$479K judgment against Crown Point grocer in slip-and-fall case upheld
A jury verdict for a woman who was seriously injured in a fall on a snow-covered sidewalk outside a Crown Point grocery store was upheld Friday by the Indiana Court of Appeals.
Jurors
Articles
Justices to review murder verdict overturned due to lawyer’s lie on jury form
A Vanderburgh County jury’s guilty verdict in a murder case that was overturned on appeal because a lawyer who served as the jury forewoman lied on her jury questionnaire will be reviewed by the Indiana Supreme Court.
COA affirms driver waived claims of error in car accident case
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed a jury’s verdict in a car accident dispute, finding the driver determined most at fault has waived his claims of error.
Judge reduces jury damages award for doctor in defamation case
A doctor will have to settle for just $3.5 million in damages rather than the $4.75 million a Marion Superior jury awarded after a judge on Friday reduced the jury’s award in a defamation case brought against a Carmel hospital after the doctor was falsely accused of drinking on the job.
Simple math suggests complex back story at Supreme Court
Supreme Court watchers were left scratching their heads when they learned Justice Neil Gorsuch was the author of Monday’s landmark LGBT rights ruling, but not because the appointee of President Donald Trump might have been expected to side with his conservative colleagues in dissent.
3-2 Supreme Court reverses, finds covered bridge arsonist insane
A man who confessed to burning down two Indiana covered bridges has had his guilty but mentally ill verdict reversed by a divided Indiana Supreme Court. The 3-2 majority cited unanimous expert opinion that the defendant is legally insane in overturning a jury’s conclusion.
‘The wheels of justice must go on’: Indiana Supreme Court hears first remote arguments
Joining the trend of appellate courts nationwide, the Indiana Supreme Court on Thursday took the historic step of hearing oral arguments via videoconference in light of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Indiana justices begin remote oral arguments on Thursday
Indiana Supreme Court justices will start hearing oral arguments through videoconferencing later this week. Their first case deals with a medical malpractice dispute involving an unwilling prospective juror who was thought to be evading jury duty.
Reversal: Brownsburg teen wrongly convicted in drug-deal shooting
A student was wrongly convicted by a jury of shooting another teen during a drug deal gone bad, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled on Wednesday. The panel reversed his convictions and decades-long sentence after finding insufficient evidence that he committed the crime.
Justices extend trial court relief through May 17, require transition plans by May 15
The Indiana Supreme Court is extending through May 17 the previously approved emergency relief orders issued to trial courts due to COVID-19. Justices are also setting a May 15 deadline for courts to submit transition plans for expanded operations.
US Supreme Court bans nonunanimous jury verdicts in Oregon
Until Monday, Oregon was the only state that still allowed non-unanimous jury convictions. The U.S. Supreme Court ended that in a decision involving a murder conviction in Louisiana, a state which, until 2019, had also allowed non-unanimous jury convictions. But the ruling also applied to Oregon’s law.
Jury’s failure to appear verdict affirmed after man claimed intent was unproven
A southern Indiana man whose counsel admitted to a jury that the defendant failed to appear in court on a felony charge, but didn’t do so intentionally, lost his appeal of the jury’s guilty verdict Wednesday.
Updated Southern District order extends pandemic jury trial delays
A new general order from the Southern Indiana District Court in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues jury trials until at least May 29 and enables jury staff to deter service for certain categories of jurors through June 30.
Supreme Court declines transfer in 17 cases, grants 2
The Indiana Supreme Court declined to hear 17 cases out of 19 petitions for transfer last week, but granted transfer in two cases concerning an unwilling juror and a highly sought after gravesite.
COA largely reaffirms ruling against quadriplegic in $35M car crash judgment
A panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals again denied relief to a man left permanently disabled in a drunken-driving crash, but the panel in a brief opinion on rehearing issued Wednesday corrected a prior statement of fact in the case.
Judges portrayed as aggressors in gunman’s self-defense claim
Did Brandon Kaiser pull the trigger on two Indiana judges only after they attacked him and placed him in fear for his life? He claims in court filings they did. But even as the judges involved in the now-infamous brawl have retaken the bench after brief suspensions, video that could prove conclusive remains under a court seal.
Detective’s false testimony won’t lead to vacated conviction, COA rules
A man convicted of obstruction of justice following the murder of his stepmom did not convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that his conviction should be vacated based on a detective’s false testimony.
Supreme Court upholds Arizona death sentence
A sharply divided United States Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence for an Arizona inmate who was convicted of killing two people in home burglaries nearly 30 years ago.
Lawyer’s lie on jury questionnaire prompts retrial in murder case
A lawyer who lied about her criminal history on a jury questionnaire in a murder case has divided an Indiana Court of Appeals panel, which ultimately vacated the murderer’s case for a retrial.
Appeals court upholds molester’s conviction, sentence
A child molester obtained no relief Friday in his appeal that challenged everything from the seating of jurors to the nine-year executed sentence imposed on him after he was convicted of sex crimes against an 8-year-old girl.