Lawyer who owns Brown County’s Story Inn dies at 63
Richard “Rick” Hofstetter, the lawyer-turned-businessman who operated the popular Story Inn in southern Brown County, died Oct. 1. He was 63.
Business Law
Articles
Justices to hear sales rep’s nonsolicitation dispute with ex-employer
Indiana Supreme Court justices will hear oral argument next week in a dispute between a medical components company and one of its former employees after several other former employees left the company to take sales positions together elsewhere.
Pharmacy owner sentenced to 33 months for making over-potent drugs
The former owner and CEO of Pharmakon Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Noblesville was sentenced Wednesday to 33 months in prison for manufacturing and selling drugs that were as much as 25 times more potent than they should have been.
Ruling for Madison County upheld in inmate housing lease dispute
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed a ruling for Madison County in a lease dispute with a property manager that housed county inmates before the county backed out of the agreement years early.
Maxim party host that sued IMS, then lost $75K in countersuit, loses appeal
A federal appeals court upheld a jury’s award of $75,000 to Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a breach of contract lawsuit brought by an event-planning company that had sued IMS due to poor ticket sales at a party marking the 100th running of the Indy 500.
Growing for success: Law firms still looking for merger opportunities, but fewer partners available
With its impending entrance into the Minneapolis market, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP is set to expand its footprint to 12 cities, grow its roster of attorneys to more than 600 and take a step closer to its goal of becoming a regionally dominant law firm. While law firm merger activity in the Hoosier State is increasing, the recently announced Taft deal is among the largest in recent years.
IU Maurer launches nation’s first family office practice program
Students interested in working for family offices or firms with family office service practices can now receive training through a newly launched Indiana University Maurer School of Law program. IU Maurer’s family office practice program will be the first in the nation to target the specific practice area, the school announced Thursday.
Judge to rule on unsealing redacted Equifax complaint
An Indianapolis judge is deciding whether information in a complaint alleging Equifax could have, but failed to, prevent one of the largest cybersecurity breaches in United States history must be unsealed and made accessible to the public.
COA reinstates car seller’s defamation, breach suit
An auto financing company took a hit after the Indiana Court of Appeals reinstated a car dealer’s breach of contract and defamation complaints in a dispute over vehicles purchased at auction.
Reports: OxyContin maker negotiating possible $12B settlement
Purdue Pharma and the thousands of state and local governments suing the maker of OxyContin over the nation’s deadly opioid crisis are negotiating a $10 billion to $12 billion settlement under which the Sackler family would give up ownership of the company, according to published reports.
Ethanol producer blames Cloverdale plant closure on Trump EPA
The owner of a western Indiana ethanol plant is blaming its shutdown on the Trump administration allowing some refineries to not blend ethanol with gasoline as required under federal law.
Are noncompetes overly broad?
This year, a group of unions, employment law attorneys and other labor organizations petitioned the Federal Trade Commission to ban noncompete agreements. But while there are some instances where a restrictive covenant can be too restrictive, experts say there are also instances where noncompete clauses are legitimate.
JW Marriott tax appeal survives motion to dismiss
The third appeal of a 2010 tax assessment against the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis has survived a motion to dismiss brought by the Marion County assessor.
Indiana couple sues Uber over fatal fight with Kentucky driver
An Indiana couple is suing Uber over a fatal fight with a Kentucky driver they say pulled a gun on them last summer.
In contamination case, 7th Circuit cleans up messy preclusion fight
Even though none of the businesses disagreed over who contaminated a manufacturing site, the question of who should pay for the cleanup became a fight over claim preclusion that ended with the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals offering instructions on how the lawsuit should have been defended.
Ruling for insurer in $78K hacking case reversed in part
The Indiana Court of Appeals partially affirmed an insurance company’s first award of judgment in a computer hacking theft but reversed on the second after finding no conflict between the appellant’s deposition testimony and a statement in his affidavit.
Judgment against car dealership upheld for customer in fraudulent sale
A Fort Wayne car dealership lost its appeal of a small-claims case against a woman who won a judgment arguing the dealership fraudulently sold her a car and forged her signature on transaction documents related to the sale.
One hack, 106 million people, Capital One ensnared by breach
A security breach at Capital One Financial, one of the nation’s largest issuers of credit cards, compromised the personal information of about 106 million people, and in some cases the alleged hacker, who has been arrested, obtained Social Security and bank account numbers.
RV manufacturer prevails against warranty breach claims
Although sympathetic toward a couple who bought an RV riddled with problems, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed an award of judgment for the RV’s manufacturer after finding no breach of the warranty or its provisions.
Steak n Shake makes $8M legal settlement, suffers downgraded credit rating
Indianapolis-based Steak n Shake Inc. has agreed to pay $8.35 million to settle two lawsuits that claimed the chain failed to pay managers for overtime hours they worked.