Former Allen County judge dies
Former Allen Superior Judge Norman E. Baker died Wednesday in Fort Wayne. Baker, an Evansville native, served as an Allen Superior Court Civil Division judge. He also served as a senior judge in the court.
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Articles
Manslaughter article nets law professor award
An Indiana University School of Law – Bloomington professor has won a prestigious national award for the article he co-authored with an IU-Bloomington psychology professor about voluntary manslaughter.
District Court didn’t err in Franks hearing
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a defendant’s drug conviction following a Franks hearing, affirming the U.S. District Court’s decision to reconsider one of its findings and to not compel the government to identify the confidential informant in the case. The case of United States of America v. Antone C. Harris, No. 07-1315, made its way back to the 7th Circuit after the federal appellate court originally remanded the case to the United States District Court, Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis…
Appeals court to visit Marion, Vigo counties
The Indiana Court of Appeals continues to travel around the state this month, making stops in Marion and Vigo counties Tuesday. Judges Patricia Riley, James Kirsch, and Margret Robb will hear arguments in Gary and Katherine Hoesman v. Daniel Sheffler, et al., No. 77A01-0708-CV-385, at 10:30 a.m. in the Cecilian Auditorium in the Conservatory of Music Building at the St. Mary-of-the-Woods College in Vigo County. In this case, a trust’s beneficiaries discovered the trust administrator had converted funds for her personal…
Conspiracy, false statements convictions stand
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the convictions of participating in a price-fixing conspiracy and making false statements to federal law enforcement of an Indianapolis man involved in a concrete price-fixing scheme. In United States of America v. Christopher A. Beaver, No. 07-1381, Beaver appealed his convictions, arguing the government failed to prove at trial a price-fixing conspiracy existed, that he joined the conspiracy, or that he made false statements. Beaver, as operations manager of Beaver Materials Corp., was one of…
AG resolves credit freeze law violation
Equifax Information Services, one of the three national credit reporting agencies, has agreed to pay $65,000 to resolve allegations that it failed to comply with Indiana's credit freeze law, Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter said yesterday.
Commission admonishes Howard County judge
A Howard Superior judge has received a public admonition for his April 2008 actions in that county's prosecutor's office. In lieu of filing formal disciplinary proceedings, the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications issued the admonition, as allowed by the Indiana Supreme Court.
Director’s victims’ rights work gains recognition
The U.S. Attorney’s Office recognized the work of Jean Hahn, director of the Jennings County Council on Domestic Violence in honor of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.Hahn was awarded the 2008 U.S. Attorney’s Carol S. Morris Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Rights of Victims April 18. Hahn took over the Jennings County Council on Domestic Violence when the agency was facing numerous challenges and turned the agency into a strong voice for victims of domestic and sexual violence in Jennings…
Riverboat not covered by Jones Act
A casino riverboat that is indefinitely moored to the shore isn't considered a vessel in navigation under the federal Jones Act, so a riverboat worker can't bring a claim for compensation of injuries under the act, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled today.
COA to travel to Wabash College
The Indiana Court of Appeals will hear arguments Feb. 26 at Wabash College in Crawfordsville. Judges Patricia Riley, James Kirsch, and Melissa May will hear the appeal from Monroe Circuit Court of H.D., et al. v. BHC Meadows Hospital, Inc. at 3 p.m. In this appeal, the court is asked to decide whether the Indiana Medical Malpractice Act requires a juvenile and his or her parents to bring claims from a breach of patient confidentiality before a medical review panel prior…
Longtime Bloomington attorney dies
A Bloomington attorney with an eight-decade career in law died July 17 at the age of 99. Sylvan W. Tackitt practiced law in Bloomington since 1933. The native Hoosier graduated from Indiana University School of Law in 1933 and began to practice with his mentor, attorney Robert Miller. Tackitt became Monroe County prosecutor in 1942. After his term as prosecutor, he went on to work defending Liberty Mutal. He retired in 1975 because he had developed heart problems and couldn’t take…
7th Circuit: taxpayer suit for restitution is moot
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the District Court's dismissal of a taxpayer suit against the secretary of
the U.S. Department of Education as moot, finding the taxpayers didn't have standing to sue for violations of the Establishment
Clause based on a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court.
Chief PD: No one forced me out
The top public defender in Marion County said he wasn’t forced to leave the agency for any reason, though he does worry that politics could play into the naming of his successor.Indiana Lawyer put the question to David E. Cook after reading a posting on Ruth’s Blog, a Web log devoted to news and commentary. The posting claimed that Cook was forced from his job for political reasons.While Cook is cognizant that his position is a political one and attempts have…
Hospital duty to patients case granted transfer
The Indiana Supreme Court granted transfer Thursday to a case in which judges were split on the duty a hospital owed to patients to prevent possible harm by refusing to release them to a suspected abuser.The high court agreed to take Ava McSwane and Danielle Hays v. Bloomington Hospital and Healthcare System and Jean M. Eelma, M.D., No. 53A04-0705-CV-243, to decide what duty Bloomington Hospital owed to Ava McSwane’s daughter, Malia Vandeneede, once it suspected Vandeneede came to the hospital with injuries…
COA disagrees on reason to grant appeal
The Indiana Court of Appeals unanimously reversed the revocation of a man's probation but disagreed as to the manner in which the appellate court was authorized to do so.
Law doesn’t contain presumption on negligence
The Indiana Court of Appeals found a trial court committed a reversible error when it instructed a jury that Indiana law has a rebuttable presumption that children ages 7 through 14 can't be found contributorily negligent. The ruling came in a suit against a school for the death of a student.
High court grants transfers with opinions
The Indiana Supreme Court granted transfer with opinion to two cases today and granted transfer to another, which it remanded to the Indiana Court of Appeals.
High court grants transfer in molestation case
The Indiana Supreme Court has granted transfer in a case to determine whether a defendant’s convictions were unfairly affected by taped interviews played at trial. In Brian Tyler v. State of Indiana, No. 69A04-0702-CR-120, the Indiana Court of Appeals upheld Tyler’s convictions of vicarious sexual gratification and two counts of felony child molesting, as well as finding his sentence was appropriate. Tyler had exposed himself to five children in his care and touched one of the young girls. He also had the…
Chief justice to give annual address
Indiana Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard will give his annual State of the Judiciary address Wednesday.Next week will mark the 21st time Chief Justice Shepard will give the address since assuming the court’s top position in 1987, two years after joining the appellate court. The hour-long annual address starts at 1:30 p.m. in the chambers of the Indiana House of Representatives in Indianapolis.His address typically includes a discussion of the state courts’ ongoing projects, accomplishments in the past year, and future…
Judge pleads guilty, receives suspension
Allen Circuit Judge Thomas J. Felts pleaded guilty today in Marion Superior Court to operating a vehicle while intoxicated as a misdemeanor. Marion Superior Judge William Nelson sentenced the judge to one year probation and suspended his driver’s license for 90 days, starting tomorrow. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office asked the judge to immediately suspend Judge Felt’s driver’s license, but Judge Nelson allowed for a one-day delay so that Judge Felts could drive home to Allen County, said Marion County Prosecutor’s…