Former Roncalli teacher turns to advocacy after 7th Circuit loss
After three years of fighting in federal court for her job, Lynn Starkey is shifting her focus.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
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Bankruptcy filings still falling, reversal expected
Even as Americans are paying more at the gas pump and grocery checkout, filings for bankruptcy protection have continued to decline, dropping 17.7% nationally and 19.1% in the 7th Circuit for the year ending June 30, 2022.
Man paralyzed after being thrown into sheriff’s van can proceed with claims against Indy, council, judge rules
A federal judge is allowing two claims against Indianapolis police and the City-County Council to move forward after a man alleged law enforcement left him paralyzed after he was thrown headfirst into the back of a van without safety restraints.
IU Health attorney, former career law clerk named Southern District magistrate
A former federal law clerk and recent in-house attorney has been selected as the newest magistrate judge of the Indiana Southern District Court.
In affirming dismissal of Roncalli discrimination lawsuit, Easterbrook advises starting with statute
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has again sided with the Archdiocese of Indianapolis in an employment discrimination lawsuit filed by Lynn Starkey, a Roncalli High School guidance counselor who was fired for being in a same-sex marriage.
7th Circuit reverses for fired federal employee on retaliation claims
A jury could determinate that retaliatory animus influenced a woman’s decision-making and ultimately caused the termination of her co-worker, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a Thursday reversal.
7th Circuit upholds decision in Roncalli discrimination lawsuit
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected a former guidance counselor’s discrimination claims against Roncalli High School and the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
Boone County employee alleges harassment in suit against councilor, county
Boone County’s director of human resources has filed a federal lawsuit that claims a Boone County councilor sexually harassed her and the county failed to protect her from further harassment and retaliation.
Injunction against ‘mature minors’ parental notice abortion law lifted
A federal court has lifted an injunction against an Indiana abortion law requiring “mature minors” to notify their parents before getting an abortion — a decision that comes as the Indiana General Assembly is considering legislation that would enact a near-total ban on abortions statewide.
7th Circuit uphold dismissal of gun accessory manufacturer’s complaint
The owner of a firearm accessories manufacturing facility in southern Indiana who claimed his rights against search and seizure were violated when federal agents raided his business got a lesson on the Federal Rules of Evidence and the importance of precedent from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
‘Night of terror:’ 28 women allege assaults by male inmates after Clark Co. Jail officer sold access keys
More than two dozen female detainees are suing Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel and current and former members of his jail staff, alleging they were attacked by male inmates during “a night of terror” that occurred after a corrections officer sold access keys last fall.
DCS caseworkers who allegedly threatened parents with CHINS case must face civil suit, 7th Circuit rules
Two DCS caseworkers who allegedly threatened a couple with a CHINS proceeding if they did not submit their child to a blood draw must face the parents’ civil lawsuit, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled, overturning a lower court finding that the caseworkers were protected by qualified immunity.
Transgender Indy girl who challenged new trans sports law can play on school softball team, judge rules
Indianapolis Public Schools must allow a 10-year-old transgender girl to continue playing on a school-sponsored softball team, a federal judge has ruled. The decision comes after the girl challenged a new state law that prohibits trans girls from playing on girls’ sports teams.
7th Circuit finds investment firm shielded from fiduciary duty claim by power of attorney
An opinion from a state appellate court that was issued while the Southern Indiana District Court was considering a motion to dismiss in a fiduciary duty dispute did not change the federal judge’s decision to grant the motion, but it did alter the reasoning on which the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed.
Cause of death for man who died during police restraint listed as homicide; IMPD investigations underway
The death of a man who was forcibly restrained by Indianapolis police after his family called for an ambulance has been ruled a homicide, according to an autopsy report released Tuesday.
Injunction lifted on Indiana abortion law that elicited opinion from Justice Thomas
A federal court has lifted the injunction on the Indiana abortion law that incited Justice Clarence Thomas to write his 2019 concurring opinion which equated birth control and abortion with eugenics.
7th Circuit vacates conspiracy conviction for drug dealer who didn’t understand charge
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has vacated and remanded a drug dealer’s conviction of conspiracy as well as his sentences after concluding a district court failed to clear up any confusion regarding his guilty plea.
Pryor garners praise at confirmation hearing
Having built a legal career that includes two federal court clerkships, 12 years in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana and four years as a federal magistrate judge, 7th Circuit Court of Appeals nominee and Southern Indiana District Court Magistrate Judge Doris Pryor sat for her confirmation hearing Wednesday and faced the stiffest questions about a 2019 speech she gave for Constitution Day at her son’s elementary school.
7th Circuit agrees evidence was ‘too vague’ to undermine jury
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld an Indiana man’s conviction for rape, finding the evidence presented at trial that linked him to another rape was “too vague” to prejudice the jury.
After SCOTUS ruling, 7th Circuit vacates permanent injunction, remands Westfield billboard dispute
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has vacated a permanent injunction against a Westfield billboard ordinance following a U.S. Supreme Court opinion that “bears heavily” upon the case.