Disciplinary Actions — 3/7/2018
Read the latest disciplinary actions from the latest reporting period.
Allen County
Articles
ACLU report finds alarming rights abuses by law enforcement, judges
Getting into debt is easy, but people who fall behind in payments can find themselves fending off aggressive debt collectors, acquiescing courts and even incarceration.
COA: PCR records can be expunged
The Indiana Court of Appeals has overturned the denial of a man’s request for expungement of his post-conviction relief proceedings after determining the Allen Superior Court erred in finding PCR records are not covered by Indiana’s expungement statutes.
Lawmakers backpedal on gun bills in wake of mass shooting
Republican leaders in the Indiana Legislature are backpedaling on gun rights legislation in the wake of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida — killing two measures that would have loosened firearm restrictions.
Payday lending bill faces uncertain fate in Indiana Senate
The Republican leader of the Indiana Senate says he is opposed to legislation to expand payday lending and allow for rates more than triple what is currently permitted under the state’s criminal loansharking law.
Lawmakers approve bill allowing sunscreen at school
The Indiana Legislature has given final approval to a measure that would allow students to carry sunscreen while at school.
Public money fuels Indiana Senate candidate’s publicity bid
Throughout his career in elected office, Indiana Senate candidate Todd Rokita has used apocalyptic language to warn of “out-of-control” government spending, which he once described as “choking our economy and stealing freedom.”
Indiana legislative session at halftime: what lives or died
Indiana lawmakers have reached halftime in this year’s legislative session, which has been marked more by plans deferred and legislation killed than major accomplishments.
COA grants summary judgment to teacher, school corporation
A Fort Wayne mother’s claims of battery and constitutional violations against her daughter, a first-grader, will not proceed after the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled the teacher and school corporation were entitled to summary judgment on those claims.
Excessive force case will proceed against officer who shot unarmed robbery suspect
An excessive force claim against a Fort Wayne police officer who shot an unarmed robber will continue after the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana denied the officer’s motion for summary judgment.
Three magistrates named as finalists for Allen Superior vacancy
Three magistrate judges have been selected as finalists to fill an upcoming vacancy in the Allen Superior Court.
Applications open for coming Court of Appeals vacancy
Northern Indiana judges and lawyers may now apply to succeed long-serving Indiana Court of Appeals Judge Michael Barnes, Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush announced Wednesday.
10 to be interviewed for Allen County judgeship
The Allen Superior Court Judicial Nominating Commission will begin interviews next week with candidates who have applied to fill an upcoming vacancy in the court’s Family Relations Division. The commission will narrow the list of candidates vying to succeed Judge Daniel G. Heath when he retires next month.
Senate committee withholds vote on anti-indemnification bill
An Indiana lawmaker is urging her colleagues to reconsider her proposed attorney anti-indemnification bill after the Senate Civil Law Committee refused to call a vote on the measure.
Allen County tax, annexation dispute to continue in trial court
A dispute between Allen County fire departments grounded in both annexation and tax law will continue before the Allen Superior Court after the Indiana Supreme Court denied transfer to an August decision giving the trial court jurisdiction to hear the case.
Fort Wayne man gets 8 years for not telling partners he has HIV
A Fort Wayne man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for not telling numerous sex partners that he’s HIV-positive.
Senator re-introduces attorney anti-indemnification bill
An Indiana lawmaker is once again proposing a bill that would prohibit attorneys from indemnifying themselves against legal malpractice actions after a similar measure failed to pass last year’s General Assembly.
COA reverses termination of parent-child relationship
The Allen Superior Court must revisit a parental rights termination proceeding after the Indiana Court of Appeals determined insufficient evidence and prior appellate precedent failed to support the court’s termination of a father’s parental relationship with his son.
Babysitter’s serious neglect convictions, sentence affirmed
A babysitter convicted of inflicting a life-threatening head injury on an infant in her care lost her appeal of her felony convictions and sentence after the Indiana Court of Appeals determined neither court error nor insufficient evidence warranted reversal.
Rethinking bail: Pretrial release and apps among trends here and nationwide
The drumbeat to reexamine the practice of cash bail in Indiana and nationally has grown louder in recent years as jails groan under the weight of overpopulation. A court pilot program in Indiana assesses risk while a private initiative in New York uses computing power to raise money to pay bail for nonviolent arrestees.