May 17, 2013
Dave StaffordThe Indiana Supreme Court blocked the transfer of a judge who sought to replace former Lake Superior Juvenile Court Judge
Mary Beth Bonaventura after her appointment to head the Department of Child Services.
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May 9, 2013
IL StaffMediation ordered by the Indiana Supreme Court failed to settle a dispute among Lake County judges over a juvenile court vacancy,
according to a report filed Wednesday by the former justice who tried to resolve the matter.
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April 11, 2013
Jennifer NelsonLegislation out of the House of Representatives reconfiguring workers’ compensation in Indiana passed the Senate Wednesday
and goes back to the House with some changes.
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April 10, 2013
Jennifer NelsonThe Indiana Court of Appeals rejected a St. Joseph County man’s claims that the trial court abused its discretion regarding
the admission and exclusion of certain evidence at his jury trial for charges related to injuries to his infant daughter.
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April 10, 2013
Dave StaffordMediation is ordered as the fight over Bonaventura vacancy goes public and exposes strife.
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April 1, 2013
Dave StaffordFormer Justice Frank Sullivan will mediate a dispute over a Lake Superior Court judgeship vacancy, the Indiana Supreme Court
ordered Monday.
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March 28, 2013
Jennifer NelsonWhile disappointed that a trial court did not follow through with the appointment of counsel for a mother regarding a child
in need of services action, any error in that failure was harmless, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Thursday. It upheld
the termination of mother J.A.’s parental rights to her son G.P.
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March 21, 2013
Dave StaffordThe Indiana Supreme Court on Thursday afternoon issued an emergency order preventing a Lake County judge from taking over
the vacancy created when a fellow judge was tapped to lead the Department of Child Services.
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March 14, 2013
Marilyn OdendahlPrior to the Indiana General Assembly implementing recommendations from an interim study committee, the Indiana Department
of Child Services is making changes.
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March 13, 2013
Marilyn OdendahlA bill giving prosecuting attorneys the ability to file a Child in Need of Services petition continues to garner strong support
in the Indiana General Assembly.
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February 20, 2013
Jennifer NelsonA mother whose child was adjudicated as child in need of services won a partial victory before the Indiana Court of Appeals
Wednesday.
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February 13, 2013
IL StaffThe Indiana Senate passed on second reading Tuesday legislation that will create a commission on improving the status of children
in the state. The introduced version of Senate Bill 125 was prepared by the Department of Child Services Interim Study Committee.
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February 8, 2013
Cory SchoutenJohn M. Bales lifted his crossed hands to his face and began to cry Thursday evening as a federal judge read the same jury
verdict on each of 13 fraud counts against the real estate broker and his partner: Not guilty.
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February 7, 2013
Cory SchoutenThe jury began deliberations Thursday in the federal fraud trial of Indianapolis real estate broker John M. Bales and partner
William E. Spencer after three hours of spirited closing arguments Wednesday.
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February 6, 2013
Cory SchoutenClosing arguments are expected to begin Wednesday afternoon in the federal fraud trial of Indianapolis real estate broker
John M. Bales and partner William E. Spencer after the defense raced through seven witnesses Tuesday and early Wednesday.
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February 1, 2013
Cory SchoutenThe legal team representing real estate broker John M. Bales and partner William E. Spencer haven't called their first
witness and already they're putting up a spirited fight as federal prosecutors seek to prove charges including bank, mail
and wire fraud.
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January 31, 2013
Cory SchoutenAn FBI investigation into Venture Real Estate Services and principals John Bales and Bill Spencer had already begun when Matthew
Dyer signed on as the company's controller in December 2009.
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January 31, 2013
IL StaffGov. Mike Pence named Lake Superior Juvenile Senior Judge Mary Beth Bonaventura as director of the Department of Child Services
Wednesday.
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January 30, 2013
Jennifer NelsonA split Indiana Court of Appeals decided Wednesday that former Muncie Central High School principal Christopher Smith’s
Class B misdemeanor conviction for failure to immediately report child abuse or neglect should be tossed out.
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January 30, 2013
Cory SchoutenIndianapolis attorney and developer Paul J. Page is no longer a co-defendant in the fraud trial of real estate broker John
M. Bales and a partner after agreeing to a plea deal, but you wouldn't know it from the action Tuesday in the U.S. District
Court for the Northern District of Indiana.
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January 30, 2013
Dave StaffordA proposed commission that grew from a study committee examining problems at the Department of Child Services cleared the
Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday.
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January 23, 2013
Jennifer NelsonThe Indiana Court of Appeals granted the rehearing petitions of the Department of Child Services and a family who had a child
removed from their care and re-examined the family’s federal civil rights claims and claims under the Indiana Tort Claims
Act. The judges also chided DCS’ counsel for submitting a new document in the petition for rehearing that was not part
of the record on appeal.
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January 22, 2013
IL StaffThe Senate Judiciary Committee meets at 9 a.m. Wednesday and has five bills on its agenda, including legislation that redefines
child fatality committees in each county.
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January 15, 2013
Dave StaffordThe Indiana Supreme Court will weigh whether a student who resisted being handcuffed by a school resource officer merits adjudication
as a delinquent for the equivalent of Class D felony resisting law enforcement.
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December 5, 2012
Dave StaffordJustice Loretta Rush says a unified commission on children can bring stakeholders together and improve outcomes.
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Judge Roger B. Cosbey is unethical and bias toward African American who seeks justice in Title VII claims. He disrespected and used his authority to attempt to intimidate me into taking an unfair settlement and when I refused he proceeded to get my case dismissed and to deny me my Constitutional and Civil Rights. He disobeying several rules of law; specifically, by ruling on summary judgment motions against the Fed. R. Civ. P., without authority of Judge William C. Lee, without consent of the attorneys, and with conspiracy to commit “fraud on the court,” as he conspired with my former attorney. He proved to me that he is bias, unethical, unfair and unfit to be reappointed. In my opinion, he should be disbarred in 2013, for committing fraud on the court, which would make him ineligible for reinstatement in 2014. See docket 3:07 cv 629 where he rules on dispositive motions, knowing magistrates are not vested with that power (especially without consent), grants the defendant an unconscionable number of extensions, accepts my former attorney request for extension for dispositive motion knowing he was working with the opposition, and unbelievably grants the defendant another extension after he requested an extension after he missed the deadline. I know another attorney filed charges against him for bias in race discrimination case(s). I know what he did in my case before he voluntarily recused himself, I just do not know how many other innocent people have been stripped of their rights because of him. I say shame on him and no more of the same.
they are pushing these cases against lawyers too far. thought-crime.
vagueness cannot challenged, so let's write all laws vaguely and throw the constitution out the window.Even if the court is operating under a particular law, if they don't it they will change it to their liking. What a joke!!!
Two convictions becomes one conviction with exactly the same sentence, only it is not clear wheter or not that sentence will be 18 months, 120 months or 138 months. Actually if the guns were in a home, whether or not they were his, he is protected under the 2nd amendment. Jurors need to learn the law and the constitution before judging others. The cour5ts need to do this as well.
With all due respect, Rick, I think you probably would be making a mistake by going to law school. The job market for attorneys is so saturated, you may well find yourself unemployed and with a lot of debt. You mention law would be a good supplement to your skills. True. But employers unfortunately don't value that. You will find that a law degree may well pigeonhole you into an attorney slot and limit career options. If you have a good job now I would hold onto that. As an attorney, you may well end up making less with the aforementioned debt.