Indiana Court Decisions — May 10-22, 2018
Read Indiana appellate decisions from the most recent reporting period.
7th Circuit Court of Appeals
Articles
7th Circuit adopts rule changes for district court dockets
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has adopted two rule amendments that place additional requirements on district courts to ensure case dockets are complete and available upon the 7th Circuit’s request.
Appellate court allows Duke to recover damages from ratepayers
Duke Energy Indiana can recover the costs of a damages order from its ratepayers after the Indiana Court of Appeals found sufficient evidence to support the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission’s approval of that recovery plan.
7th Circuit upholds Allen County workers’ comp judgment
The Allen County Board of Commissioners cannot be held liable for a former county court employee’s disability claims because the board was neither his direct nor indirect employer, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled.
7th Circuit upholds LWOP sentence for convicted murderer
An Indiana man convicted of murdering his ex-wife with a crowbar will continue to serve his life without parole sentence after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the habeas relief he sought on the basis of ineffective assistance of trial counsel.
Senate confirmation votes give 7th Circuit full bench
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has a full bench after Monday’s confirmation of the final two judicial nominees, Judge Amy St. Eve and Michael Scudder. Members of the U.S. Senate approved St. Eve and Scudder in rare bipartisan votes of 91-0 and 90-0, respectively.
Indiana Court Decisions – April 26-May 9, 2018
Read Indiana appellate decisions from the most recent reporting period.
7th Circuit affirms judgment against rejected firefighter
A man who sued the Indianapolis Fire Department alleging he was not hired as a firefighter as retaliation for his father’s lawsuit against the department lost his appeal of a ruling against him Thursday.
Court reverses doctor’s $1M defamation award against CVS
An Indianapolis doctor awarded $1.025 million in defamation damages against CVS after a federal jury trial lost it all Thursday when the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the decision. The panel ordered a new trial on greatly reduced claims for damages.
Wisconsin nominee confirmed to 7th Circuit seat after party-line vote
With a slim vote along party lines, the U.S. Senate confirmed Michael Brennan to the Wisconsin seat on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday, filling the longest vacancy in the federal judiciary.
7th Circuit prohibits sex offender from voting at local high school
In a decision handed down one day before Indiana’s 2018 primary election, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found a rational relationship between an Indiana statute prohibiting sex offenders from entering school property and the state’s interest in protecting children. The court ruled the state does not violate a convicted sex offender’s voting rights by prohibiting him from voting at a polling place located in a high school, and instead requiring him to vote via one of three alternatives.
7th Circuit rejects Hustler Hollywood’s zoning denial appeal
An adult entertainment business cannot set up shop at its desired Indianapolis location after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a city ordinance that prohibits such businesses from operating in certain zoning districts.
District court ordered to reopen drug felon’s life sentence
A convicted drug felon whose previous New Mexico convictions were vacated has successfully appealed an Indiana district court’s decision not to reopen his federal life sentence, with the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling his sentencing challenge was based on the notion that his New Mexico convictions no longer exist.
7th Circuit grants review to Indiana immigrant’s torture case
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ordered the Board of Immigration Appeals to re-examine a Honduras native’s case against his forced removal to his home country, finding the board did not adequately consider the man’s evidence of the threat of gang violence against him if he were returned home.
7th Circuit orders appointment of counsel for Arizona inmate
The Indiana Southern District Court must appoint counsel for an Arizona inmate suing two Indiana prison doctors after a circuit court panel found the lower court erred in determining the inmate was competent to litigate his own case.
Indiana Court decisions – April 12-25, 2018
Read Indiana appellate decisions from the most recent reporting period.
7th Circuit affirms denial of disability benefits
A man who was has been trying for more than 11 years to obtain Social Security disability benefits failed to convince a panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that he was wrongly denied benefits.
ACLU, Planned Parenthood sue over abortion complications reporting law
Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky is once again challenging an Indiana abortion law it says is “a cruel intimidation tactic,” this time taking aim at a 2018 piece of legislation that was signed into law less than a month ago.
Justices to weigh how right to publicity affects fantasy sports
The Indiana Supreme Court has agreed to consider how Indiana’s right-to-publicity statute affects the fantasy sports industry in order to provide guidance to a fantasy football case pending in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
7th Circuit strikes Indiana’s abortion law
In a split 2-1 decision, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down Indiana’s abortion ban, which prohibited a woman from terminating her pregnancy because of the gender, race or disability of the fetus.