

A couple arrested after they screamed and resisted arrest at a local Department of Child Services’ office after learning their child was being removed from their care had all but one of their convictions from the incident upheld by the Indiana Court of Appeals Monday.

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Judges dismiss appeal over deposition prep time

Because a trial court’s decision to deny ordering the defendants to pay for the time the plaintiffs’ expert witness spends preparing for his defense deposition is not a final judgment, the plaintiffs should have appealed under Ind. Appellate Rule 14(B). Since they did not, the Indiana Court of Appeals dismissed their appeal.

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Bank wins partial victory in suit stemming from overdraft fees

A bank being sued by customers over how it orders transactions – allegedly to maximize profits from overdraft fees – is entitled to summary judgment on most of the state claims alleged by customers in a class-action lawsuit, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.

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Handgun properly admitted at juvenile’s hearing

A handgun discarded by a teen after seeing a marked police car – and later picked up by the officer who saw the teen throw the gun into a yard – was properly admitted at his delinquency hearing, the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed.

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Attorney did not breach any duty owed to Conour clients

An Indianapolis attorney who spent several years working in a firm with attorney William Conour satisfied his legal duty to clients of Conour based on his lack of knowledge of any specific wrongdoing by Conour related to the clients, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled. Conour is currently in federal prison for stealing from client settlement funds.

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