Opinions

Indiana Court of Appeals
Joel Barrozo v. State of Indiana
19A-CR-2037
Criminal. Vacates one of Joel Barrozo’s reckless driving convictions due to double jeopardy grounds. Remands to St. Joseph Superior Court with instructions to vacate one of those convictions and to resentence accordingly. However, affirms his remaining convictions for three counts of Level 5 felony reckless homicide, Class A misdemeanor reckless driving, and one count of Class A misdemeanor leaving the scene of an accident.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Bryan L. Flowers v. State of Indiana
19A-CR-322
Criminal. Affirms Bryan Flowers’ aggregate 85-year sentence for conviction of murder. Finds the Allen Superior Court did not abuse its discretion and that the sentence is not inappropriate based on the nature of the offense and Flowers’ character.

7^th Circuit Court of Appeals
Bruce Webster v. T. Watson
19-2683
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Terre Haute Division. Judge William T. Lawrence.
Civil. Affirms the Southern District Court’s decision vacating Bruce Webster’s death sentence based on a finding that he is intellectually disabled. Finds the district court’s findings contain no clear error.

The following 7th Circuit Court of Appeals opinion was posted after IL deadline Friday:
Christopher Andre Vialva v. T. J. Watson, Warden, United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute
20-2710
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Terre Haute Division. Chief Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson.
Civil. Affirms the denial of petition for writ of habeas corpus sought by Christopher Andre Vialva, thereby denying his request for a stay of execution. Finds Vialva has not established even a better-than-negligible chance of prevailing in his quest for another round of collateral review.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Michaele Schon and Neal Schon v. Mike Frantz, ESG Security, Inc., Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, and Live Nation Worldwide, Inc.
20A-CT-741
Civil tort. Affirms the grant of summary judgment in Allen Superior Court in favor of Allen County War Memorial Coliseum against claims brought by Michaele and Neal Schon for an alleged injury Michaele sustained during a Journey concert. Finds the trial court did not deprive the Schons of an opportunity to conduct additional discovery, that the coliseum is a political subdivision under the Indiana Tort Claims Act and is immune from liability under the ITCA.

The following 7th Circuit opinion was posted after IL deadline Wednesday.
John Myers v. Ron Neal
19-3158
Civil. Denies rehearing and rehearing en banc. Amends the opinion to grant remand to the district court to address the two claims Myers advanced under Brady v. Maryland.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Shannon M North, et al. v. Selective Insurance Co of South Carolina
20A-PL-0063
Civil plenary. Affirms the Allen County Superior Court’s denial of Shannon and Miles Norths’ motion for partial summary judgment against Selective Insurance Co. of South Carolina. Finds the trial court did not err in granting the motion and in granting Selective’s motion for summary judgment.

Indiana Court of Appeals
James T Knight v. State of Indiana
20A-CR-068
Criminal. Reverses the Carroll Circuit Court’s imposition of the community service probation condition for licensed attorney James T. Knight. Finds that the trial court complied with the procedural requirements of Indiana Code § 35-38-2-1.8 when it held a new probation hearing. However, also finds that the imposition of the community service condition was beyond the trial court’s discretion where the plea agreement contained language that limited the trial court’s discretion to impose that condition.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Molly Ann Melton v. Indiana Athletic Trainers Board, et al.
19A-CT-1972
Civil tort. Affirms in part the Marion Superior Court’s grant of summary judgment on Molly Melton’s 42 U.S.C. § 1983 claims for alleged violations of her constitutional rights in the disciplinary process leading to the suspension of her athletic training license. Finds the trial court properly granted summary judgment to the Indiana Athletic Trainers Certification Board, the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency and others, but erred in granting relief on Melton’s petition for judicial review. Thus, reverses the trial court’s judicial review order.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Richard D. Moseley and Lisa M. Moseley v. Trustees of Larkin Baptist Church and the Larkin Baptist Church, an unincorporated association
20A-PL-98
Civil plenary. Affirms the Spencer Circuit Court’s order granting summary judgment for the Trustees of Larkin Baptist Church and the Larkin Baptist Church on Richard and Lisa Moseleys’ adverse possession counterclaim in the church’s action to quiet title. Finds that the Moseleys did not designate evidence sufficient to create a genuine issue of material fact. Also finds that the trial court did not err.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Indiana Family Institute Inc., et al. v. City of Carmel, et al.
19A-MI-2991
Miscellaneous. Affirms the grant of summary judgment to the cities of Bloomington, Carmel, Columbus and Indianapolis on the complaint brought by the Indiana Family Institute, Indiana Family Action and the American Family Association challenging the “fix” to the 2015 Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and the Hamilton Superior Court’s denial of a motion for judicial notice. Finds the plaintiff-appellants have not demonstrated that nondiscrimination ordinances in the defendant cities have interfered with or chilled their First Amendment rights. Also finds they are not facing the threat of an impending injury or a substantial risk of harm from the nondiscrimination ordinances. Declines to address the appellants’ arguments regarding judicial review.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Michael and Mary Poore, Individually and on Behalf of J.P. v. Indianapolis Public Schools and its Board of Education
19A-CT-1439
Civil tort. Affirms in part the Marion Superior Court’s judgment in favor of Indianapolis Public schools and its Board of Education on Michael and Mary Poores’ claims for breach of contract, negligence, and violation of the Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act when IPS refused to pay for their child’s advanced math class taken outside of the IPS system. Holds that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by excluding the testimony of a certain witness; IPS was not negligent because IPS did not deny J.P. the benefit of early college credits; and no valid, enforceable contract existed between IPS and the Poores requiring IPS to pay for the class. Reverses the conclusion on the DCSA and holds that IPS was not subject to the statutory requirements of the DCSA.

Indiana Supreme Court
Patrick Humphrey v. Brian Tuck, US Xpress, Inc.
20S-CT-548
Civil tort. Grants transfer and affirms the Jackson Superior Court’s entry of judgment on a jury’s $40,000 damages verdict in favor of Patrick Humphrey, and the trial court’s denial of Humphrey’s motion to correct error. Finds there was enough evidence to support giving the challenged failure-to-mitigate jury instruction.

The following 7th Circuit Court of Appeals opinion was posted after IL deadline Thursday.
Yeison Meza Morales v. William Barr
19-1999
Civil. Amends the June 26 opinion in this immigration case reversing the removal order for Yeison Meza Morales and expanding the authority of immigration judges to administratively close cases when warranted. Adds one sentence to a footnote on page 13 of the June 26 opinion expressing no view on whether the government might be precluded from contesting the nonfinal waiver of an immigrant’s inadmissibility. Affirms the June 26 opinion in all other respects. Denies the government’s motion for rehearing in a separate order.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Indiana Family and Social Services Administration; Jennifer Walthall, in Individual Capacity as Secretary of Indiana Family and Social Services, et al. v. Bonnie K. Anderson, et al.
19A-PL-3039
Civil plenary. Affirms in part and reverses in part the Bartholomew Superior Court’s denial of a motion to dismiss Bonnie Anderson’s petition for judicial review and complaint for damages brought by the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration; Jennifer Walthall, the Secretary of FSSA; and the Bartholomew County Division of Family Resources. Finds the trial court did not err by denying FSSA’s motion to dismiss Anderson’s petition for judicial review, but finds it was error for the court to deny FSSA’s motion to dismiss Anderson’s complaint for damages.

The Estate of Sandra King by Special Administrator Marie Briggs v. Aperion Care d/b/a Aperion Care Tolleston Park and Steve Robertson, Insurance Commissioner for the Indiana Department of Insurance
19A-MI-3037
Miscellaneous. Reverses the Lake Superior Court’s denial of the estate of Sandra King’s motion to compel arbitration. Finds the trial court erred in its denial and remands with instructions for the trial court to enter an order granting the estate’s motion to compel.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Keith M. Brown v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
20A-CR-559
Criminal. Reverses Keith Brown’s conviction for Class A misdemeanor resisting law enforcement. Finds the evidence was insufficient to support Brown’s conviction.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Franciscan ACO, Inc., Franciscan Alliance, Inc., and Charlotte Sweezer v. Vaughn Newman, as personal represenatative of the Estate of Virginia Newman
19A-CT-2465
Civil tort. Reverses the denial of Charlotte Sweezer, Franciscan ACO Inc. and Franciscan Alliance Inc.’s motion for partial summary judgment on a wrongful death claim brought by Vaughn Newman as personal representative of the Estate of Virginia Newman. Finds no genuine issue of material fact exists, so the Lake Superior Court erred in denying the motion for partial summary judgment. Remands for proceedings.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Jerry Wayne Smith v. State of Indiana
20A-CR-672
Criminal. Reverses Jerry Wayne Smith’s sentence for his conviction of Class A misdemeanor resisting law enforcement. Finds the 365-day sentence, with 185 days suspended to probation and 180 days served consecutive to the 277 days for a probation violation, is inappropriate. Remands to the Vermillion Circuit Court to impose a sentence of 365 days, with 20 days to serve and 345 days suspended to probation.

Sarah Johnson v. Northeast School Corporation
19-2870
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Terre Haute Division. Judge James Sweeney, II.
Civil. Affirms the Southern District Court’s entry of summary judgment to North Central High School (Farmersburg) and Northeast School Corporation on Sarah Johnson’s claims that both entities inadequately responded to her alleged of sexual harassment, therefore violating Title IX, 20 U.S.C. § 1681(a). Finds Johnson has waived any arguments regarding the district court’s evidentiary rulings and that NESC was not deliberately indifferent to Johnson’s claims of sexual harassment.