Hammerle on… : “Scream,” “The Velvet Queen” and Oscar nominations
Indiana criminal defense attorney Robert Hammerle gives us his take on “Scream,” “The Velvet Queen” and the 2022 Oscar nominations.
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Bill would require de novo judicial review of environmental agency decisions
A bill proposed in the 2022 Indiana legislative session would have required trial courts to try disputed issues of fact de novo in a judicial review of certain agency actions. Republican Rep. Chris Jeter, R-Fishers, said he authored House Bill 1063 in an attempt to even the playing field between decision-making agencies and Hoosiers, and in response to an Indiana Supreme Court decision.
Janzen: Real estate laws hurting climate change fight?
Midwestern farms are sitting on an untapped resource to meet climate change goals, namely, millions of acres of farmland that have always been farmed to maximize production. Soil and climate scientists are finding that with some production changes, such as planting cover crops during fallow periods to ensure soil is always pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, farmers can increase soil uptake of carbon in farmland.
Wilson: When talking aloud to yourself makes sense
It seems people like to complain about Apple Siri’s technology. Most of the time, the complaints seem to be about Siri not recognizing voice commands or accurately converting voice to text. Siri is one of those tools that has a lot of promise. While it has not exactly lived up to the hype, there are some features that are useful. It continues to get better. Here are some thoughts on how you can get more out of Siri and “voice to task” technology.
DTCI: Vaccine or test: The latest in legal precedent for employers in the COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19 regulations have found their way into the legal and political spheres. The most recent and highly anticipated legal battle made its way to the Supreme Court, leaving the court to decide how employers should be regulated when it comes to mitigating COVID-19 risks. With the current composition of the Supreme Court, including three new justices, the court ultimately left the regulation to the employers themselves, at least temporarily.
Web Exclusive: Federal bill could remove arbitration requirement for sexual misconduct claims
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate last month came together in a bipartisan effort to push forward legislation that removes clauses in contracts that require arbitration of sexual assault and harassment claims. H.R. 4445, also known as the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021, essentially puts the ball in the court of individuals who allege sexual misconduct in the workplace or elsewhere, rather than their accused perpetrators.
Hamer-Bailey: PFAS liability and commercial property transfers
Over the last few years, one of the most talked about — and confounding — topics in environmental law has been the issue of PFAS contamination (of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). A pervasive part of our modern lives, from Teflon to Scotchgard to firefighting foam, PFAS compounds now seem to be both a blessing and a curse.
IndyBar: Case to Watch: State of Indiana v. Google LLC
Recently, the Indiana Attorney General’s Office filed a complaint on behalf of the state of Indiana against Google LLC. State of Indiana v. Google LLC is pending in Marion Superior Court 4 under Cause No. 49D04-2201-PL-002399. In the complaint, the state alleges that Google harvests consumers’ personal data, including location data, when consumers use Google products. Google in turn allegedly uses this data to target advertisements to consumers and evaluate the effectiveness of these advertisements.
Legal battle brewing over trans athlete bill
In Indiana, a legal battle is already brewing over legislation that would ban transgender female athletes from competing on K-12 girls’ sports teams. Representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana have promised to file a lawsuit while Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has said his office will defend the bill’s constitutionality.
Court Tech developing jail data management system
With the Odyssey Case Management System now operational in all 92 Indiana counties, a new project aimed at better connecting justice partners is underway in Indiana. The new program, dubbed “INjail,” aims to not only make operations more efficient in sharing records — allowing courts and jails to seamlessly communicate with each other — but also to provide vital data to criminal justice stakeholders and lawmakers.
Kelln and Harrell: Could Title VI force change in IN enviro policies?
Conceptually, environmental justice is the “fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin or income, with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.” The concept of environmental justice is not new, but came to the forefront during the Obama administration in the aftermath of the Flint, Michigan, lead-contaminated drinking water crisis. However, environmental justice never became a coherent strategy and was overshadowed by significant rulemakings around climate change. That has changed in the first year of the Biden administration.
10 finalists named for IN Supreme Court vacancy
The Indiana Judicial Nominating Commission has selected 10 finalists to advance to the next round of interviews for an upcoming vacancy on the Indiana Supreme Court that will open when Justice Steven David retires.
7th Circuit demands Seymour attorney answer for conduct at appellate court
An appeal of a federal court’s ruling in a dispute with the IRS has a Hoosier attorney facing sanctions after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found he “pressed frivolous arguments” and engaged in conduct contrary to professional standards.
Watered-down vaccine mandate limits clear Senate, return to House for consideration
The Indiana Senate passed a watered-down version of the House Republicans’ bill to limit employer vaccine mandates, sending it back to the House where its future is cloudy.
Despite identity theft, 7th Circuit rules debt collectors didn’t violate federal law in collection action
While the process of remedying a case of credit card identity theft caused “a world of aggravation” for the plaintiff, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the debt collectors’ actions during the investigation didn’t violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act or Fair Credit Reporting Act.
7th Circuit agrees lawyer’s mistake was ‘inexcusable attorney negligence’
Four plaintiffs seeking Cook Medical liable have lost their ability to continue in the multidistrict litigation after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the denial of a motion to reconsider the dismissal of their cases because their attorney missed a filing deadline.
Tax Court affirms, reverses in property tax disputes with ingredient provider
An American multinational ingredient provider that ran into trouble with the Indiana Board of Tax Review has secured a reversal from the Indiana Tax Court for its personal property taxes for the 2012 and 2013 tax years. However, it wasn’t as successful in its request for a refund after finding it overpaid for the 2011 tax year.
Bill allowing Level 6 felons to go to DOC headed to governor’s desk
A bill allowing Level 6 felony offenders to serve their sentences in the Indiana Department of Correction for mental health and addiction treatment is headed for the governor’s desk.
1 week left to submit ’22 Leadership in Law nominations
There’s only one week left to submit your nominations for the 2022 Indiana Lawyer Leadership in Law Awards.