Opinions

Indiana Supreme Court
Christopher Schmidt v. Indiana Insurance Company, C&F Insurance Group, LLC, and Bart Stith
22S01-1507-PL-412
Civil plenary. Reverses in part the trial court's entry of summary judgment for the insurance agency and insurance agent to the extent that it may apply to the Schmidt’s claim for negligent procurement of insurance, but directs the entry of partial summary judgment for the agents as to Schmidt’s claim alleging the agents failed to accurately report dwelling fire policy information to the insurance company. The agents failed to exclude the possibility that other types of fire insurance coverage for Schmidt’s rental property could have been obtained and issued. Affirms summary judgment for Indiana Insurance Co.

Indiana Supreme Court
In the Matter of: David J. Steele
49S00-1509-DI-527    
Attorney discipline. Disbars David J. Steele, who had been under emergency interim suspension since Sept. 4, for eight counts detailed in a verified complaint. Steele is accused of stealing about $150,000 from clients, disclosing client confidences for purposes of both retaliation and amusement, threatening and intimidating his office staff and lying pervasively to all comers. Disbarment is warranted based on the seriousness and brazenness of the conduct.

Indiana Court of Appeals
In the Matter of S.M., J.M., A.M., H.G., Children in Need of Services, A.M. (Mother) v. The Indiana Department of Child Services
49A02-1505-JC-377
Juvenile. Reverses CHINS adjudication of S.M., J.M., A.M. and H.G. Finds no evidence that the children were ever in danger or ever lacked food, shelter or love and care. Although mother has a history of sporadic marijuana use, she has passed every drug test given by DCS and her substance abuse assessment did not recommend her for substance abuse treatment. 

Indiana Court of Appeals
Bryant Lamonte White v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
53A01-1501-CR-42
Criminal. Affirms 40-year sentence and conviction of Class A felony conspiracy to commit dealing in a Schedule I controlled substance.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Amit Shah and Tim Dugle v. Apex Pallet, Inc., Duro, Inc. d/b/a Recycled New Pallets, Duro Realty, Inc., Duro Transport, Inc., and Terry Rodino (mem. dec.)
44A05-1503-PL-115
Civil plenary. Reverses the grant of a motion to dismiss with prejudice made by defendants-appellees Apex Pallet Inc., Duro Inc., Duro Realty Inc., Duro Transport Inc. and Terry Rodino. Finds Dugle and Shah’s amended complaint filing was timely as it complied with the 30-day deadline set forth by the court.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Ralph Jackson v. State of Indiana
34A02-1505-CR-453
Criminal. Reverses 20-year sentence following guilty plea to Class B felony dealing in a Schedule II controlled substance. The trial court does not have the option of selecting a sentence based solely on the defendant’s conduct apart from the circumstances of the crime. Because the trial court did not issue an adequate sentencing statement, it abused its sentencing discretion.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Tyrone Causey v. State of Indiana
49A02-1503-CR-185
Criminal. Reverses Causey’s conviction of Class D felony intimidation. The state failed to present sufficient evidence from which a jury could find beyond a reasonable doubt that Causey communicated a threat to the officers that was intended to place them in fear of retaliation for responding to a call at his residence. 
 

Indiana Court of Appeals
Mary K. Patchett v. Ashley N. Lee
29A04-1501-CT-1
Civil tort. Affirms on interlocutory appeal the grant of a motion in limine filed by Lee and order that evidence of payments made by the Healthy Indiana Plan to reimburse Lee’s medical providers in full satisfaction of her bills was barred by the collateral source statute and is not admissible under Indiana case law. Determines that the rule of Stanley applies only to lower paid amounts when those amounts are the result of negotiated discounts and therefore are probative of a medical service’s reasonable value.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Ada Brown v. Indiana Family and Social Services Administration
87A01-1501-PL-38
Civil plenary. Reverses imposition of a transfer penalty by FSSA against Brown, after finding she is eligible for Medicaid benefits, based on the sale of Brown’s home in 2010. Evidence shows the proceeds from the sale of the home were placed back in her irrevocable trust and the fair market value of her home was $75,000, not $91,900 as FSSA had valued it.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Luis Fuerte v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
45A03-1501-CR-15
Criminal. Affirms aggregate 19-year executed sentence and convictions of Class B felony attempted incest, Class C felony child molesting and Class D felony sexual battery.

Indiana Court of Appeals
John Belork v. Robin Latimer, Davis Township Trustee and DMK&H Farms, Inc.
75A04-1503-MI-100
Miscellaneous. Affirms grant of appellees’ motion for judgment. Rules the fences that Belork wants his neighbors to help build along the southern and eastern boundaries of his property do not constitute partition fences under Indiana Code 32-26-9. Finds the statute does not apply in this situation because the neighbors would not derive a benefit from the fences.  

Indiana Court of Appeals
Jay Classroom Teachers Association v. Jay School Corporation and Indiana Education Employment Relation Board
49A05-1412-PL-586
Civil plenary. Reverses trial court order affirming the order of the Indiana Education Employment Relation Board and remands to the board for proceeding. A provision of the Jay Classroom Teachers Association contract allowing additional compensation for ancillary duties, including covering another teacher’s class, was not impermissible and should not have been stricken by the board. The board also erred in allowing a provision permitting the superintendent to set salaries of teachers hired after the start of the school year. The provision was impermissible and should have been stricken by the board.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Madison County Board of Commissioners and Madison County Highway Department v. American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Local 3609
33A05-1505-PL-409
Civil plenary. Affirms summary judgment in favor of the union on the county’s motion to correct or vacate the arbitrator’s award, in which it reduced two union workers’ discipline from termination to a five-day unpaid layoff. The county circumvented the collective bargaining agreements’ progressive discipline scheme and the CBA does not require discharge for the infractions committed by the employees or prohibit the arbitrator from reducing an employee’s punishment.

Indiana Supreme Court
John Hernandez v. State of Indiana
49S02-1511-CR-644
Criminal. Holds it was an error for the trial court to have refused giving Hernandez’s tendered final jury instruction on the defense of necessity because Hernandez presented some evidence to support the instruction. Vacates Hernandez’s Class A misdemeanor conviction of carrying a handgun without a license and remands for a new trial.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Robert L. Woods v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
27A05-1502-CR-61
Criminal. Affirms Woods’ convictions of two counts of Class A felony child molesting and 100-year sentence.

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
BRC Rubber & Plastics Inc. v. Continental Carbon Company
14-1416, 14-1555
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana, Fort Wayne Division, Magistrate Judge Roger B. Cosbey.
Civil. Vacates judgment for BRC on its lawsuit that Continental Carbon had breached and repudiated the contract for it to supply carbon black to BRC. The agreement did not obligate BRC to buy any or all of its carbon black from Continental, so the trial court erred in concluding the contract was a requirements contract. Remands without reaching BRC’s cross-appeal related to damages.  
 

Indiana Supreme Court
Latoya Lee v. State of Indiana
49S02-1511-CR-638
Criminal. Reverses Lee’s conviction of attempted aggravated battery as a lesser included offense of a murder charge dismissed by the court and remands with instructions to enter a judgment of acquittal. Charging murder, or conspiracy to commit murder, by shooting does not, without more, give fair notice of lesser included charges based on a beating. It was fundamental error to convict her based on a critical operative fact the state never pleaded and in fact disclaimed at trial.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Mario Allen v. Wendy Knight, Superintendent of Correctional Industrial Facility (mem. dec.)
48A02-1505-MI-416
Miscellaneous. Affirms trial court decision to transfer Allen’s petition for writ of habeas corpus filed in the county of his incarceration to the county where he was tried and sentenced.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Chris Harkins v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
15A01-1412-CR-553
Criminal. Affirms conviction of five counts of Class C felony forgery, two counts each of Class D felony identity deception and credit card fraud, Class A misdemeanor deception, and a jury’s adjudication of Harkins as a habitual offender. The trial court did not err in denying Harkins’ motions for severance, continuance and to exclude evidence. The convictions did not violate the prohibition against double jeopardy. 

Indiana Court of Appeals
Brooks Berg v. State of Indiana
32A01-1504-CR-127
Criminal. Affirms convictions of Class D felony operating while intoxicated and Class B misdemeanor reckless driving. Berg argued the state violated his double jeopardy rights under Richardson v. State, 717 N.E.2d 32 (Ind. 1999), when it used the evidence it had presented to the jury to support the reckless-driving charge to demonstrate the endangerment element of the operating-while-intoxicated charge. The state conceded the argument, but the court rejected the reasoning as a misunderstanding of Richardson, because one offense required intoxication and the other required the act of reckless driving.