Articles

COA affirms summary judgment for estate on negligence claim

An Indiana couple trying to bring a negligence claim against the lessor of a home with an allegedly-defective handrail can pursue neither a negligence per se argument nor a private-right-of-action argument, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled in a Tuesday opinion discussing the differences between those doctrines.

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Summary judgment for Steak ‘n Shake in patron’s shooting reversed

In a case watched closely by both the plaintiffs and defense bar, the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed summary judgment for Steak ‘n Shake after determining the chain owed a duty to a customer at an Indianapolis restaurant who was shot in the face during an escalating conflict with another patron.

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COA reinstates wrongful death case against road contractors

A wrongful death case against a Carroll County contractor and all but one of its subcontractors will continue after the Indiana Court of Appeals found numerous material questions of fact as to whether the companies owed a duty to a man who died while driving through a construction zone in 2013.

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COA: Charter school suit requires tort claim notice

An Indiana trial court properly granted summary judgment in favor of a charter school organizer under the Indiana Tort Claims Act because an organizer and charter school jointly make up the statutory definition of a “charter school,” the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Monday. The appellate panel also upheld the constitutionality of classifying a charter school as a “governmental entity.”

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Is gun maker liable? Court takes up Newtown shooting case

With both gun rights supporters and gun control advocates nationwide looking on, lawyers for Newtown families and gun maker Remington Arms are set to face off Tuesday before the Connecticut Supreme Court to argue whether the company should be held liable for the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.

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Justices: Employer’s admission limits theories of recovery

Indiana precedent does not allow both a respondeat superior and negligent hiring claim against an employer to proceed if the employer has admitted their employee was acting within the course and scope of their employment when the negligence occurred, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled in an opinion that upheld partial summary judgment for Pizza Hut.

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COA: Attack on wrestling event attendee was unforeseeable

A woman who was injured in an attack while walking from a Bartholomew County wrestling event to her car cannot succeed on her negligence claim against the wrestling company because the attack was not foreseeable, so the company did not owe a duty to her, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled.

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Judge dismisses claims against hospital in discovery dispute

A federal judge has dismissed a man’s claims in a complaint accusing the Indiana Supreme Court, a hospital and the chair of a medical review panel of violating his due process rights. The judge found that federal precedent and a failure to state a claim barred the man’s claims against the hospital.

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COA to hear legal malpractice appeal

A woman who lost her legal malpractice case against a law firm she said failed to timely bring negligence and wrongful death claims against the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s office will have her day before the Indiana Court of Appeals next week.

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Supreme Court to hear whistleblower case against IDEM

A former state employee who claims she was fired for blowing the whistle on questionable payment practices in the Indiana Department of Environment Management will bring her case before the Indiana Supreme Court next week, when she will urge the justices to allow her complaint against the state agency to continue.

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New Castle Schools negligence case headed to trial

The Indiana Court of Appeals has reversed summary judgment in case stemming from an altercation in a New Castle career program, finding that genuine issues of material fact remain as to whether the school was negligent.

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Lawsuit against Columbus over crosswalk headed toward trial

Although the city of Columbus has immunity from the policy decisions that may have contributed to a 13-year-old’s injuries when he was struck by a vehicle in a city crosswalk, genuine issues of material fact remain that preclude the city from being awarded summary judgment in a lawsuit, a divided Indiana Court of Appeals has held.

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