Suit spawns liquor-distribution showdown
Indiana’s largest beer distributor is mounting the latest legal challenge to the state’s arcane, Prohibition-era liquor laws.
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Can parents sue DCS? Yes, divided justices rule
A sharply divided Indiana Supreme Court decision that a family may sue the state’s child protection agency for negligence is sure to resonate within the Department of Child Services, attorneys familiar with the case said.
Judge rejects Charlie White’s claim of ineffective counsel
Former Secretary of State Charlie White has been ordered to begin serving his sentence for violating Indiana’s election law after his petition for post-conviction relief was denied.
Indianapolis attorney tapped to lead BMV
Ice Miller LLP attorney Donald M. Snemis has been named as the commissioner of the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. He will begin his tenure Jan. 6.
Independent analysis finds DOC’s population will grow under new criminal code
A report released Dec. 10 predicts that Indiana’s new criminal code will increase the number of individuals incarcerated in state prisons to the point where a new facility may have to be built.
Schools get $14 million settlement in ISTA, NEA securities suit
Four-year-old litigation over $27 million lost by at least 27 Indiana public school systems that invested in a troubled teachers union-sponsored health insurance plan has concluded with a settlement in which schools will receive about $14 million.
State, IBM contest $62 million award for canceled welfare contract
Indiana Court of Appeals judges spent the better part of a 90-minute oral argument Nov. 25 focused on whether a trial judge’s order applied the proper legal standards in awarding $62 million to IBM after the state canceled its $1.3 billion contract to overhaul Indiana’s welfare administration.
Order for IBM to pay subcontractor in state suits affirmed
An appeals court Tuesday affirmed trial court orders that IBM pay a subcontractor for costs it incurred related to lawsuits over the failed $1.3 billion Family and Social Services Administration modernization contract.
IBM seeks greater judgment; state claims $62 million award erroneous
A $62 million judgment against the state for canceling a contract with IBM to overhaul Indiana’s social services administration is clearly erroneous, an attorney for the state argued Monday, while an IBM lawyer argued the company was entitled to even greater damages.
Local law firm reaps $6.3M in fees from BMV class-action suit
A local law firm will receive $6.3 million as part of a class-action lawsuit that accused the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles of overcharging for driver’s licenses.
Judge denies Brizzi’s bid for gag order in malpractice suit
A judge Tuesday denied former Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi’s request for a gag order in the legal malpractice claim filed against him by defrocked Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White.
Is a death certificate public information?
Differing interpretations of statutory language puts the state of Indiana and the Court of Appeals at odds.
Martinsville native named commissioner of state’s department of labor
A former general counsel in the Indiana Department of Labor has been appointed by Gov. Mike Pence to lead the agency.
Judge sentences attorney Page to probation, fine
Attorney and real estate developer Paul J. Page will serve two years of probation and pay a $10,000 fine for concealing the source of a $362,000 down payment on his purchase of a state-leased office building in Elkhart.
Judges uphold penalties against man for falsifying unemployment benefit documents
There is sufficient evidence to support the decision that a man must pay back unemployment benefits he used while working and that the man falsified information in order to receive those benefits, the Indiana Court of Appeals held.
Zoeller moves to strike Ritz’s suit against Board of Education
Attorney General Greg Zoeller Thursday asked a court to throw out a lawsuit filed by Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz against the Indiana Board of Education.
Court upholds 2-year suspension of teacher’s license
An administrative law judge in the Indiana Department of Education correctly imposed a two-year suspension of a special education teacher’s license, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Thursday. The court found no error in the ALJ’s reliance on a California case when considering whether to revoke or suspend a teaching license.
Trial court’s suppression order binding to ethics commission
After turning to the Indiana State Ethics Commission when a trial court ordered the evidence in a theft case suppressed, the state was reminded it “does not get a second bite at the apple.”
Zoeller joins multi-state call for e-cigarette regulation
The Food and Drug Administration should restrict the sale and marketing of increasingly popular e-cigarettes, particularly to minors, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller advocates in joining a letter signed by AGs from 36 other states and three U.S. territories.
Dispatcher fired after firecracker incident loses unemployment appeal
An appeals court panel Thursday affirmed denial of unemployment benefits for a Starke County sheriff’s dispatcher who took time off work after a firecracker exploded behind her at work and she was diagnosed with hearing loss, vertigo and tinnitus.