With changes sought for how the Department of Child Services deals with CHINS cases, foster care, caseloads and other issues, Indiana lawmakers have introduced at least 25 bills aimed at the agency. The case of an Indiana inmate who has spent a total of 28 years in solitary confinement is shining a spotlight on prisoner isolation. Indianapolis law firms are hiring — and they aren't just casting their nets for highly prized laterals, according to several firms.
Ersal Ozdemir, the owner of the Indy Eleven, has big plans for a stadium surrounded by housing, retail and office space—but where to put it? Mickey Shuey explores the most likely candidates around Indianapolis. Also in this week’s issue, Susan Orr reports that FullBeauty Brands, a retailer of plus-sized apparel with a deep history in Indianapolis, has a debt load of $1.3 billion and is about to declare bankruptcy. And Anthony Schoettle asks Daniel Jones—the son of famed tech entrepreneur Scott Jones—about his plans to take market share from Uber and Lyft with an unusual approach to ride-sharing.
In this week’s issue, Mickey Shuey reveals the sweeping changes proposed for Indiana’s meagerly funded state tourism bureau, in hopes of boosting the dollars available for marketing and attracting new visitors. Greg Andrews explains how James Burkhart, the former CEO of nursing home giant American Senior Communities, is trying to get his felony conviction for fraud thrown out while he serves a nearly 10-year prison sentence. And Lindsey Erdody has IBJ’s annual accounting of the biggest philanthropic gifts across the state. The big winner for 2018: sleepy Wabash College.
A Tennessee alcohol case brewing at the U.S. Supreme Court could spill over to Indiana laws requiring liquor retailers to be residents of the Hoosier state. After years of planning and transition to get Indiana trial courts on the same digital page, the push for statewide e-filing is hitting the homestretch. In the Indiana Statehouse, legislation would set the stage for family law courts to permit visitation for grandparents and great-grandparents under certain circumstances.
Indiana Lawyer takes a look back at the year's top legal news of 2018 — a year that was dominated by the sexual misconduct allegations against Attorney General Curtis Hill and the continuing aftermath. Hoosier lawyers who work with out-of-state companies or in arrangements the state views as “license rentals" could face potential disciplinary consequences. As scooter crashes and injuries mount, so do questions about liability and whether the state should regulate the new mode of transportation.
The seizure of a Marion man's $42,000 Land Rover is at issue in a case before the United States Supreme Court that could have nationwide ramifications for civil forfeitures. With passage rates falling and tests around the country changing, the Indiana Bar Exam is facing a test of its own as a study committee explores possible changes. Multiple lawsuits brought in federal court by lawyers and civic groups are challenging Indiana voting laws and election regulations.
Despite prior vocal commitments to address sexual harassment at the Indiana Statehouse, lawmakers quietly advanced policies that critics say fail to address key concerns. After numerous cities and towns and 27 states filed suits in response to the opioid epidemic, Indiana sued just one pharmaceutical company, Purdue Pharma. Years after criminal cases against them in the death of a relative unraveled, members of an Evansville family will proceed with a civil rights lawsuit alleging police fabricated evidence against them and coerced confessions.
An Indianapolis attorney couple who encountered heartbreak caring for an infant they hoped to adopt is seeking changes for Indiana foster parents. An Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law professor argues in a new book that regulation of lawyer speech is undermining the judiciary. Proponents of medical marijuana in the General Assembly are optimistic about their chance of success next year.
Victims of Attorney General Curtis Hill’s sexual misconduct want more than to be believed. Four women have filed notice of a lawsuit against Hill and the state after a special prosecutor said he believed the victims but declined to file criminal charges on their claims that Hill groped or inappropriately touched them. A longtime leader in the state's judiciary has been tapped as the Indiana Supreme Court's new chief administrative officer. After nearly 300 passed the Indiana Bar Exam in July, new lawyers who took the oath were told at an admission ceremony to remember lessons from home.
At least six Indiana colleges and universities are facing lawsuits from students who were accused of sexual misconduct. The suits claim the schools' processes were unfair or biased against the accused. Lawyers might soon be required to take continuing legal education courses on diversity and inclusion and mental health and substance abuse — recommendations approved by the Indiana State Bar Association House of Delegates after spirited debate. Judges and lawyers say the political nature of the hearings confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court of the United States were not what the Framers intended.