Arguments in gambling case Thursday
The Indiana Court of Appeals hits the road Thursday to hear arguments at Anderson University in a case involving a compulsive gambler and what duty the casino had to prevent her from gambling.
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Articles
Plea can’t be challenged with new evidence
In a case of first impression, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled a guilty plea can’t be challenged in post-conviction proceedings by a claim of newly discovered evidence regarding the events making up the crime. In Shawn E. Norris v. State of Indiana, No. 43S03-0807-CR-379, Shawn Norris appealed the post-conviction court’s grant of the state’s motion for summary disposition on Norris’ petition for post-conviction relief. Norris pleaded guilty four years earlier to molesting his sister’s child, served his sentence, and then later…
Golf event for home-building non-profit
An Indianapolis-based organization that builds accessible homes for seriously injured Hoosiers is hosting its annual fundraising golf tournament Sept. 11. Organizers are expecting a full field, but as of this morning, limited space was available. Indianapolis attorney James Keller, of Keller & Keller, helped found Samantha's House Foundation in 2005 in response to a car accident […]
COA arguments set for IU student’s killer
The Indiana Court of Appeals will hear arguments Thursday in the case of the man convicted of killing an Indiana University student. John R. Myers II appeals his conviction of the murder of Jill Behrman, claiming the trial court committed several errors including denying his motion for a change of venue, denying his motions in limine to exclude testimony of certain witnesses, admitting an interrogation tape without proper admonition to the jury, and denying his motion for a mistrial due to…
COA affirms sexually violent predator findings
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the finding that two defendants are sexually violent predators, ruling the state had produced sufficient evidence to support the determinations under the versions of the sexually violent predator statute used by the trial courts in each case.
Indiana’s e-ticket system nationally recognized
The Indiana Supreme Court’s e-ticket system has won an honorable mention in the 2008 Best of the Web and Digital Government Achievement Awards given by the Center for Digital Government. The court’s electronic Citation and Warning System (eCWS) was honored in the Government-to-Government category. Winners were recognized for the strides they have made to implement better access and more efficient Web delivery of public services.The e-ticketing program allows law enforcement to use hand-held devices to scan a bar code on driver’s…
Attorney faces charges of mail, wire fraud
A federal grand jury in Hammond has indicted a Schererville attorney with two counts of wire fraud and one count of mail fraud after being accused of stealing money from two clients.
Application of residency law unconstitutional
The Indiana Court of Appeals today upheld a lower court’s ruling that in at least one case of the state’s application of a law prohibiting violent and child sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a school or public area where children congregate is unconstitutional.The ruling came in State of Indiana v. Anthony W. Pollard, No. 05A02-0707-CR-640. Judges heard arguments in the case March 31. The state argued that Indiana Code Section 35-42-4-11 was not considered ex post facto…
Court upholds damages award against doctor
The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld a damages award to the parents of a stillborn child against a doctor, finding the trial court properly excluded opinion testimony from two treating doctors and a letter written to those doctors before the trial by the parents’ attorney. In Jeffrey L. Cain, M.D. v. Richard Back and Suzette Back, No. 20A03-0705-CV-225, Dr. Jeffrey L. Cain appealed the trial court judgment of $800,000 in damages to Richard and Suzette Back on their claim of medical malpractice.The…
President chooses magistrate for judgeship
President George W. Bush has nominated an Indianapolis federal magistrate to replace Judge John D. Tinder who recently took a seat on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.The president on Thursday sent a nomination to the Senate for Magistrate Judge William T. Lawrence, who’s been on the federal bench since November 2002. Magistrate Judge Lawrence was one of seven nominations sent, including nominations for the U.S. Tax Court. Republican Sen. Richard Lugar recommended the Indianapolis magistrate for the position.”I have known…
Judges: Dispute can be arbitrated
A union and the owner of the facility the union wants to organize can proceed to arbitration to decide whether the facility is a covered workplace under an agreement requiring neutrality, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today. In United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union v. TriMas Corporation, No. 07-1688, the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (USW) brought an action in federal…
AG won’t appeal sex-offender law ruling
The Office of Indiana Attorney General won’t appeal a federal court’s decision last month that ruled a law requiring sex offenders to allow for blanket consent of computer and home searches is unconstitutional. Instead of appealing, Attorney General Steve Carter said in a press release Thursday that the office will work with legislators this fall to create a law that will protect children from Internet predators but would not violate the Constitution. Carter also cited the cost to taxpayers as a…
Justices: ‘Three Strikes Law’ unconstitutional
A four-year-old state statute aimed at limiting frivolous lawsuits filed by prison inmates is unconstitutional because it effectively closes the courthouse doors altogether for certain people, a split Indiana Supreme Court ruled today.Three of the five justices – Justices Theodore Boehm, Robert Rucker, and Brent Dickson – agreed that the state’s 2004 “Three Strikes Law” violates the Indiana Constitution’s Open Courts Clause. Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard and Justice Frank Sullivan disagreed and observed their colleagues’ decision means many Hoosier litigants…
High court clarifies evidence designation
The Indiana Supreme Court upheld a trial court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of a defendant and also clarified the designation of evidence in regards to Indiana Trial Rule 56(C). In Idan (John) Filip and Valaria Filip v. Carrie Block and 1st Choice Insurance Agency, No. 75S05-0704-CV-149, the Filips filed a suit against Block and 1st Choice, alleging negligence in the selection of insurance on an apartment building they purchased in 1999. Block was the insurance agent of the previous owner,…
Court orders re-trial after jury instruction error
The Indiana Court of Appeals has ordered a re-trial for a man convicted of attempted murder after ruling today the trial court failed to properly instruct the jury on accomplice liability.
Attorney to speak about politics, disabilities
Indianapolis attorney Gregory S. Fehribach will be in Muncie at Ball State University March 24 to speak to students about “The Politics of Disability” as part of Disability Awareness Month activities. The discussion is open to the public. Fehribach, a graduate and former student body president of Ball State, will speak about the importance of being engaged and involved in the political process to bring positive changes for people with disabilities. The attorney has dedicated a significant portion of his legal…
State files suit against mortgage lender
Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter has filed a lawsuit against mortgage lender Countrywide Home Loans Inc. for questionable practices, making Indiana the fifth state to take action against the largest lender in the country. The suit, No. 76C01-0808-PL-652, was mailed to Steuben Circuit Court Aug. 22 and filed the same day. The suit, which includes Countrywide’s parent company, Countrywide Financial Corporation, alleges the company engaged in deceptive and misleading practices that put borrowers in potentially risky and costly loans. Carter’s investigation…
IU law alumnus gives $2 million for scholarships
Indiana University School of Law – Bloomington alumnus Bill Hunt and his wife, Nancy, have donated $2 million to be used to provide scholarships to students working toward a law degree at Indiana Law.
License revocations stayed for now
A panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals has temporarily blocked the state from revoking driver’s licenses that don’t match Social Security records.The preliminary injunction came June 6 in a case challenging the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles’ invalidations of licenses or identification cards on the sole basis of mismatched records.The decision comes in Lyn Leone, et al. v. Indiana BMV Commissioner, No. 49A02-0804-CV-00377, which is currently pending in the state’s second highest appellate court and is at the briefing stage…
Indiana chosen for non-resident father project
The Indiana Department of Child Services is one of four groups in the country selected to participate in a new pilot project to reach out to non-resident fathers whose children are involved in the child welfare system. DCS, in collaboration with Indiana Fathers and Families Center and the Indiana University School of Social Work, will receive nearly $500,000 in each of the next four years from the Administration of Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services….