Statehouse News
Indiana's inheritance tax phasing out
May 9, 2012
Jenny MontgomeryAttorneys who handle estate planning say questions remain about the future of the federal estate tax.
MoreIndiana legislative round-up
March 28, 2012
Jenny MontgomeryA snapshot of key points from bills heard in the 2012 legislative session. All enrolled acts were signed by the governor by
March 20.
MoreCFOs, CAFOs in the spotlight
February 29, 2012
IL StaffAn update on Indiana laws and legislation involving confined feeding operations and confined animal feeding operations.
MoreBill would increase funds for pro bono districts
January 18, 2012
Jenny MontgomeryThe modest filing fee could help offset declining IOLTA funds.
MoreBill would change child support statute
January 18, 2012
Jenny MontgomerySenate Bill 18 could reduce arrearages.
MoreLabor law to be key issue in 2012
December 7, 2011
Jenny MontgomeryIndiana legislators disagree about merits of right-to-work legislation.
MoreJudge rules on case involving legislative walkout fines
December 6, 2011
Michael HoskinsA Marion Superior judge has ruled that state courts don’t have the ability to interfere with the Indiana General Assembly’s
constitutional authority to pass laws or its own internal rules, including how it compels attendance or imposes fines.
MoreAdding UPL to Indiana RICO statute
November 9, 2011
Michael HoskinsAn Indiana Supreme Court case involving an estate planning “trust mill” has led to a policy discussion about whether
certain types of unauthorized practice of law should rise above a misdemeanor crime and involve a racketeering component.
MoreLawmakers discuss sentencing
October 26, 2011
Jenny MontgomeryProposed changes would reclassify drug crimes and emphasize county oversight.
MoreLawmakers taking second look at 'second chance law'
October 14, 2011
Michael HoskinsLegislators want to take a second look at a new law passed this year that gives Indiana residents with nonviolent criminal
histories a chance to limit public access to parts of their record.
MoreChange allows closed-circuit testimony for child victims
May 25, 2011
Jenny MontgomeryOn July 1, Indiana will begin allowing the use of closed-circuit testimony in certain court cases. Introduced as House Bill
1215 and signed into law by Gov. Mitch Daniels, the amendment to Indiana Criminal Code 35-37-4-6 may help minimize emotional
distress for child victims.
MoreImmigration bill could bring Indiana into the national spotlight
May 11, 2011
Jenny MontgomeryOn May 9, Indiana was still awaiting word about whether Gov. Mitch Daniels would sign Senate Enrolled Act 590. After a protracted
volley between the House and Senate, the bill designed to crack down on illegal immigration passed on April 29, its language
considerably altered from the introduced version.
MoreBills on courts, forfeiture before governor
May 11, 2011
Jennifer NelsonSeveral Indiana counties will have their Circuit and Superior courts unified and certain judges will no longer have to be
less than 70 years old when they take office, thanks to legislation passed during the 2011 session of the General Assembly.
MoreBill expands merit selection
April 27, 2011
Jenny MontgomeryLawmakers consider election vs. selection of Superior county judges in Lake County.
MoreLegislation impacting judiciary awaiting final approval
April 20, 2011
Kelly LucasSeveral bills that may alter the look of the Indiana judiciary await final approval during the waning days of the 2011 legislative
session.
MoreLawmakers resume debate on issues impacting state courts
April 13, 2011
Michael HoskinsBoth federal and state lawmakers seem to be letting the clock tick down to the final seconds.
MoreIndiana Senate honors state's oldest former legislator
April 13, 2011
Jenny MontgomeryTeacher, lawyer, businessman, farmer, statesman – Elmer Hoehn has held many titles in his life.
MoreGeneral Assembly ready for new session's business
November 24, 2010
Michael HoskinsWith a new legislative session on the horizon, the Indiana General Assembly is going to be one to watch as it likely tackles
a multitude of issues influencing the state’s legal community.
MoreISBA receives award for juvenile justice summit
May 21, 2010
Rebecca BerfangerThe Indiana State Bar Association has learned it will receive the LexisNexis 2010 Community and Educational Outreach Award
for the “Summit on Racial Disparities in the Juvenile Justice System: A Statewide Dialogue,” which took place
in August 2009.
MoreIndiana juvenile justice bill first in nation
March 31, 2010
Rebecca BerfangerIn what started at a summit hosted by the Indiana State Bar Association in August, House Enrolled Act 1193, which authorizes
a work study commission to consider various juvenile justice issues in Indiana, was signed by the governor March 17.
MoreGovernor signs last of legislation
March 26, 2010
IL StaffThe 2010 session of the Indiana General Assembly wrapped up Thursday with Gov. Mitch Daniels signing the remaining legislation
pending before him.
MoreLegislature's final days bring up merit selection, out-of-state placement issues
March 17, 2010
Michael HoskinsHoosier lawyers and judges were kept on the edge of their seats as the Indiana General Assembly navigated its final days of
the session, reviving talk on two issues that have significant impact on the state's judiciary and legal system.
MoreAgencies examine UPL
March 17, 2010
Michael HoskinsLong before he became Greenwood's police chief, attorney Joe Pitcher recalls sitting as a special judge in town court and
facing an Unauthorized Practice of Law case that may be one of few like it in Indiana.
MoreLegislature's end suspenseful for legal community
March 15, 2010
Michael HoskinsAs the Indiana General Assembly got down to its final hours in a short-session, significant changes for the Hoosier legal
community were on the table to possibly increase the number of appellate judges, change how one county chooses its trial judges,
and impact how juveniles can be placed outside the state.
MoreLegislators revisit vetoed merit-selection measure
March 12, 2010
Michael HoskinsIn the final days of the Indiana General Assembly session, as lawmakers pushed to finish and put final touches on the end-of-term
business, a 2009 measure that divided the Hoosier legal community came back into play.
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Court Calendar
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May 23, 2012 Covered Bridge Homeowners Association vs. Town of Sellersburg, Indiana - 5/23/12
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June 1, 2012 Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Co., et al. v. Michiana Contracting, et al. - 6/1/12
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June 12, 2012 State of Indiana Military Department, et al. v. Continental Electric Co.
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June 19, 2012 The City of Indianapolis v. National Trust Insurance Co., et al.
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G. Michael Witte letter states he's suspended for three years. The case that got him suspended is identical to my estate case, including havin the Late Judge Deiter recuse himself because Newman had a conflict of interest with the judge. His Modus Operandi is nearly identical.
SIGNED BY G. MICHAEL WITTE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY INDIANA SUPREME COURT DISCIPLINARY COMMISSION DATED MAY 17, 2012.
Your 6th complaint against Lawrence T. Newman filed on 4/12/2012. On 1/31/12, the Indiana Supreme Court entered an order suspending Lawrence T. Newman’s law license for a period of three years. More important, even after three years, Lawrence Todd Newman will not get his license back unless and until he goes through a separate proceeding to prove that he is fit to practice law. This is not an easy process, and the burden is upon Lawrence T. Newman to prove by clear and convincing evidence that he is fit to return to practice.
Because of the length of Lawrence T. Newman’s license suspension and the fact he may never succeed in getting his law license reinstated, we are not opening an investigation file at this time.
Should Lawrence T. Newman seek reinstatement in the future, we will open your file and ask Lawrence T. Newman to address your grievance as part of his burden of proving fitness. We have attempted to notify Lawrence T. Newman that this will be required of him.
It may disappoint you to hear that we will be doing nothing on your grievance at this time. However, the most our office can ever accomplish is to take away a lawyer’s license to practice law. We have already done that, albeit as a result of misconduct in cases other than your own. It makes better sense for our office to focus its limited resources on cases where the lawyers are still actively practicing law.
Is there any justice in the Marion County Superior Court Civil Division? I am the unfortunate victim of a retaliatory lawsuit brought by Lawrence Todd Newman, the attorney from an estate case on which I worked as a unsupervised personal representative in 2006. The contract agreement for that case stated that the estate would be responsible for all attorney fees, but Newman refused to close the nearly insolvent estate when my duties were complete and his fees were paid. Instead, he tried to extort additional attorney fees from me by keeping the case open to address a wrongful death claim, despite the estate’s heir’s lack of interest in pursuing it and an expert doctor’s opinion that it would not be worth doing so. He also knowingly deceived me into believing that a “closing statement” was needed to close the estate, even though this requirement had actually been waived by the estate’s heir. The heir’s attorney filed a motion to have Newman removed from the case. After the court closed the probate case with prejudice (barred from further litigation) Newman illegally re-opened the case in another courtroom.
As a result of complaints filed against him for these and similar actions, Newman has been suspended from practicing law for 18 months by the Indiana Disciplinary Commission. In retaliation, he has filed suit against me demanding additional attorney fees for the 2006 estate case, despite the fact that I made no agreement stating that I would pay any fees from my own assets on behalf of the estate. This lawsuit violates the rules of ethics, due process of law, and equal protection of law. Newman has been allowed to file ridiculous pleadings at an alarming rate and has been supported by a biased court system. Judge Carroll refuses to recuse himself from the case despite the fact that, by his own admission, he intends to grant Newman sanctions regardless of the evidence. When my former counsel discovered that the previous judge on the case, Judge Sosin, was a long-time close friend of Newman’s family, Judge Carroll commented for the record during a hearing that Judge Sosin in so many words “he finds the door “was weak for recusing himself from the case as a result of this obvious conflict of interest.
This case is a public policy issue. Statutes put in place to protect unsupervised personal representatives in probate matters are being ignored. This case will affect thousands of individuals involved in probating and the personal representation of estates. Justice cannot possibly be served as long as a biased judge is allowed to defend a “vexatious litigant,” as Newman has been described by Judge Logan in Bradenton, Florida court. If there is any justice in the Marion County Superior Court Civil Division, this case against me will be dismissed with prejudice.
Every affront to decency and every style adopted by criminals is not per se a constituttional violation. Only fools believe or espouse that.
This was an unnecessary change in law, a needless fiddling with a tax that impacted very very few hoosiers, but one that erodes a tax base benefitting very many hoosiers. Just because some people wanted to chalk up a "tax cut" on their legislative brag-list, and didnt give a fig about replacing the revenue any other way. Really stupid. I am a republican my whole life and this just shames me like hell. I have to use a fake name over this because I know my fellow republicans are all brain washed over tax cutting too.