Opinions

Indiana Court of Appeals
Melvin Hall v. Bradley Shaw, Giovanni Narducci, and Central Indiana Protection Agency, Inc.
19A-CT-2533
Civil tort. Affirms and reverses in part the Marion Superior Court’s dismissal of Melvin Hall’s lawsuit against Bradley Shaw, Giovanni Narducci and Central Indiana Protection Agency Inc. alleging defamation, abuse of process, malicious prosecution and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and the partial denial of the defendants’ motion to dismiss Hall’s lawsuit. Finds the trial court erred in denying the defendants’ motion to dismiss Hall’s defamation and abuse of process claims based on Narducci’s July 2018 consumer complaint with the Attorney General’s Office. Also finds the trial court correctly dismissed Hall’s defamation claims based on alleged events that occurred before May 22, 2016, and on Gerald Alexander and Guillerma Lolla-Martinez’s trial testimony. Finally, finds the trial court erred in dismissing Hall’s malicious prosecution claims against all defendants based on his criminal prosecution, defamation claims against all defendants based on Alexander and Lolla-Martinez’s out-of-court statements made before Hall’s criminal trial, and IIED claims against Shaw and CIPA based on Narducci’s July 2018 voicemail. Remands for further proceedings.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Brice Holden v. State of Indiana
19A-CR-1795
Criminal. Affirms Brice Holden’s conviction for Level 4 felony child molesting. Finds the Clay Circuit Court did not commit fundamental error in admitting the polygraph examination report. Also finds the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the certified polygraph examiner’s nonhearsay testimony.

Indiana Supreme Court
Jesse L. Payne v. State of Indiana
20S-CR-313
Criminal. Reverses the guilty but mentally ill verdict and aggregate 90-year sentence for Jesse Payne after he confessed to burning down two covered bridges in Parke County. Finds the state presented insufficient demeanor evidence to rebut both the unanimous expert opinion that Payne is legally insane and Payne’s “well-documented history of mental illness.” Remands for the trial court to hold a hearing for Payne’s involuntary commitment under Indiana Code section 35-36-2-4. Justice Mark Massa dissents with a separate opinion joined by Justice Geoffrey Slaughter.

Indiana Court of Appeals
A.S. v. Indiana University Health Bloomington Hospital
19A-MH-3044
Mental health. Affirms A.S.’s 90-day commitment to Indiana University Health Bloomington Hospital. Finds the Monroe Circuit Court did not admit into evidence the hearsay about which A.S. complains. Finds testimony from a doctor provided clear and convincing evidence that A.S. was gravely disabled and that forced administration of antipsychotic medication was warranted.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Frances L. Batchelder, Special Administrator of the Estate of John E. Batchelder, M.D., Deceased v. Indiana University Health Care Associates, INC, d/b/a IUHP
19A-CT-2569
Civil tort. Reverses the Marion Superior Court’s award of summary judgment in favor of Indiana University Health Care Associates, Inc., in the medical malpractice action brought by Frances Batchelder, special administrator of the estate of John E. Batchelder, M.D. Finds that by prematurely applying the $1.25 million setoff from a settlement with a third party to the statutory limit and offsetting the IUHP judgment to zero, without first determining the value of the estate’s case, the trial court denied the estate the potential full recovery to which the estate is legally entitled. Remands for proceedings.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Tiffany Abbott, Cathie Barnes, and Chandra Gray v. Individual Support Home Health Agency, Inc.
19A-PL-2367
Civil plenary. Reverses the Henry Circuit Court’s order denying the motion to dismiss the complaint filed by Tiffany Abbot, Cathie Barnes and Chandra Gray’s former employer, Individual Support Home Health Agency, Inc. Finds the women’s reports to the Indiana State Department of Health are protected by absolute privilege because the reports initiated a quasi-judicial proceeding. Finds the trial court erred when it denied their motion to dismiss Home Health’s complaint. Remands the case to the trial court with instructions to dismiss Home Health’s complaint.

The following Indiana Supreme Court opinion was posted after IL deadline on Monday.
FMS Nephrology Partners North Central Indiana Dialysis Centers, LLC v. Meritain Health, Inc., et al.
20S-PL-302
Reverses grant of summary judgment in favor of Meritain Health, University of Notre Dame and Beacon Health. Finds the St. Joseph Superior Court erred in concluding FMS’s claims were preempted under the conflict-preemption provision of the Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. Determines FMS’s state-law claims survive the two-pronged compete preemption test developed in Aetna Health, Inc. v. Davila, 542 U.S. 200, 210, (2004). Rules the precedent set in Midwest Security Life Insurance Co. v. Stroup, 730 N.E. 2d 163 (Ind. 2000) was misconstrued and that FMS’s claim does not involve ERISA but rather is about a provider’s rate of payment under a separate contract with a health insurance plan. Remands for further proceedings.

Indiana Supreme Court
In the Matter of Curtis T. Hill, Jr.
19S-DI-156
Discipline. Suspends Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill for 30 days with automatic reinstatement for his violation of Professional Conduct Rules 8.4(b) and 8.4(d). Orders Hill shall not undertake any new legal matters between service of the Indiana Supreme Court’s opinion and the effective date of the suspension, May 18, and he shall fulfill all the duties of a suspended attorney under Admission and Discipline Rule 23(26). Finds in favor of Hill on the Oath of Attorneys charge. The costs of the proceeding are assessed against him.

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
USA v. Shon L. Gibson
19-1402
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, Fort Wayne Division. Chief Judge Theresa Springmann.
Criminal. Affirms the indictment against Shon Gibson for charges of possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Finds the evidence seized from his home pursuant to a search warrant was not obtained as a result of Fourth Amendment violations.

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
Acheron Medical Supply, LLC v. Cook Medical Incorporated
19-2315, 19-2410
Appeals from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division. Judge William Lawrence.
Civil. Affirms the Southern District Court’s conclusion that while Acheron Medical Supply, LLC breached a distribution agreement and that Cook Medical Incorporated did not, the plaintiff was not liable for its breach. Finds the district court correctly held Cook had no obligation to submit to the VA audit or deactivate its DAPA. Finds the district court correctly held that Acheron breached the agreement by not obtaining the FSS but was not liable for that breach due to the force majeure provision.

The following Indiana Supreme Court opinion was posted after IL deadline on Tuesday:
In the Matter of R.L. (Minor Child); J.R. (Mother) v. Indiana Department of Child Services and Child Advocates, Inc.
20S-JC-296
Juvenile CHINS. Reverses the Marion Superior Court finding that R.L. is a child in need of services and dismisses the CHINS petition with prejudice. Finds that under Matter of Eq.W., 124 N.E.3d 1201 (Ind. 2019), the Department of Child Services was barred from filing a successive CHINS petition after the first petition was dismissed with prejudice.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Blake B. Hartman v. BigInch Fabricators & Construction Holding Company, Inc.
19A-PL-2263
Civil plenary. Reverses the Parke Circuit Court’s summary judgment in favor of BigInch Fabricators & Construction Holding Company. Finds that as a matter of law, the value of shares under the buyback provision in the Shareholder Agreement, which required the appraised market valuation, cannot be discounted for lack of marketability and control when BigInch is required to purchase the shares. Judge Elizabeth Tavitas concurs in part and dissents in part with separate opinion.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Jason Dean Hubbell v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
19A-PC-2058
Post conviction. Affirms the denial of Jason Hubbell’s petition for post conviction relief. Finds Hubbell has not met his burden of showing the evidence leads unerringly and unmistakably to a conclusion opposite that reached by the Bartholomew Circuit Court.

Indiana Court of Appeals
In the Matter of the Termination of the Parent-Child Relationship of J.B., D.O., P.F., & K.B. (Minor Children) and L.F. (Mother); et al. v. Indiana Department of Child Services, et al. (mem. dec.)
19A-JT-1935
Juvenile termination. Affirms the involuntary termination of L.F.’s parental rights to her children, J.B., D.O., P.F., and K.B. Finds L.F.’s due process rights were not violated by any alleged deficiency in the services offered to her by the Department of Child Services. Further, finds the evidence supports the Marion Superior Court’s findings. Concludes the findings support its conclusions that the conditions under which children were removed from L.F.’s care would not be remedied, that termination of her parental rights was in the children’s best interests, and that there existed a suitable plan for the care and treatment of children following the termination of  parental rights.