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New Albany attorney Van T. Willis, a senior partner with Kightlinger & Gray LLP, was sworn in Friday as a new part-time magistrate judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana by Chief Judge Richard L. Young.
A recording of a victim’s conversation with friends should not have been admitted into evidence at trial, but the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled it was a harmless error.
Indiana Court of Appeals
In the Matter of the Termination of the Parent-Child Relationship of: R.J.J., T.J., and R.L.J. (Minor Children) and R.A. (Father) v. The Indiana Department of Child Services (mem. dec.)
02A04-1410-JT-513
Juvenile. Affirms termination of parental rights.
Scott Wolf v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
82A01-1410-CR-433
Criminal. Affirms convictions of Class A felony counts of dealing methamphetamine and conspiracy to deal methamphetamine.
Christian Ricker v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
71A03-1407-CR-266
Criminal. Affirms convictions of Class A felony child molesting, Class C felony child molesting and Class D felony intimidation.
In Re: The Estate of Margaret S. Jones: John A. Jones, Jr. v. Joyce E. Schaefer and Suzanne D. VanGombos, Alexandra Margaret Windle, Sean Frances Windle, Charlene J. Windle (mem. dec.)
29A02-1410-ES-736
Estate. Affirms in part, reverses in part. Affirms trial court finding that John A. Jones was liable for property taxes due and payable in 2013; concludes the court erred in holding Jones liable for repair costs and in ordering an award of attorney fees. Remands with instructions to enter a new order consistent with the opinion.
Terry W. Waugh, Jr. v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
71A03-1408-CR-312
Criminal. Affirms convictions of three counts of child molesting, one as a Class A felony and two as Class C felonies, as well as the 66-year prison sentence imposed.
James Miske, Jr. v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
79A02-1409-CR-619
Criminal. Affirms convictions of rape, two counts of criminal deviate conduct, all Class A felonies; Class C felony criminal confinement; Class D felony counts of strangulation, intimidation and domestic battery; and Class A misdemeanor charges of battery and resisting law enforcement. Also affirms aggregate 145-year prison sentence.
Indiana Tax Court
Lee and Sally Peters v. Lisa Garoffolo, Boone County Assessor, and the Indiana Board of Tax Review
49T10-1207-TA-42
Tax. Affirms the Indiana Board of Tax Review’s 2010 assessment of a Zionsville office building owned by Lee and Sally Peters. The Indiana Board of Tax Review did no err in upholding the 2010 real property assessment.
The Indiana Tax Court on Thursday affirmed the real estate assessment of an office building on Zionsville’s Main Street in Boone County.
A rapper convicted as an accomplice in the murder of Indianapolis disc jockey Thomas Keys failed on appeal to show his brokering of a peace treaty between rival rap groups was wrongly excluded from evidence in his trial.
An Indianapolis teen and another man convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison for their roles in a planned beatdown that ended with a fatal gunshot will be freed after the Indiana Supreme Court reversed their convictions and ordered them acquitted.
Opponents of the Town of Brownsburg’s planned annexation of 4,461 acres to its north prevailed before the Indiana Court of Appeals Friday. The court ruled the trial judge erred in determining he lacked subject matter jurisdiction to determine whether the residents’ remonstrance petition was valid.
Anderson Speedway's attorney has asked a judge to grant summary judgment in a lawsuit accusing the track's owners of negligence in a driver's death in a 2011 crash.
Indiana lawmakers say they're looking for more changes at the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles after an independent audit found numerous troubles and that the agency might have overcharged motorists more than the $60 million previously disclosed.
The Indiana Supreme Court by a vote of 3-2 decided this week to not take the case of a man who sued for medical malpractice those who treated his now-deceased wife. The lower court and Court of Appeals found no existence of a physician-patient relationship between the on-call hospital specialist and the wife, the issue that caused two justices to dissent.
Indiana Court of Appeals
In the Matter of the Termination of the Parent-Child Relationship of: D.B.S. (Minor Child), and Q.S. (Father) and D.S. (Mother) v. The Ind. Dept. of Child Services (mem. dec.)
02A03-1410-JT-384
Juvenile. Affirms termination of parental rights.
Timothy Lee Hyser v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
20A05-1410-CR-487
Criminal. Affirms convictions of one count each of Class A felony and Class C felony child molesting.
In Re the Marriage of: Leann Palmer (Lawrence) v. Jeffrey Palmer (mem. dec.)
48A04-1405-DR-203
Domestic relation. Affirms order denying mother’s petition to modify child custody agreement.
Indiana Supreme Court
The Board of Commissioners of the County of Jefferson v. Teton Corporation, Innovative Roofing Solutions, Inc., Gutapfel Roofing, Inc., and Daniel L. Gutapfel
72S04-1410-CT-642
Civil tort. Affirms summary judgment in favor of the contractors on the county’s subrogation claim to recover damages caused to the courthouse outside the scope of the renovation work. The plain meaning of the contract defines the scope of the AIA contract waiver based on the extent and source of coverage, not the nature of the property damaged. Agrees with the majority of jurisdictions that have applied this plain meaning to bar recovery for all damages covered by the same property insurance policy used to cover construction-related damages – commonly referred to as the “any insurance” approach. Because contractors have shown that the property owner’s insurance covered all damages, the subrogation waiver applies to bar the property owner’s claim.
The Office of the Indiana Attorney General has created the Victim Services and Outreach Division to focus resources on victims of human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, and other vulnerable victims, the office announced Thursday.
Deciding an issue of first impression stemming from a fire that heavily damaged the Jefferson County courthouse in 2009, the Indiana Supreme Court on Wednesday decided Indiana should follow the “any insurance” approach in deciding when property owners waive subrogation rights in certain cases. In doing so, the justices rejected the “work versus non-work” approach that the Court of Appeals has used.
The Indiana Judicial Nominating Commission will not be interviewing the eight applicants for a Court of Appeals vacancy next week, as originally announced. The interviews will now take place sometime in June.
Jurors considering the fate of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev asked a complicated question Thursday on the first full day of deliberations.
After the House of Representatives' lopsided bipartisan vote to end the National Security Agency's bulk collection of Americans' phone records, the Senate is under considerable pressure to pass a similar measure. If it doesn't, lawmakers risk letting the authority to collect the records expire June 1, along with other important counterterrorism provisions.
The chairman for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians who are seeking to build a casino in South Bend said Wednesday a new law approved by the General Assembly prevents Gov. Mike Pence from negotiating in good faith with the tribe on a compact, voiding the need for such an agreement.
Indiana Court of Appeals
Richard A. Gill v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
79A02-1408-CR-594
Criminal. Affirms convictions of three counts of Class A felony child molesting, five counts of Class C felony child molesting and one count each of Class B felony sexual misconduct with a minor and Class C felony sexual misconduct with a minor.
Darin Jackson v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
49A02-1404-CR-230
Criminal. Affirms conviction of Class B felony conspiracy to commit criminal confinement.
Valene Miller v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
49A04-1410-CR-479
Criminal. Affirms conviction of Class A misdemeanor possession of marijuana.
John R. Royer v. Laurie Royer (mem. dec.)
79A02-1408-DR-615
Domestic relation. Affirms dissolution court’s orders finding father in contempt of court and modifying his child support obligation.
Paul A. Moore v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
49A02-1407-PC-475
Post conviction. Affirms denial of petition for post-conviction relief.
Kevin S. Wang v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
40A05-1409-CR-442
Criminal. Affirms convictions of Class B felony dealing in methamphetamine, two counts of Class D felonies possession of chemical reagents or precursors with intent to manufacture controlled substances, and Class D felony maintaining a common nuisance.
City of Lawrenceburg, Indiana Board of Public Works & Safety v. Douglas Taylor (mem. dec.)
15A01-1410-PL-463
Civil plenary. Dismisses the board’s appeal of the trial court’s dismissal of Taylor’s amended complaint without prejudice.
William P. Guffey v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
70A01-1409-CR-410
Criminal. Affirms sentence for Class B felony aggravated battery, Class D felony battery resulting in bodily injury to a law enforcement officer and Class B misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
State of Indiana v. M.P. (mem. dec.)
49A02-1411-JV-777
Juvenile. Affirms exclusion of a witness essential to the state’s case after the witness failed to appear at two scheduled depositions.
Nicholous L. Finton v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
35A02-1412-CR-840
Criminal. Affirms sentence for Class D felony domestic battery.
In the Matter of the Adoption of L.M.Q., C.Q. v. J.G. and M.G. (mem. dec.)
82A01-1409-AD-391
Adoption. Affirms adoption of L.Q. by J.G. and M.G.
Donald Ray Steger v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
48A02-1409-CR-685
Criminal. Affirms revocation of probation and imposition of a 12- month sentence. Remands with instructions to correct the clerical errors in the written orders by removing the alleged violations of failure to abstain from the use of illicit drugs and failure to maintain and/or verify employment.
Robert R. Setree, II, and Beverly L. Setree v. River City Bank (mem. dec.)
10A04-1409-MF-450
Mortgage foreclosure. Affirms summary judgment order granting the bank the right to foreclose on the property.