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Opinions Dec. 15, 2015

Opinions Dec. 15, 2015
7th Circuit Court of Appeals

The following opinion was posted yesterday after IL deadline:
Indiana Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association, et al. v. David Cook, in his official capacity as Chairman of the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commmission
14-2559
Civil. Affirms summary judgment for Indiana. Finds convenience stores, grocery stores and gas stations did not meet their burden to show that the state law limiting the sale of cold beer violates the Equal Protection Clause.

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Lawmakers offer alternative to cold medicine sales crackdown

Republican Sens. Randy Head of Logansport and Jim Merritt of Indianapolis said pharmacists should have the authority to approve or disapprove sales for medicines containing pseudoephedrine, which is a decongestant used to treat colds and allergies. A rival measure backed by Indiana prosecutors and GOP House Speaker Brian Bosma would require a prescription for such medicines.

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Attorney questions if schools complied with Nativity ruling

An attorney who filed a lawsuit that led to a federal judge banning a northern Indiana school district from including a live Nativity scene in its annual Christmas show says he believes the district's use of mannequins instead of student actors had many of the same constitutional flaws.

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Ex-Subway pitchman Jared Fogle appealing child porn sentence

Former Subway pitchman Jared Fogle is appealing the more than 15-year prison sentence he received for possessing child pornography and having sex with underage prostitutes, which was longer than the maximum term prosecutors agreed to pursue as part of his plea deal.

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Fraud claims against insurers wrongly dismissed

Plaintiffs who purchased cash-value life insurance policies for their employees and deducted those contributions on income taxes that were later disallowed were wrongly denied their day in court against the insurers.

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Study: Smaller counties driving jail population growth

A study shows jail populations in mid-sized counties with populations of 250,000 to 1 million residents grew by four times and small-sized counties with 250,000 residents or fewer grew by nearly seven times since 1978. In that time large county jail populations grew by only about three times.

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Nguyen: Banking on intellecutal property

What do startups and high-growth companies have in common? Intellectual property is their most valuable asset, separating one company from the others in a fiercely competitive tech environment.

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2 recent cases in federal court showcase trademark treachery

A steel giant’s trade name was used to misrepresent business deals with the intent to procure millions of dollars worth of machinery and financing, and an Amish-country spice maker alleges a local rival is ripping off its registered trademark. These two recent cases in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana illustrate the difficulties in policing registered marks on intellectual property, but the cases also show the means of recovery at rights holders’ disposal when their IP marks are violated.

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