Opinions September 17, 2025

Indiana Court of Appeals
Matthew Joseph Dirig v. State of Indiana
25A-CR-119
Criminal. Affirms Matthew Dirig’s conviction in Huntington Circuit Court of Level 1 felony neglect of a dependent resulting in death. Finds no reversible error occurred in the admission of the evidence. Also finds the state presented sufficient evidence to support Dirig’s conviction. Finally, finds the erroneous jury instructions are not reversible error under the fundamental error doctrine. Attorney for appellant: Stacy Uliana. Attorneys for appellee: Attorney General Todd Rokita, Jodi Stein.

Christina Lopp v. Jason Lopp
24A-DC-3119
Domestic relations with children. Reverses the Clark Superior Court order for the division of Christina Loop’s and Jason Loop’s marital estate—which was resolved partially through the court’s Aug. 23, 2023 order and partially through a settlement agreement in November 2024. Finds it does not appear the trial court contemplated how the remaining property at issue in mediation would impact the division of the marital pot as a whole. Also finds there is also no indication that the wife agreed to the husband being awarded the non-inherited Edward Jones account without an offset to her, yet the trial court appears to have found that such an arrangement was stipulated to by the parties. Remands with instructions for the trial court to: (1) set forth the entire value of the marital estate in light of this opinion and the parties’ November 2024 agreement regarding the disposition of marital property; (2) divide the entire marital estate; and (3) either follow the statutory presumption that an equal division of marital property is just and reasonable or consider the evidence related to all of the Indiana Code section 31-15-7-5 factors and clearly articulate its reasons for deviating from the presumption.  Attorney for appellant: Bryan Ciyou. Attorney for appellee: Yvette LaPlante.