Articles

Justices: Drive-away driver properly classified as contractor

A “middleman” business that matches drivers with customers needing drive-away services properly classified one of its drivers as an independent contractor instead of an employee, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled in an opinion meant to resolve a conflict between two lower court rulings.

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DCS still drawing numerous reform bills in Legislature

Legislators in 2018 introduced a slew of bills trying to bring more collaboration and modest adjustments to the Department of Child Services. Lawmakers this year have introduced at least 25 bills impacting CHINS, foster parents and DCS caseloads, among other things.

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Indiana residents face long wait for newly available adoption records

Indiana residents who were adopted as children are waiting longer than expected to get access to previously closed adoption records as one state agency struggles to handle thousands of requests. The state Department of Health has received more than 3,300 requests for adoption records since a July law made such information available to adoptees.

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Nonprofit reapplies to open South Bend abortion clinic

A nonprofit group that had been denied a state license to open a South Bend abortion clinic reapplied for one Thursday instead of challenging the decision in court. Texas-based Whole Woman’s Health Alliance reapplied for the license Thursday, avoiding what it feared would be a lengthy legal battle.

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Child support garnishment included in man’s Medicaid liability, COA says

A man who previously won his argument that the money garnished for his child support should not be included in determining his Medicaid liability was reversed Wednesday, when an appellate panel determined the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration’s interpretation of Medicaid statutes and regulations were reasonable.

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New ‘general counsel’ position created in AG’s office

A newly created general counsel position has been announced in the office of Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill. The shift in leadership positions also includes the reassignment of former Department of Child Services Director Mary Beth Bonaventura as Hill’s chief of staff.

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Justices agree to again hear long-running IBM dispute

A years-long legal battle between the state of Indiana and IBM Corporation over a failed welfare benefits processing upgrade will continue now that the Indiana Supreme Court has again granted transfer to the long-running dispute.

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State court suit aims to ban Indiana death penalty

A lawsuit naming Gov. Eric Holcomb filed on behalf of a prisoner on Indiana’s death row urges a state court to issue an injunction halting capital punishment and rule that the state’s ultimate criminal penalty violates the Indiana Constitution.

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Judge: State’s ‘bureaucratic quagmire’ harms disabled woman

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration has 21 days to arrange home health care for an elderly woman with quadriplegia who has been confined to a hospital or nursing home since February 2016, a federal judge has ruled. The decision comes after the judge ruled previously that the FSSA’s failure to develop a home-based care plan violated the woman’s rights under three federal laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act.

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Sell here, live here: SCOTUS reviews liquor retailer residency requirements

The requirement that alcohol permit holders live in the state where they do business is based on the simple notion that neighbors care more about the well-being of their communities than out-of-towners do. But a Tennessee case challenging that notion in the U.S. Supreme Court could spill over on similar Indiana laws.

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State police: No video of man’s killing by trooper

Relatives of a man fatally shot by an Indiana State trooper near Crawfordsville are demanding answers after police said there was no body or dash camera video of what led up to last week’s shooting along a western Indiana highway.

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Ruling for insurance producer in licensing case affirmed

A trial court order lifting a regulator’s nonrenewal of an insurance producer’s license stemming from his unauthorized use of funds from his homeowner’s association was affirmed by the Indiana Court of Appeals on Monday. The appellate panel agreed that the man’s actions in this case did not warrant such a severe sanction. Jeffrey A. Schumaker’s […]

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Mobile home parks lose appeal of IURC classification

Several Kosciusko County mobile home parks lost their appeal of an Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission decision that impacted their sewer billing. The Indiana Court of Appeals on Thursday affirmed the IURC’s entry of summary judgment for a regional sewer district and dismissal of the parks’ appeal in Northcrest R.V. Park, et al. v. Lakeland Regional Sewer District, and Indiana Regional Sewer District Association, 18A-EX-1243.

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