Lawmakers approve bill allowing sunscreen at school
The Indiana Legislature has given final approval to a measure that would allow students to carry sunscreen while at school.
Lake County
Articles
7th Circuit upholds $87,000 verdict against insurer after house fire
An insurance company must pay $87,000 in damages to an Indiana homeowner whose house burned to the ground after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals determined there was sufficient evidence to support the jury’s damages award.
Indiana House passes bill to overhaul high school diplomas
The Indiana House on Monday approved a bill that would overhaul the types of high school diplomas offered to students.
Ex-Merrillville councilman pleads guilty to bribery
A former northwest Indiana town councilman has pleaded guilty to bribery for his role in an influence-buying scheme for towing contracts. The (Northwest Indiana) Times reported Thomas Goralczyk, 51, entered the plea Wednesday in federal court.
Centier Bank denied rehearing, cautioned in fraud appeal
A bank that lost its appeal of a trial court judgment against it failed to advance its cause with a petition for the Indiana Court of Appeals to rehear its case. The court cited an intervening Indiana Supreme Court decision in opting to dismiss the bank’s appeal while also cautioning counsel for the tone of the bank’s arguments.
COA reverses denial of PCR petition
A pro se defendant sentenced to 100 years of incarceration can take his case back to the trial court after the Indiana Court of Appeals found his appellate counsel prejudiced him by not raising the issue of whether his waiver of counsel was knowing, intelligent and voluntary.
Ex-Lake County sheriff appealing federal conviction
A former Lake County sheriff is appealing his conviction in a public corruption case.
East Chicago facility settles suit over Clean Air Act violations
Cokenergy, SunCoke Energy and its subsidiary Indiana Harbor Coke Co. have reached a settlement including $5 million in penalties with the state and federal governments to clean up operations in East Chicago, resolving a case that involved hundreds of violations of federal pollution standards.
Applications open for coming Court of Appeals vacancy
Northern Indiana judges and lawyers may now apply to succeed long-serving Indiana Court of Appeals Judge Michael Barnes, Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush announced Wednesday.
COA upholds $9 million judgment for man injured in crash
The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld a $9 million verdict in favor of a man injured in a motorcycle crash after determining a proffered jury instruction on damages was not erroneous.
Despite ‘tenuous’ 36-year charging delay, murder trial proceeds
While the Indiana Court of Appeals found the state’s reasons “tenuous at best” for a 36-year delay in charges against a Lake County man accused of the murder of a Hammond police officer, the appellate court on Wednesday ordered the trial to proceed.
Defense seeks 4-year sentence for ex-Lake County sheriff
A defense attorney for the former sheriff of Indiana’s second most-populous county says federal prosecutors are seeking an “outrageous” prison sentence for his conviction on bribery and wire fraud charges.
At least 15-year sentence sought for ex-Lake County sheriff
Federal prosecutors are asking that the former sheriff of Indiana’s second most-populous county be sentenced to at least 15 years in prison for taking tens of thousands of dollars in bribes from towing businesses.
COA upholds bar’s partial liability for hit-and-run
The Indiana Court of Appeals on Friday affirmed judgments of liability against a Lake County bar accused of overserving a patron who drove a vehicle that struck another departing customer.
Court considering charges in 1980 police officer death
A state appeals court is considering whether to throw out the case against a northwestern Indiana man facing murder and other charges in connection with the 1980 shooting death of a police officer killed while working a private security job.
7th Circuit upholds denial of environmental insurance claim
A northern Indiana couple cannot seek insurance coverage for pre-existing environmental pollution they discovered on their businesses’ property because the language of their insurance policy unambiguously exempts coverage for known or unknown property damage occurring before their policy began, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled.
Pre-trial hearing postponed for Hammond bombing suspect
A federal magistrate has postponed the pre-trial hearing of a northwestern Indiana man charged in a pipe bomb explosion at a post office.
Attorney facing theft charges resigns from bar
A Chicago-based lawyer with a practice in Gary has resigned from the Indiana bar as an ongoing criminal investigation against her continues.
Child welfare chief pens scathing resignation letter
The director of Indiana’s child welfare agency says she’s quitting because Gov. Eric Holcomb’s administration has hurt her ability to protect children.
Gay inmate loses medical care, punitive segregation suit
A gay inmate who uses a man’s name but identifies as a woman has lost a summary judgment challenge in Indiana’s Northern District Court, where the inmate alleged she was intentionally assigned to medical segregation as a punitive measure.